Taking You

by Jessie Evans

  A wave of gratitude suddenly tightened her chest. She already knew her second pregnancy was going to be vastly different from her first. Nash would never be less than thrilled to find out that they were pregnant, he would never cheat on her while she was carrying their baby, or make her feel anything less than beautiful as her body changed to accommodate the child growing inside of her.

  A child. Their child, hers and Nash’s.

  Her hand came to her abdomen as she sent a wave of love to the tiny life inside of her, knowing Felicity and this little boy or girl would be the most loved children in the whole world.

  ***

  Nash paced the edge of the dance floor with Felicity in his arms, keeping the sleepy baby lulled into silence as Bob March finished his toast to the newly married couple. It was a glowing testimony to Bob’s love for Lark and Mason that made Nash want to roll his eyes just a little.

  Mason was a good friend—and family, now—but he had made his share of mistakes with Lark before he left to do his residency. But where Mason Stewart was concerned, Bob March had obviously forgiven and forgotten. Meanwhile, Nash and Bob still butted heads at least once a week, despite their best efforts to play nice for Aria’s sake.

  Nash got the feeling Bob was still wishing that Nash would disappear, but Nash wasn’t going anywhere. Aria was more than his meat and potatoes, she was the air he breathed, and he would have told her so if he hadn’t known she would tease him for being cheesy. But the truth was he wouldn’t last a day without her, and wouldn’t want to. She and Felicity were his family, the source of the happiness that buoyed him through even the roughest days.

  As the room erupted in applause at the end of the toast, Nash turned to look at the door again, frowning when there was still no sign of his wife.

  Where was she? What in the world was this surprise, and why did she have to leave to go get it right now?

  Most of the time, he loved Aria’s impulsive nature, but he really didn’t want to be alone right now. He’d been looking forward to dancing with his wife.

  They hadn’t had a chance to date before they were married and had gone straight into their relationship as parents of a baby. There wasn’t much time for just the two of them and they usually didn’t want to waste a date night outside their bedroom. They were still deep in the honeymoon phase and found being naked with each other without a baby in the house the ultimate form of entertainment.

  Still, he liked the idea of holding Aria close while they swayed to music.

  “Thank you, Dad,” Mason said, claiming the microphone from Bob as his father-in-law gripped him in a quick hug that made Nash wish Aria was here to gag about it with him. She loved her daddy, but she was the first to agree that he could be a total pain in the ass.

  “And now, Lark and I would like to do something a little unusual,” Mason continued, scanning the room until he found Nash and meeting his eyes with a smile. “As most of you know, my good friend, Nash, married Lark’s sister, Aria, a couple of months ago.”

  Nash forced a smile as applause filled the room once more, uncomfortable with the attention and wishing Aria was back beside him more than ever.

  A second later, as if drawn to him by his racing heart, she appeared breathless at his side, hooking her arm through his. He smiled down at her flushed cheeks and eyes sparkling with happiness and felt his heart clench, amazed all over again that this gorgeous, funny, loving woman who could make him hard with one crooked smile was his wife. This was the woman he got to wake up with every morning, the woman who ran to hug him as soon as he got home, and who had made him the father to a beautiful baby girl who looked at him like he hung the sun and the moon combined.

  Who cared if his father-in-law hated him? Nash was still the luckiest man in the room. Bar none.

  “But Nash and Aria didn’t do the big church wedding,” Mason said once the applause had died down. “And they have refused to let us throw them a reception on the grounds that they didn’t want to steal my and Lark’s thunder.”

  “But we are all about sharing our thunder,” Lark said from beside Mason, summoning a laugh from the corners of the room. “And that’s why we want to share our first dance with Nash and Aria,” she continued. “Because they are our family and our friends and an inspiration about what it means to love. Thank you, Nash, for joining my family and loving my sister and niece the way you do.”

