by Jennifer Ann
“I believe you’re aware that I’ve been saving my share of income from the Rocker Chique collection, hoping one day a good cause would bite me in the arse. Well, it finally happened—not so much a bite, but a blinding punch—and it dawned on me that the answer is literally under my nose.” Once again her arms wrap around her pregnant belly, and her lips curl with a glowing smile. “I’d like to start a non-profit organization that counsels young women in their time of need, whether it be due to an unplanned pregnancy, loss of a child, or…an assault.”
Feeling blood draining from my face, I become still. In a nutshell, she’s describing what happened to her when she was first pregnant and lost their baby. And the mention of an assault…
“Wow,” I say quietly. “That’s…”
“I’ll need a corporate attorney to get the organization up and running, insure things are compliant with state laws and taxes. I don’t imagine the pay would be anything close to what Anisten and Behr were able to afford, but it’d keep you off the streets for the time being.”
Closing my eyes for a second, I lower to the stool at her side. “Shar, I’ll be okay. I still have income from Dad’s farmland to keep me afloat until I find something else. Don’t take pity on me.”
Her eyes roll to the top of her head. “Don’t be daft. This has nothing to do with pity. I’ve been working out a plan since before I knew you were moving here. Now that you’re a free agent, it seemed a perfect time to…”
All at once her face pales and she’s gripping the countertop.
“Shar?” Trying not to panic, I take hold of her arm again.
Her head tips down to her lap before she looks back at me and smiles with blurred eyes. “Well then, it would seem the newest member of the Kendall family is ready to make an appearance. My water is all over your floor.”
A bundle of nerves attack my stomach as I pace back and forth through the sterile waiting room. James actually beat us to the hospital from the gym. He looked ready to pass out when he saw Sharlo, even though she was all smiles and acting her usually bubbly self. I would’ve laughed if I wasn’t so worried that painful memories of the last time Sharlo was admitted and lost their baby were haunting my brother.
“Sof!”
Though my heart instantly warms with the sight of Nolan rushing toward me, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that stretches tightly across the muscles on his chest, I’m struck with a wave of emotions so hard and fast that I nearly crumble inside his arms. Being here, surrounded by the smells of sickness and medicine, is a harsh reminder of the time I spent with him in the ER, waiting for any news on Sharlo’s condition after she was struck down by her dad’s former employee. And it reminds me of all the times my mom went to the hospital for chemo. Most of all, it’s a jar to the system seeing Nolan, making me realize how badly I missed him the short time we’ve been apart.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” he says with a gentle laugh, squeezing his arms around me. “Shar’s healthy, the baby’s healthy. It’s not like last time.”
Breathing in his familiar, comforting scent, I pull away to discover my face is wet with tears. I quickly wipe them off with the back of my hand. “Yeah, you’re right. It just felt too familiar, you know?”
When his eyes take in what I’m wearing, his lips bend with a sexy grin. “I forgot how good Bowie looks on you.” From the regretful look he casts, I know he wants to say more, but the tension between us fizzles when Evelyn and Katie rush in, their eyes equally filled with excitement.
“Have you heard anything?” Evelyn asks the same time as Katie asks, “Is it a boy or a girl? I just know it’s a girl. Her boobs and tummy are way too large for it to be a boy.”
“I haven’t heard anything since they went in over an hour ago,” I confess, feeling another rush of anxiety. Nolan rests his hands on my shoulders, rubbing his fingers against my tight muscles.
“There’s no need to worry,” Katie assures me. “She’s in capable hands. Doctor Jo-Lynn is the best OB in the city.”
Biting down on my lip, I glance over at the couches in the waiting room, wondering how I could possibly sit and relax without being taken back to the night of Sharlo’s accident.
“I don’t know about you guys, but this place gives me the creeps,” Evelyn says. “I have an idea.” She pulls her cell phone from her cross-body bag, putting her thumbs to work. After a moment, she puts her phone away and grins at each of us. “I told James we’re heading to the bar around the corner. No need for all of us to sit here and freak out when we can take the edge off.”
Tears prick my eyes when I squeeze my little sister’s arm, grateful for the idea. Though I’m sure she’s just as affected by our mom’s battle with cancer, she’s also had her fair share of bad memories from a hospital that include the time her husband was shot by a crazed fan.
