by Amy Brent
I’d left my keys at the house and I could only pray that Luna was there. When I knocked on the door she answered almost immediately, wearing nothing more than a bathrobe. I leaned against her, pressing my face into the soft, pink terry cloth. She gasped and wrapped her arms around me, holding me tight and putting a hand on the back of my head.
“Aria?”
“Hey,” I murmured, my voice weaker than I expected. I probably should have still been at the hospital, but I couldn’t stand another day of silence and disappointed stars.
“I thought you were with James?”
Luna didn’t really know my relationship with James. Well, she knew we were dating, but she had no idea that he was also my step-father. My relationship with Luna had been rocky for the first few months (that was entirely my fault), so she didn’t know much about my personal life. All she knew was that I went with James on the weekend.
“We had a fight…”
She frowned and helped me to my raised bed, nudging me onto it before pulling the blankets over me. “Are you alright?”
“I’m okay.” I just needed sleep.
She hesitated but nodded and got me a glass of water before returning to her desk, glancing over her shoulder every now and then to make sure I was okay. I turned my back to her, forehead pressed against the cool stone wall so I could doze off. I was exhausted and sad. I just didn’t want to be awake anymore.
I wasn’t sure if James would be worried about me. Maybe it would be better if I just disappeared from his life. Maybe I was doing him a favor.
Chapter Ten
James’ persistent calls and texts proved my theory wrong. My phone constantly buzzed and rang as the man I loved more than anything tried to get a hold of me. Deep down, I knew I should have returned his calls. It wasn’t fair of me to keep him in the dark and it was borderline cruel, but I didn’t know how to handle what was happening. My emotions were running wild and I wanted to be able to take a moment and collect myself.
I didn’t intend to stay away forever. I couldn’t do that. At some point I was going to have to face him and face what he wanted from me, but now wasn’t that time. I curled up on my bed, the sheets pulled over my head. My eyes were puffy from crying and they hurt, but I’d expected that. I’d even expected the pounding headache that was starting to form just behind my left eye.
I rubbed my belly gently, my face hot and raw from the tears. When a knock came at my door, I didn’t come out from under the blankets. I didn’t say anything, I just curled up tighter and pressed myself against the wall.
The door creaked open as someone came through the door. Heavy footsteps crossed my bedroom and I felt the bed sink as someone sat beside me. Fingers gripped the blanket I was hiding under and pulled it back.
I closed my eyes against the sun, covering my face as I felt a familiar hand rest on my arm. It was far too large and strong to be Sara’s. I peeked through my fingers and the tears started all over again.
“James?”
He offered a sad little smile and stroked my hair back. “There you are, baby girl.”
My heart fluttered when he called me that and I forced myself to sit up, wiping my face and sniffling a little, blinking away the tears. “W-Why are you here?”
“Because I was worried about you.”
I looked away, fighting the urge to move closer to him. “How did you know where to find me?”
“Luna called me. She was very worried about you.”
“Is she the one who let you in when you knocked?”
He nodded and glanced over his shoulder. “She left, though. She wanted to give us some alone time.”
I nodded and swallowed. “Are you here to tell me to go away?”
“Go away?”
I grunted and closed my eyes. “I know you don’t want me around anymore. You can just say it.”
He sighed and leaned down, wrapping his strong arms around me and scooping me up, pulling me close and rubbing my back. “You’re so damn smart, but then you say shit like that.”
“Huh?”
“Why in the world wouldn’t I want you around?”
I frowned and looked up at him and then away, my eyes darting to an empty space on the wall. “Because I’m pregnant.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” he murmured, stroking my hair.
“What?” My voice was breathless.
“I wasn’t mad because you were pregnant. I was made because you didn’t tell me and I got scared. I was afraid that I hurt you or our child. I was mad that you put yourself at risk and didn’t go and see a doctor when you started seeing the signs.”
I swallowed a little. “Are you still mad?” I asked, dreading the answer he was going to give me.