  Nash nodded, too overcome to do anything but hand Felicity over to Aria’s mom and let Aria lead him out onto the dance floor as violin music filled the air and the first few bars of At Last drifted through the hall.

  As they reached the center of the floor, Aria dropped his hand to pull Lark into a fierce hug. Both of them looked like they were on the verge of tears for a moment, but they were laughing by the time they pulled apart. Aria kissed her sister’s cheek, Nash shook Mason’s hand, and by the time Etta James began to sing Aria was stepping into his arms.

  “Did you know about this?” Nash asked, drawing her closer.

  Aria shook her head as she put her arms around his neck, her purse thumping gently against his shoulder. “No, did you?”

  “If I had, I would have left with you and never come back.”

  Aria smiled. “Oh, come on. It’s nice of them to share their first dance with us.”

  “I just hate feeling like everyone’s looking at me,” Nash said, darting a glance to the edge of the dance floor where Bob was frowning next to his grinning wife. “I think your dad is glaring holes in my back. My tux could catch fire any second.”

  “Last time I checked, Dad wasn’t using his fire-starting powers for evil anymore,” Aria said in a dry tone that made Nash grin in spite of himself.

  “We’ll see,” he said. “I swear he’s still looking for a reason to get rid of me.”

  Aria’s lips curved in a knowing smile. “I have a feeling he’s about to change his tune about that.”

  Nash cocked his head. “And why’s that?”

  “I have something to show you,” Aria said, hands moving behind his neck as she worked open her purse.

  “My surprise?” Nash asked. “Should we wait until we’re alone?”

  Aria paused before shaking her head. “Maybe, but I can’t wait. And I washed it off before I put it in my purse so it’s sanitary. Besides, if anyone gets grossed out, they can take it up with me later and I will inform them that they are being a fun-killing wussy.”

  Nash frowned and his heart rate picked up a few beats per minute. “Aria, what are you going to do?”

  His wife was unpredictable, but he didn’t think she’d do anything to mar her sister’s perfect wedding day. Still, he felt compelled to warn her—

  “We shouldn’t attract attention during the first dance. They may be sharing it with us, but it’s still Lark and Mason’s day.”

  Aria rolled her eyes. “The song is almost over, and I know my sister is going to be thrilled with this news, no matter when she hears it.” Aria pulled something from behind his head, holding it up in the air between their faces. “Lark is the one who has always wanted us to have babies the same age.”

  It took a second for Aria’s words to process and then another moment for him to realize what he was looking at.

  It was a pregnancy test. With two lines.

  “Two lines mean we’re…” He trailed off, his unspoken question already answered by the giddy smile on his wife’s face.

  “When we were on our way to the family bathroom I started thinking of the only other time I cried at a wedding,” she said, excitement animating her voice. “It was when I was pregnant with Felicity, but didn’t know it yet. Once I realized that, I started counting the days since my last period. I was pretty sure, but I wanted to take the test before I said anything to you. I didn’t want you to be disappointed if it turned out that I was just late and moody.”

  “But you’re late and pregnant,” Nash said.

  “And moody,” Aria added, laughter in her voice. “But now that I know why, i
t should be easier to ride the waves.”

  Nash shook his head, the news still seeming too good to be true. He had wanted to start trying for a baby with Aria since the first month of their marriage, but they’d decided it would be more responsible to wait until the spring.

  “So?” she said, biting her lip. “What do you think?”

  “We’re going to have a baby,” he said, fingers tightening at her waist.

  “We’re going to have a baby,” she confirmed. “Probably three months after Lark and Mason. Pretty soon you’ll be the world’s best dad as well as the world’s best stepdad.”

  Something about hearing that word—“Dad”—finally made the news real to Nash. Incredibly, wonderfully, overwhelmingly real. Before he knew what he was doing, he was lifting Aria into the air with a whoop of excitement and spinning her around while she laughed.

