“Sweets, don’t fight me on this. If it’s Braxton Hicks, we’ll just come home. No harm in going.”
“Fine,” I huffed.
By the time I waddled to the car, Vinny had already put our bag and Colton into it.
* * *
Ten Hours Later …
* * *
So, Vinny was right. It wasn’t Braxton Hicks. Luckily, my labor was only nine hours versus the eighteen hour labor I’d had with Colton.
“You can’t have this many people in this room at once,” the nurse scolded as everyone piled into the room. And I mean everyone including my parents and Vinny’s parents—whom I’d yet to officially meet because they were waiting for the baby to be born before they came from Arizona.
“Just for a second,” Vinny replied.
She nodded briefly. “You have until I get back.” Then she left.
“Everyone,” Vinny started as he moved to my side where I held our daughter, “meet Riley Lucille Reed.”
“Aw, that’s a pretty name,” Sophia stated. “Who picked it out?”
Vinny and I looked at each other and then I answered. “We compromised and named her after the Giants and the Dodgers.” More specifically, the mascots: Rally Bear and Lou Seal.
“You two and your rivalry.” Melony laughed.
Vinny and I shrugged at each other. Like he had once told me, it made our relationship interesting.
The time had come. The nurse had sent Riley’s umbilical cord to the lab with a DNA sample from both Vinny and me to test to see if she was his or Sebastian’s. They put a rush on it because they refused to put Vinny’s name on the birth certificate since we weren’t sure who the father was.
Whatever the test stated, Vinny would always be her dad.
“While we wait to be discharged,” Vinny said, moving to a bag and digging in it, “I have something for you.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Well, more for us.” He pulled out a manila envelope. “I had these drawn up. If you don’t want to, that’s okay.”
“What is it?” I asked and stuck out my hand for the envelope.
He handed it to me. “Just open it.”
I pulled out the stack of papers and read the three words that stuck out to me. “You want to adopt Colton?”
Vinny nodded. “Of course I do.”
Tears instantly stung my eyes and then rolled down my cheeks. “Thank you.”
“Don’t cry.” He brushed the tears off my face.
“I’m happy. I never expected this.”
“Me either, but we’re a family now, and we might as well make it official, right?”
I nodded just as the nurse came into the room. “Am I interrupting?”
“It’s okay,” I replied.
“I have the paternity results. I had them printed so you could read them for yourself.” She handed Vinny the folded up paper.
I smiled and wiped at the tears still flowing down my cheeks. “Okay.”
“You ready for this?” he asked, looking down at me.
“No matter what, you’ll always be her father.” I could no longer keep my tears at bay. They streamed heavily now.
Vinny started to tear up as he lifted the flap of the trifold document. I knew exactly the moment he found out the results because his face lit up and he started to cry harder.
“99.9998%.”
That was now my new favorite number.
Life had thrown me one too many curve balls, but no matter what the future held for me and Vinny, we’d always have the Dodgers and the Giants.
THE END.
* * *
Bradley’s story is next in Gin & Jewels!
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Dear Reader,
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Your love and support mean everything to me, and I cherish you all!
I always start with my husband because he’s the one who has supported me through this journey. So, Mr. Knight, thank you for making my lunch and dinner when I was stressing over the deadline for this book and also for brainstorming with me. I love you, you know?
To my editor, Jennifer Roberts-Hall: Thank you for always making me sound good and for helping me master the dreaded blurb. You’re amazing and I’m happy I can call you my friend! Now, let’s get together so we can have more than one picture of us that’s not just from 2013.
To Lara Hull, The Red Pen Princess: Thank you for proofreading this baby and making it perfect!
To my alphas: Stephanie Brown, Kristin Jones, Kerri Mirabella, Stacy Nickleson, and Carrie Waltenbaugh. Thank you for taking this journey with me and for telling me if an idea works or not. I truly appreciate all of you and what you bring to my tribe.
To my betas: Dianne Sweeney Metzmeier, Heather Hopkins Miller, Leanne Tuley, Lisa Petty and Stephanie Lorentz Cross. Thank you for being my eyes and making sure this story and timeline made sense. You ladies are amazing, and I’m lucky to have you willing to help me out. Thank you so much.
To my PA, Sara Cunningham: Thank you so much for all the time you spend with anything and everything I need to keep this train rolling. You’re incredible and I’m so lucky to have found you.
To Verlene Landon: Even though I dedicated this book to you, I wanted to also thank you for your continued love and support of this series. To have another author praise your work is so surreal and no amount of thanks will ever be enough.
To Christie Harris: Thank you for helping make Tessa the person she is. You truly helped me out a bunch and so thankful to have you as a fan and reader.
To Blanca Esquivel: Thank you for helping me with my Spanish! Next time I’m in the Lone Star state, we should meet up. Or maybe Chicago again?
To my Steamy Knights: Thank you for your continued love and support and always being willing to help promote me. You all rock!
To all the bloggers and authors who participated in my cover reveal, release day blitz, review tour, and release day party, thank you! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it each and every one of you that are willing to help me spread the word about my books. Without you, I wouldn’t be living my dream.
And finally, to my readers: Thank you for believing in me and taking a chance on my books again and again. Without you guys, I wouldn’t still be writing and bringing you all the stories that captivate my brain on a daily basis.
Club 24 Series – Romantic Suspense
Perfect Together – The Club 24 Series Box Set
Halo Series – Contemporary Romance
Saddles & Racks Series – Romantic Suspense
By Invitation Only – Erotic Romance Standalone
Use Me – Romantic Suspense Standalone
Burn Falls – Paranormal Romance Standalone
And more …
* * *
Kimberly Knight is a USA Today Bestselling Author who lives in the mountains near a lake with her loving husband and spoiled cat, Precious. In her spare time, she enjoys watching her favorite reality TV shows, watching the San Francisco Giants win World Series and the San Jose Sharks kick butt. She’s also a two time desmoid tumor/cancer fighter, which has made her stronger and an inspiration to her fans. Now that she lives near a lake, she’s working on her tan and doing more outdoor stuff like watching hot guys waterski. However, the bulk of her time is dedicated to writing and reading romance and erotic fiction.
www.authorkimberlyknight.com
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