Wild Renegade

by Andria Large

  "I think it's a pretty good idea," he rumbles.

  Nicole fake gags. "Ew, that's my sister you're talking about," she groans.

  Alex chuckles and Gina rolls her eyes.

  We say our goodbyes because they have to get to their terminals. Sebastian and Raelynn are flying right into Philly while Alex and Gina are going to New York. Nicole, Dennis, and I start walking back to where we parked the car. Dennis drives us back to the hotel. Nicole and I go back to our room to get ready for bed since we have to be up at a decent time to get on the bus in the morning.

  We get into bed and I pull her into my arms. "Did you ask your sister about what's going on with her and Alex?" I ask, stroking my hand over her hair.

  Nicole's head is on my chest. "She said that they are just having some fun, she doesn't think it'll turn serious."

  "Mmm, I don't know," I say dubiously.

  "Yeah, I don't know either, she seems pretty infatuated with him," she murmurs.

  "Like how you're infatuated with me?" I tease.

  She barks out a laugh. "Infatuated, my ass."

  I laugh and hug her tight. "I love you, baby."

  "I love you, too."

  We fall asleep in each other's arms, just how I hope that we will do for the rest of our lives.

  Epilogue

  ~Ace~

  One Year Later...

  A knock on the door forces me to extract myself from my conversation with Alex and Dennis. It's our one year wedding anniversary, and we decided to have a little party with our friends and family to celebrate. Nicole is chatting with a very pregnant Gina in the kitchen. Yeah, that's right, Gina and Alex are having a baby. They got engaged a few months ago but are going to wait until after the baby is born to get married. I'm extremely happy for them. Alex is a lovesick fool and it's hilarious. He kisses the ground that Gina walks on. Good thing that she treats him just as well.

  I open the door. Elena and Guy are standing there. Guy has a bottle of wine and a white box - which I'm assuming are Italian pasties - in his hands. His face is anything but happy. He's slowly come to terms with the fact that Nicole and I are married and are going to remain that way. Elena smiles fondly and gives me a hug and kiss. At least she likes me. What really pisses me off is that Guy loves Alex. Can you guess why? Yup, because he's Italian and speaks it, too. Asshole - Guy that is, not Alex.

  "Guy," I mutter in greeting.

  "Ace," he replies in return.

  That's the most we'll say to each other today. I close the door behind them and watch as they go into the kitchen to greet their daughters. Guy gives Gina a warm hug and a belly rub. Then he turns to Nicole and just gives her a little peck on the cheek. I can see the disappointment and hurt in Nicole's eyes and it breaks my heart.

  "It's not right, the way he treats you two," Alex growls as he comes up next to me.

  Alex has laid into Guy a couple of times for how he treats Nicole and me, but the man is too stubborn and hardheaded to change. Guy might love and approve of Alex, but Alex feels anything but love for him.

  I shrug. "Nothing we can do about it." I sigh.

  Alex grunts in agreement and takes a sip of his beer. He's back to being my bodyguard. I hated having to let Dennis go because I really like him and he did an amazing job, but Alex is my number one guy. Dennis took it better than I did, actually. Said he was ready to go home. He wasn't a fan of the constant traveling.

  Sebastian sidles over, his lip curled up in disgust. "Can I punch Guy in his face?"

  Alex and I chuckle.

  "I think that will only make things worse," I say, rolling my eyes.

  Gina then waddles over to us, her hand on her large belly. Alex said she's been having some Braxton-Hicks contractions for a few days now. She looks great, she's all belly. She's wearing a dress today. She said that's all that she can tolerate anymore - dresses and flip flops - even though it's the middle of February.

  "You okay, sweetheart?" Alex asks with a frown.

  She grimaces. "Ugh, these stupid contractions are..."

  She doesn't get to finish her sentence, instead she gasps as a gush of fluid hits the floor at her feet.

  "Dude, seriously? The bathroom is right down the hall," Sebastian says dryly.

  Alex and I both glare at him. "Sebastian!" we exclaim in unison.

  "I'm joking!" he laughs and holds his hands up in defense. Then he shouts to everyone, "It's okay! I've delivered a baby before! Don't anyone panic!"

  Gina cries out in pain and doubles over, one hand gripping Alex's forearm hard, the other on her stomach.

  "We gotta get her to the hospital!" I say. When no one does anything, I snap, "NOW!"

  Nicole comes rushing over with Gina's coat. Alex insists that Sebastian go with them in the car since he did in fact deliver a baby before. His own, actually. Elena and Nicole also go. I stay back with everyone else. Raelynn helps me clean up the floor. Luckily it's hardwood and not carpet.

  "I can't believe that just happened," Dean says, his eyes wide in shock.

  I chuckle. "It's not every day that you see a woman's water break, huh?"

  He shakes his head fervently. "It's scary."

  I nod. "Agreed."