  By the time he set her down on her feet, Lark had dashed across the dance floor to see what the fuss was about. She spotted the test in Aria’s hand and her eyes went wide before she cried out and lunged at her sister, tackling the taller Aria around the neck and jumping up and down as she squealed—

  “Oh my god! Oh my god, congratulations, I’m so happy, Ra!”

  “Me, too!” Aria said, hugging Lark tight before her little sister pulled away and snatched the pregnancy test from her hand.

  “Aria’s knocked up! We’re going to have another baby!” Lark shouted, holding up the test like a torch to show the rest of the family.

  The room broke out into happy laughter and cries of congratulations. Nash heard Nana March shout—“I hope you washed that thing before you brought it out for show and tell!”—but there was laughter in her voice.

  “Congratulations, man,” Mason said, capturing Nash’s hand for a firm shake and a clap on the back.

  “Thanks,” Nash said, grinning like an idiot as his little brother bounded across the dance floor to snatch him up in a hug.

  “Looks like I’m going to be an uncle again!” Nick pulled back and punched him affectionately in the arm, obviously thrilled.

  “A double uncle once we’re married,” Melody said, clapping her hands excitedly as she slipped around Nick to go to Aria and pull her in for a hug of congratulations.

  “All right, party people,” the D.J. said, voice booming through the hall as the last strains of At Last faded away. “It looks like the Marches have a lot to celebrate tonight, so let’s get everyone out on the floor with an oldie but a goodie.”

  The first few beats of Celebrate Good Times pulsed through speakers and Lark squealed again. “Oh my god, I love this song! It’s so cheesy and perfect!”

  Lark grabbed Mason and pulled him further onto the dance floor. Nick did his best to make an escape, but Melody snagged him around the neck and started to sway her hips, leaving Nash’s little brother no choice but to get his groove thing on.

  Nick rolled his eyes as he leaned down to give Melody a kiss, but Nash could tell his brother didn’t mind being trapped on the dance floor. As long as Nick was with Melody, he always looked like he was having the time of his life.

  “Don’t think you’re getting away, either,” Aria said, snagging a handful of his tuxedo vest and holding tight.

  “You couldn’t make me leave,” Nash said, snatching her up in his arms, lifting her feet off the ground as he kissed the breath out of her, right in front of Bob and Sue and all of their friends and family. But why be shy about a little public display of affection when Lark had just held up their pregnancy test for the entire world to see?

  Nash chuckled against Aria’s lips; she pulled away with a smile.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I just love you, and your sisters. You’re some of my favorite people.”

  “That works out,” Aria said, kissing the tip of his nose. “Because you’re one of our favorite people, too. Especially mine.”

  “I can’t wait to make more babies with you,” Nash said as he hugged her tight.

  “Let’s get this one out, and see if he or she will sleep through the night, first,” Aria said, laughing as he set her down on her feet. “Then we can discuss number three.”

  “If we can get Felicity to sleep through the night, we can handle anything this new kiddo will dish out,” Nash said, shuffling awkwardly back and forth as Aria’s hips began to swivel with a finesse that indicated she’d spent a significant portion of her early twenties at rock concerts.

  “Is…that the way you dance?” Aria asked, shooting him a narrow look from the corners of her eyes.

  “Yes,” Nash said proudly as he let his arms get involved in the shuffle. “This is the way I dance. Nick got the rhythm; I got the stone cold sex vibe.”

  Aria threw back her head and laughed, a sound so infectious Nash couldn’t help but join in, though he knew his lack of skill on the dance floor was at least partially responsible for her giggle attack.

  “Well, at least you’ve proved one thing,” she said, as she recovered, hand pressed to her chest. “The way a man dances is no way to judge how he performs in the bedroom.”

  “So you’re saying I’m good in bed?” Nash asked, pulling her closer.

  “The best,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck and giving him an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek.

  Nash leaned down to whisper into her ear. “There’s still the family bathroom, you know. Your mom has Felicity, and everyone else is dancing. They probably wouldn’t notice if we…stepped out for a little while.”

