by Renea Porter
“Rose, you’ve been so good and you ate all your food. Good job,” Kara complimented her as we ate our dinner.
I winked. “That could only mean one thing. Who wants ice cream?”
Kara raised her hand and Rose clapped hers together. I paid the bill and we loaded back in the SUV.
In the car, I reached over and took Kara’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
“You haven’t. But you have shown it.”
“I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
I pulled into the local ice cream shop and we hurried over to the window. “Does Rose want cotton candy ice cream?” I knew it was her favorite.
“Yes.” She got on her tippy toes, trying to see over the counter while we ordered. Reaching down, I picked her up and held her so she could watch.
“When I get big, I want to own an ice cream shop.”
“You can absolutely do that if you want.”
I was already teaching her to be business savvy. And Kara was teaching her all the girly things. She seemed to be mesmerized by Kara and I could tell the feeling was mutual.
We sat at a table eating our ice cream.
“I’m really glad you quit your job so you can be a mother full time.”
“It was an easy decision to make. The right decision. And I like having you home for dinner every night. No late-night meetings.”
“I just wanted to say I appreciate you. And I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Chapter Four
DAMON
It was Thanksgiving.
“I really enjoyed that,” Kara told me.
“Me, too. The women were very happy to see you. And I like seeing you with them. They are very gracious and humble. And I know you are the same. It’s nice to see that bond.”
Kara tilted her head back on the car’s headrest and smiled lazily. “It made me so happy.”
We headed home from the house the other women resided in. We surprised them with a full course meal and happily served them. Most of the women were back on their feet, and saving money to get their own place. A few were gonna be roommates. Almost all of them had jobs. And they were thrilled with Rose. We wanted to start teaching Rose to also be charitable.
I kissed her hand. “I have a surprise for you,” I told Kara as she would see all the cars in the driveway.
“Damon. I’m not so sure I like surprises anymore.”
“Come on. It’s a good one. I promise.”
She was gonna know once we pulled in the driveway with all the cars that were there. And so far, Rose had been able to keep our little secret.
“Why are all these cars here?” she asked, confused.
We entered the house, and everyone there shouted, “Surprise!”
Only those we truly cared about were there, so it wasn’t a huge gathering. Just Olivia, Matteo, my two cousins, and Susie.
“What is all this?” Kara turned, looking for me. I was bended knee behind her with a ring box in my hand.
Once she realized what was happening, she gasped, covering her face because she was also crying. My heart pounded in my chest.
“Kara Ricci, will do me the honor of being my wife and step-mom to Rose?”
“Oh my god. Yes! A million times, yes!” She squealed with happiness as I slid the ring on her finger.
Everyone cheered in response. I stood and hugged my fiancée. That was a weird word to think about.
“I’m a fiancée.” She showed off her ring to everyone. She kissed me again before looking at Rose. “You kept this secret from me?”
“Yes.” Rose giggled.
“You little stinker.” Kara tickled Rose, causing her to laugh uncontrollably.
“Okay, everyone, let’s eat. That includes you, too, Susie. Sit down and eat.”
Kara was beaming, and all the ladies were in awe of her large engagement ring. Kara would have never picked something so big out for herself. I didn’t have to get a big ring for her, she would have been happy with something small. I just wanted to show my appreciation, and she was pregnant with my baby. She deserved to be spoiled. Her belly was popping out like happened overnight. But she glowed and it made me so happy. Rose was excited to be a big sister as well.
“Monday is a big day,” I announced to the table. Since the DNA test came back, it was confirmed I was Rose’s father. “We are signing papers to have legal custody of Rose.” Everyone clapped. “And Kara is signing papers to legally adopt Rose.”
Our friends and family were happy for us. And with all that was happening, it only seemed fitting to actually propose to Kara and make it official.
“It’s all happening so fast, but that’s how we do it,” Kara beamed. “I also have a baby to deliver and a wedding to plan. So, it looks like this upcoming year will keep me busy. Enough about us. I want to know what is going on with everyone else. I haven’t seen you all since Halloween. Tell me everything.”
That was the thing about Kara. She never liked the attention always on her. She always wanted to know what was going on with everyone else. I sat back, looking at my fiancée, my daughter and all our friends and family. I felt happy. My heart felt full.
Chapter Five
KARA
I walked over to straighten Damon’s tie. “Are you ready for today?” he asked.
I smiled. “Yes. Are you?” That was the question. Was Damon truly ready to be a father full time? “I don’t know much about kids, but I know they are a full-time job.”
“I know. I’m ready as long as you are doing it with me.”
“I’ll always be by your side, Damon. No matter what.”
“Do you promise?”
“I promise.”
He leaned in to kiss my forehead. My eye caught a glimpse of a little human in the doorway. And I had to laugh.