“God, I love how you think,” Katie says, hooking her arm through her sister-in-law’s. “After the weekend I had, I could use a shot of something strong.”
I start after them, stopping to reach for Nolan’s hand. “Come on, playboy. I’ll even let you buy me a drink.”
When his fingers curl around mine and his sexy grin returns, I’m struck with a wave of total joy. It makes me unbelievably happy to know this beautiful, kind man wants to make me a permanent fixture in his life, even after I rejected him.
The sensation squeezing my chest has to be love.
The anguish from everything that happened in Vegas slips away as I spend the afternoon laughing and reminiscing over happier times with my sister and our friends, tucked beneath the arm of the man I’m certain I won’t let slip from my life ever again. By the time we’ve stuffed ourselves on Irish appetizers and imported beers, we get the text we’ve been waiting for and hurry back to the hospital.
After we load up with balloons and stuffed animals at the hospital’s gift shop, we hustle toward the post-delivery room with the enthusiasm of cheerleaders before a big game. Even Nolan can’t stop grinning when James opens the door to the room, exposing Sharlo in bed with a little pink and blue striped blanket bundled in her arms. Though her blond waves are matted around her head and her face is flushed, she’s more beautiful than ever.
Bending to kiss the wriggling baby swaddled inside the blanket, she whispers, “Better be on your best behavior, Franklin James. Your aunts and uncle are here to meet you.”
“I knew it was a boy!” Katie blurts.
A rush of tears break free as I slap a hand over my mouth. They named him after Dad.
Evelyn and Katie make these muted, high-pitched noises as they rush toward her. Feeling as if I’m tackling a tree, I stop to fling my arms around my brother’s neck.
“Congratulations,” I say, my voice thick with emotion. “Dad would’ve been so proud. Mom, too.”
James doesn’t answer, but squeezes me a little tighter before letting go to engage in a bro-hug with Nolan. The two guys exchange muffled words that I’m unable to decipher as Nolan pats his back. Knowing how close they’ve become warms my heart a little more. They could be brothers one day. We’d all be family.
I turn away before another wave of emotions breaks free. Evelyn’s making cooing noises as she holds our nephew, giant tears rolling down her cheeks. “Little man, we are going to spoil the living hell out of you,” she tells him with a joyful giggle. “Oh, yes we are!”
Folding my arms, I watch on awkwardly. He’s adorable and everything, but I’m suddenly struck with the reality that I could’ve had a baby all those years ago. My stomach surges with sickness.
“And this beautiful lady is your Auntie Sofia,” Evelyn sings, shuffling toward me.
When he comes into view, I’m momentarily stunned into silence. Amongst a perfectly round little head, he has his momma’s blue eyes and blond hair. The full lips and strong nose, however, are all Kendall like his daddy. I swear I melt onto the floor when he makes a little mewling noise and snuggles deeper into my sister’s arms.
He’s perfect.
&nb
sp; “Want to hold your nephew?” Evelyn asks, meeting my watery gaze.
Still feeling uneasy as I wonder if my child would’ve looked anything like his cousin, I back away a little until I run into Nolan’s chest. “I…ugh…don’t know. I—”
“There’s nothing to be scared of,” Nolan says quietly into my ear.
He gently nudges me aside to take the baby from Evelyn, expertly supporting his little head in the crook of his arm and wrapping his other hand beneath Frank’s backside. It’s shocking to see him so at ease with a newborn. How does he know how to hold a baby? He’s an only child and doesn’t talk about other family. Guess we have more to learn about each other.
Then dark his eyes draw up to capture mine as he gives me this gorgeous, panty-wetting smile so bright that it’s as if I can literally see his heart bursting with joy. And suddenly I know exactly what Sharlo was talking about when she said she couldn’t wait to see her man holding their child.
All at once I’m able to envision Nolan holding our baby, promising to give it the world and being the best dad imaginable, and my chest erupts with a warm glow as it all becomes painstakingly clear. Admitting that I love him and agreeing to be his wife won’t make me weak. It won’t mean I’ll turn out to be anything like Nolan’s mom either.
And I don’t want to spend the rest of my life coming home to an empty house. I want a husband, and maybe one day, a family of our own.
I want this.
With his eyebrows drawn together, Nolan asks, “Are you alright, babe?”