  Aria sighed, her breath warming his neck, “Stone cold sexy and smart. How did I get so lucky?”

  “I’m the whole package, baby,” he said.

  “No doubt about it.”

  With his arm still around her waist, Nash led his wife off the dance floor, feeling like the luckiest man in the room. He had the woman of his dreams, a stepdaughter he adored, and a baby on the way.

  Life was damned good, and he had a feeling that as long as Aria was by his side, the best was yet to come.

  Chapter Seven

  Gretchen “Nana” March

  Gretchen watched her eldest granddaughter sneak out of the hall on her husband’s arm and smiled. There was a lot of love in this room tonight, enough that Gretchen could forgive Aria for bringing something she’d peed on into polite company.

  With all the people Gretchen loved so happy, it felt like the normal rules didn’t quite apply. Tradition was all well and good, but sometimes love and passion and enjoying the one life you have been given was more important.

  Sometimes, a little monkeyshine might be just what the doctor ordered.

  “Need a rest?” Harris asked, squeezing her hand. “We can sit the next song out.”

  Gretchen shook her head. “Not a chance, Harris Nelson. I’m not missing a single dance. I’m not here to sit on the sidelines.”

  Harris laughed as he spun her under his arm. “Does that mean I’ve got the A-Okay to book our plane tickets?”

  “I found my passport last night,” Gretchen said, a spring coming into her step at the thought of the adventure ahead. “I’m ready when you are.”

  “How about next week?” he asked.

  “Sounds perfect,” Gretchen said, grinning as she shimmied around Harris’s back, her dance moves summoning laughter and enthusiastic applause from the family dancing nearby.

  “Shake it, Nana!” Melody cried out.

  And with a smile on her face and hope in her heart, Gretchen did.

  ***

  Did you enjoy Taking You?

  Check out more sexy, contemporary romances by Jessie Evans:

  Betting on You (Always a Bridesmaid 1)

  Keeping You (Always a Bridesmaid 2)

  Wild For You (Always a Bridesmaid 3)

  Catching You (A Summerville Short Story, Always a Bridesmaid 4)

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br />   …or keep reading to enjoy a sample chapter of Betting on You, and see how the series began!

  About the Author

  Jessie Evans gave up a career as an international woman of mystery (and traditionally published author) to write the sexy, contemporary Southern romances she had always wanted to read.

  She's married to the man of her dreams, and together they're raising a few adorable, mischievous children in a tree house in the boonies. She grew up in rural Arkansas, spending summers running wild, being chewed by chiggers, and now appreciates her home in a chigger-free part of the world even more.

  When she's not writing, Jessie enjoys playing her dulcimer (badly), sewing the worlds ugliest quilts to give to her friends, going for bike rides with her house full of boys, and wandering through the woods, glass of wine and camera in hand, on the lookout for Bigfoot.

  A southern girl, born and bred, Jessie loves writing Southern romances with just the right amount of sizzle, and hopes you'll enjoy her stories set in the fictional town of Summerville, Georgia. Especially the "Always a Bridesmaid" series!

  Please enjoy this excerpt of Betting On You

  By Jessie Evans

  Chapter One

  The night before her best friend, Lisa’s, wedding—and her seventh turn as a bridesmaid—Lark March had all of her weirdest anxiety dreams.

  Every. Single. One.

  Babysitting her sister, Aria’s, baby and she loses the eight-month-old in the stuffed animal collection?

  Check.

  Crawling through a miniature Dutch pancake house with doors too small for her to squeeze through while “It’s a Small World” plays on endless repeat?

  Check.

  Getting knocked over the head, blacking out, and waking up in the middle of the early church service her Nana hasn’t missed in thirty-five years, wearing nothing but a fine layer of caramel corn stuck to her body like a bad cat suit and a bubblegum bow in her hair?