“It looks like someone is ready,” I said then looking to Damon.
“Why don’t we put on one of your pretty dresses?” I suggested, picking Rose up to carry her.
She nodded in response. In her room, I sifted through her closet and reached for a frilly dress. It was definitely one of her fancier ones. “We have to look good when we go to court. We’ll be in front of a judge.”
Rose was still quiet for the most part. Even though she didn’t talk much, she showed her love for us with her facial expressions and with hugs and cuddles.
“Maybe later on we can go get our nails and toes painted. Would you like that?”
“Yes!”
“Okay. Let’s go so I can finish getting ready and you can show Daddy your dress.”
She took my hand as we walked back to my room.
“Wow. You look so pretty. Pretty as a rose,” he told her, touching her little nose.
“I’ll be done in a few minutes. Just need to finish my makeup.”
“I’ll take Rose downstairs and we’ll get something to eat quick.”
“I’ll be right down.”
In the massive bathroom we shared, I sat at the vanity and applied a soft pink eyeshadow on my eyes, a light pink blush, and bronzer. Then I applied some nude lip-gloss and I swiped some mascara on my lashes. Once my look was completed, I took one last look in the mirror. My black dress was modest and seemed court appropriate. I made my way downstairs.
“Here’s a mug of coffee to go.” Susie shoved it in my hand. “Damon is buckling Rose in the car seat,” she added.
“Thank you, Susie.”
I grabbed my handbag and headed outside to the SUV.
“Ready?” Damon asked.
“I’m ready.”
First, Damon had to meet with the lawyer to sign custody papers. Then we had an appointment for me to legally adopt her. It was gonna be a long day.
***
“I can’t believe Hope didn’t even change her mind or anything. Just signed the papers and was out of there just as quick,” Damon told me as we headed home from being in court.
; “That’s crazy. At least she had enough sense to give her to you.”
“True. And now you are legally her mom.”
I smiled wide. “I am. So, while you go to work, we are going to change into our normal clothes and go get our nails and toes done. Then we have to work on some reading for her.”
Damon left as soon as we got home from court. He had a few meetings he couldn’t put off. It was a perfect time for some mother-daughter time at the local spa. We hopped in the SUV while Matteo drove us.
Matteo was back to work in full force now that he and Olivia settled in to their new place.
“How’s my pregnant friend?”
Matteo grinned. “Almost ready to pop.”
“A few more months.”
“Yep.”
“It is really noble what you are doing, Matteo. I’m not sure how many men would want to help raise another man’s baby, let alone a bad man such as Jose.”
“I’m doing it for her. And right now, that baby needs a decent father figure. I don’t know if she plans on telling them in the future, or if we will raise it as if it is mine. Whatever Olivia wants to do, I’m fine with. No matter what, I’m going to treat it as if it is my own.”
“Well, I’ll give her a call in a couple days to see if she is up to go dress shopping with me. Get her out of the house.”
“I’m sure she’ll like that.”
“Here you are,” Matteo announced as he pulled up the spa.
“Why don’t you go get some lunch for your pregnant girlfriend and we’ll be done by the time you get back?”
“Are you sure?”
“Go, Matteo. We’ll be fine.”
We exited the SUV and went inside. I pointed to some colors for Rose and she settled on a dark peach color for her nails and toes. “I think I will match you,” I told her.
We sat in the chairs while our techs worked on us. My phone buzzed in my hand. I turned it over and saw a message from someone I didn’t recognize.
Looks like you are living a sweet life. But I know what you did.
I typed back, I don’t know who this is, but you don’t know what you’re talking about.
The three little dots appeared, letting me know the person was typing. I have proof.
Those words stunned me. What exactly were they referring to? If you have proof, show me.
I’ll be in touch, they typed.
I swallowed a hard lump. It had to be a practical joke.
Chapter Six
KARA
I never told Damon about the text I received yesterday. I couldn’t tell him until I knew if this really was legit. I racked my brain the rest of the day yesterday thinking about what this person knew.
I couldn’t worry about that now; Damon and I had a wedding venue to look at. We wanted to start our lives sooner rather than later. We wanted to be a family. But I still had this person that I didn’t know texting me, looming over my head.
“What’s on your mind, love?” Damon asked as we were about to pull up to the venue.
“I just hope they aren’t booked for the date we want.”
“We will find something for the date we want.”
Rose stayed home with Susie while we went looking at a few places. I knew Rose would get bored and cranky so it was best she stayed home. But that didn’t stop me from worrying about her.
This was our third stop today. While the previous places weren’t really for us, we hoped this would be the place we would get married and have our reception. A woman greeted us when we stepped inside the venue.
“You must be Kara and Damon,” she said, holding her hand out. “I’m Bethany Anne and I’ll be showing you around.”
I smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Are you doing a big wedding or something small? How many guests?”
“I’m guessing maybe one hundred to one hundred and fifty guests.” I looked to Damon to confirm and he nodded in agreement.
“Okay. That gives me a few ideas,” Bethany stated. “We have plenty of options for you.”
We followed her to a room. “We could do a dinner reception here, and even with the tables, it is spacious. Then there is a decent size dance floor in the middle here. We can decorate however you like. Do you have a wedding planner?”
“We don’t. Not yet, anyway.” I walked through the space. “I do like this for a reception.”
“What is your wedding date?”
“We were hoping to get married on February twenty eighth.”
“Oh wow. That is fast.”
I laughed. “It is.”
“I can go check our bookings and let you look around. There is a room right down the hall that is set up where you can get married. Feel free to check it out while I’m gone.”
“Thank you.”
I looked to Damon. “What do you think?”
He took his time with an answer. “I like it. I think it’s a great venue for us to use.”
Bethany came back to join us. “We have that whole day and evening free.”
“Perfect.”
“Would you like to see the bridal suite and the groom’s suite?” Bethany asked.
“Yes, please.”
The venue was perfect and it had absolutely everything we needed to make our day special.
“Should we go ahead and book it?” Damon asked as we finished being shown around.
I smiled. “Absolutely. I think this is the place.”
“I think so, too. And it’s really whatever you want.”
“Let’s book it,” I told Bethany.
“Okay. Let me get some information from you both and we will get you booked.”
My next goal was to hire the wedding planner to do the flowers, decorations, and anything else that needed done that I couldn’t think of with my pregnancy brain.
We arrived home and Rose rushed over to greet us. She was slowly coming out of her shell. “Momma. Daddy.”
I bent down to her level. “Did you miss us?”
“I did. Where did you go?”
“We had to go look at some places to see where we wanted to get married.”
“I made a pot roast, vegetables, and potatoes for dinner,” Susie said as we sat at the dinner table.
My phone vibrated, alerting me I had a text message. My heart pounded but I waited to look at the message. I was too scared to do it at the table with Damon right there.
“Thanks for looking at the venues with me,” I told him in between bites. “I’m glad you made time.”
“Whatever you need, you know I’m there. Have you thought about dress shopping?”
“I have, and I might go tomorrow. Just depends on my energy.”
“Well, you have been doing a lot lately.”
“I know. I just like to get things done. There is still a lot to do.”
After dinner, I excused myself to the restroom with my phone in hand. I couldn’t think about anything else until I read the message.
There was a video. It showed Damon and I entering my father’s house, the sound of gun fire, and it showed us coming back out.
The message read: Now do you believe me?
My heart stopped.
Who the hell is this? I was furious. Obviously, they didn’t live in the hell I did.
You’ll find out soon enough.
Chapter Seven
KARA
“Kara.” Damon shoved my arm while we lay in bed.
“What it is, Damon?” I could barely squint my eyes open.
“Olivia is in labor. We should go to the hospital.”
That woke me up. “Oh shit. Yes, let’s go.”
“I already called Susie to see if she can come over to watch Rose.”
“Perfect.”
I threw on some stretchy pants and a hooded top. My hair was in a messy bun and we headed to the hospital. Matteo was freaking out when he called us but it was from excitement.
Inside the hospital, we located Olivia’s room. “Hey,” she greeted us t
hrough the pain she was experiencing.
I sat on one side of her bed, taking her hand.
“She just got the epidural,” Matteo told us.
“So, she is close,” I said.
Thirty minutes later, the doctor came in to check Olivia and she was dilated enough to give birth. They were ready to wheel her into the delivery room. “Can you come with me?” she asked me.
“You don’t want Matteo in the room with you?”
“He’s afraid he’ll pass out.”
I looked to Matteo, and he offered a slight nod in agreement.
I laughed because I knew damn well Matteo had seen a lot worse. However, I agreed. Hurriedly, I gave Damon a peck and followed Olivia.
“Thank you for asking me. It means a lot.”
She nodded in response as she got settled in the room. She was surrounded with doctors and other specialists to help with the birth.
“Just grip my hand if you need to,” I offered while at her side.
She took my hand while the doctor guided her on when to push and when to take a breath.
***
I was able to offer Matteo the good news after witnessing the most intense birth. “You have a baby girl.” I hugged him as he became overjoyed with emotions.
“Oh my god. I’m so happy. Is she okay? Is the baby okay?”
“Mom and baby are great. She is so beautiful. Olivia should be in any moment now.”
Matteo was a blubbering mess while we waited for Olivia to come back to the room. “It seems like they are taking a long time bringing her back.”
He was right and it caused concern because she was fine when I left the room. Thankfully, a few minutes later we were able to breathe a sigh of relief when she came back to the room.