“No. I’m worried and I want you to be alright, but I’m not mad.”
I nodded slowly and looked up at him. “You still want to be with me?”
He chuckled softly and kissed the top of my head. “I think I want to be with you even more if that’s possible.” He stroked his thumb across my cheek.
The ache in my chest finally dissipated and I looked at him with wide eyes. I’d spent so much time being scared that I hadn’t considered the fact that he might actually want this. I swallowed thickly and pressed my forehead to his chest.
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, baby girl.”
I’d wanted to hear those exact words for so long, and now that he’d finally said them, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders and I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, things were going to be okay. Maybe I’d been silly to worry so much.
He pulled away and kissed my cheek. “Are you ready to go home?”
“Yeah.”
I was already home, though. I was with him.
Epilogue
My life after that was as close to perfect as it could have gotten. I eventually emancipated myself from James’ legal guardianship so that there wouldn’t be any more issues regarding our familial status. Once the papers went through, we decided to move away. He opened a new law practice in Boston and we started out lives together.
I took a semester off school in order to take care of the child growing inside of me, though I took a spattering of online classes. James didn’t want me to give up on my education and neither did I, but I knew that it would be hard with a child on the way. Every struggle would be worth it when I finally got to hold our child in my arms.
Our daughter was born and we were eventually married. The wedding picture that hangs above our bed is a picture of us, smiling with little Lena in our arms. Whenever I look at it, I am reminded of the fact that I finally have a family again. I had suffered so much loss in my life and I always thought I’d never have a family. I didn’t want to give the world the opportunity to take away more people that I loved, but when I look up at that picture, I’m happy.
Even though we’re older now and have a child, we still managed to spend nights together in my favorite place. He still calls me baby girl and I still call him Daddy. The thing that brought us together is still going strong and is only reinforced by our love.
It might not be for everyone, but this is my happily ever after.
Exclusive Sneak Peek - Filthy Boss
Here are some very filthy scenes and dialogues from Amy’s Best Selling Book - FILTHY BOSS
By the time the corporate jet touched down in Tucson, I was certain of three things.
Thing Number One: Henry was wise to hire the Goldman & Stern team to do the final due diligence on the Anderson deal. They were all very sharp and knew the industry well. I was impressed, even though I had to pull Stan’s sharp nose out of my ass a time or two.
Even the angry little woman who looked like she could chew nails, the goofy accountant enamored of the pilot’s cap, and the legal eagle who I think was asleep with his eyes open most of the time, all had good insight and input into the deal.
Thing Number Two: There were red flags in the Anderso
n P&L’s that clearly Henry didn’t want to discuss in front of the Goldman group. Fine, we’d address those red flags when we were alone.
Sometimes our deals required that we do things, say things, or ignore things in order to keep certain facts and figures out of the public eye. I got the feeling that Stan was caught with his pants down because he underestimated the abilities of their junior consultant.
And finally, Thing Number Three that I was certain of by the time the jet landed in Tucson was that I wanted to get to know Candice Carlson better. Much better. A lot better.
I wasn’t sure exactly what was drawing me to her, but I felt like a moth being lured to a flame. I just didn’t want to get my wings – or other body parts --singed.
Perhaps it was that she was beautiful in an unassuming way. You didn’t have to sandblast the makeup from her face or peel back the layers of her multiple personalities to find the real woman underneath.
She was genuine, sincere, and so unlike the other women I typically spent time with.
She was intelligent, funny, warm, and down to earth. I loved the way her nose crinkled when she laughed at my stupid jokes and how the corners of her lips curled into a smile.
There was no pretense in her eyes. What you saw was what you got. I immediately loved that about her.
Candice Carlson was the real deal.
The genuine article.
The only question was: how do I get someone like her to like someone like me? It was a question asked over the ages by teenage boys, star-crossed lovers, and love struck billionaires used to getting whatever they wanted.
I knew bragging about my cars and jets and money wasn’t going to impress her. No, a woman like Candice Carlson didn’t care about those sorts of things.
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