  I go into the kitchen to grab another beer, my hands a bit shaky after that scene. Guy is standing at the counter. He clears his throat then actually speaks to me.

  "Are...uh...you and Nicole planning on having children?" he asks me.

  I glance over at him, eyebrows raised in surprise. He frowns at me. I take a sip of my beer then turn my back on everyone else. "Actually, between you and me, we were planning on telling everyone today that she's pregnant, but Gina kinda stole our spotlight," I say with a shrug.

  Guy actually smiles. "My Nicole is having a baby?" he asks quietly.

  "My baby," I say, almost as a challenge.

  He gives me a dirty look. "Who else's would it be?"

  "Exactly. Are you planning on treating my baby differently than Alex's baby because of who their father is?" I ask, unable to keep the nasty tone out of my voice. "I could care less how you treat me. I don't like how you treat Nicole and I sure as hell won't stand for you treating my child like shit."

  Guy surprises me by actually looking ashamed. "I have not been the best father, this is true."

  I snort at the understatement of the year and take another sip of beer. I ignore the glare that Guy gives me.

  "I will not love your child any less than Alex and Gina's," he states.

  I stare at him for a moment to gauge how honest he is being. He seems pretty sincere. "I'm going to hold you to that. If I ever see that you are treating them differently, I'll make sure that you don't see us anymore," I say coolly.

  Guy nods. "I understand," he says and holds out his hand to me.

  I hesitate before I reach out and shake it. Seems like we've finally come to a tentative truce. We'll see how it goes when our baby is born. I will have no problem keeping Guy from seeing Nicole and the baby if he decides to treat them as though they are not as good as Gina and her baby.

  Nicole, Elena, and Sebastian return from the hospital later that night. Everyone but Raelynn and Guy has left already. Nicole's parents, Sebastian, and Raelynn are staying with us while they are in town for the weekend. Gina gave birth to a healthy 7lb 3oz baby girl, who they named Alessandra Natalia DeGrassi.

  When we get into bed, Nicole shows me the pictures that she took with her phone and the baby is gorgeous. There is a picture of Alex holding her, staring down at her with tears running down his face, and I actually get choked up a little bit. I can only imagine how he feels with his little girl in his arms. Nicole curls up against me.

  "That's gonna be you soon," she says lovingly.

  I hum in agreement. "I told your dad," I tell her.

  She tenses against me. "You did?"

  "He actually asked when we were going to have kids, so I told him that you're pregnant," I say.

  "And?"

  "He smiled."

  Nic
ole lifts her head to look at me. "He did?" she asks in shock.

  I nod. "Yep, and he said that he hasn't been the greatest father."

  Nicole blinks at me. "Shut up, you're lying!"

  "I swear," I insist. "We even shook hands."

  "No way." She gasps.

  I nod in earnest.

  "So, he's happy about it?" she asks softly.

  "Seems like it," I say.

  She smiles then leans down and kisses me. "That's awesome."

  I shrug. "I did threaten to never let him see you or the baby if he treats either of you any differently than Gina and Alex's baby, though."

  Nicole laughs. "I knew that wasn't the whole story."

  I chuckle. "Hey, you knew when you met me that there was no taming the wild Renegade," I tease.

  She giggles and climbs on top of me. She leans down and kisses me languidly before saying, "Oh, I think I have more than tamed the wild Renegade."

  The End.

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading Wild Renegade (Renegade #2) by Andria Large!

  I would be honored, given that you have the time, if you would please consider posting a review – good or bad – on Amazon and Goodreads. If you enjoyed this story, please let your friends and family know about this book and other books that I have written.

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  About the Author

  Andria is married and a stay at home mother with two crazy little girls and two psychotic cats. She doesn't go anywhere without her precious iPhone and a purse full of animal crackers. She used to be completely obsessed with the Backstreet Boys, but now is only mildly obsessed (still goes to every concert when they are in town). She loves cartoons and Disney movies, and can probably recite every line from Dumb and Dumber. Humor is a must in her life; otherwise, it would be completely boring. Pepsi is her weakness, along with anything chocolate. She can't sing to save her life, but she pretends she can when she is alone in her car with the music blasting so that she can't hear herself.

  She loves to read Romance. Paranormal, Scottish, Military, Police, Firefighters, Athletes, Cowboys and M/M are her favorite. She is not so much a fan of YA, though. If you haven't been able to tell from reading her books, she likes - whether she is reading them or writing them - lots of hot steamy sex.

  Andria loves her fans and is always willing to chat. She works hard on her books, does not get offended easily, and has a pretty thick skin when it comes to negativity toward her work. She welcomes constructive criticism because she feels that is how one betters themselves, by taking that constructive criticism and using it.

  Coming Soon…

  In the Renegade Series:

  Dean Davenport and Marlowe Grant’s story:

  Irresistible Renegade

  In A Taboo Love Series:

  Parker Hamilton and Chance Steele’s story:

  Burning Hearts