Tears tumble down my cheeks as I nuzzle my face against the new growth of hair on his jaw and whisper, “I love you.”
I hear Nolan take a sharp breath.
“Katie?” he calls out urgently. “Will you take the baby for a minute?”
I giggle a little, knowing what’s coming. The second they’ve completed the trade-off, he’s turning to take my face in his hands and kissing me hard on the mouth with so much depth and passion that I have to lean into him to keep from passing out. The others make funny noises behind us and I hear something about Franklin getting a cousin, but we don’t stop. As far as I’m concerned, we’re the only ones in the room.
Now that I’ve admitted to myself that he’s the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, I don’t have it in me to ever let go of this beautiful, kind-hearted man.
Chapter 20
NOLAN
Hearing Sofia say that she loves me while I was holding Shar’s son was the best kind of high I’d ever experienced…even better than seeing my best friend finally fulfill her wish of becoming a mother. And after that explosive kiss we shared, it’s killing me not to drag her back to her apartment and make love until the sun goes down. I don’t know what changed her mind and I honestly don’t really give a shit. I’m just overjoyed that the truth finally registered inside her beautiful head.
Sofia stays glued to my side as dozens of pictures are snapped of each family member holding the baby, and a group picture of all of us together. Before long, Charlie arrives and the Kendalls all take turns talking with their brother Hunter and sister Angelina on the phone. Visiting hours are almost over by the time Braden strolls in with a giant teddy bear under one arm and a motorcycle helmet under the other.
As everyone’s doing their own thing, fussing over the baby and carrying on conversations with the new parents, I’m leaning against a wall beside the bed when I catch Katie and Braden standing alone by the entrance of the room, barely concealed by a privacy curtain. Oddly enough, Katie’s hands are pressed to her hips and she’s scowling.
“You drove through the city with that thing on your bike?” I hear her ask. “Are you freaking crazy? You’ve only had that bike two days and you’re already acting reckless.”
With a step toward her, Braden bends in so close to her head that I swear my eyes are playing a fucking trick on me. It’s the kind of intimate pose that I take on with Sofia when I’m getting ready to kiss her.
“What’s the matter, sweet-cheeks?” he asks. “Jealous I didn’t bring one for you?”
Did he seriously just call her sweet-cheeks?
Katie snaps with a response under her breath. Though I can’t hear what she’s saying, she clearly looks angry. A second later she’s storming back into the room, but stops mid-step when our eyes meet. Her jaw drops and her eyes snap over to where Evelyn, Sofia, and Sharlo are deep into conversation about the baby. There’s clearly something more to the story of her and Braden that she doesn’t want the others to know. Interesting.
To assure her that her secret’s safe with me, I wink and let out a silent chuckle. I laugh even harder when she scurries off like a dog that heard a firecracker.
Sofia is suddenly at my side, smiling with a graceful ease. She’s been so damn happy since we came here that I almost hate the idea of leaving. But the urgent feeling in my balls reminds me there are many other things I can do to make her just as delighted.
“What’s so funny?” she asks.
“Nothing. Just enjoying the moment.” I pull her up tight against me, pressing my face inside her soft hair, breathing in her jasmine scent and whatever hair products she uses. “What do you say we blow out of here and grab some dinner…just the two of us? We have a lot to talk about.”
Her sparkling eyes tilt upward to meet mine. “If you’re referring to beer and pizza at your place, I’d say it sounds amazing.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d rather go to your place. It’s more…intimate.” That’s not the only reason I’d rather go to her place, but there will be time to discuss the details of an eventual move later.
There’s a sexy little smirk on her lips when they brush over mine. “Only if you’ll stay over. I don’t think I could bear another night alone.”
The way her irises are overtaken with black and she scrapes her teeth across her bottom lip grabs my dick’s complete attention. I reel her in for one more kiss before growling out, “Deal.”
The moment we’re inside Sofia’s apartment, she kicks her shoes off to the side and waits for me to do the same before grabbing my hand and pulling me into her living room. I’ve never felt so at ease in a woman’s house as I do when we sit together on her mid-century sofa facing the unlit fireplace.
I turn to look at her, pushing a lock of blond hair behind her ear. Since the first time I laid eyes on her, I knew there was something special about this woman that was hard to resist. And when we became friends, I had to have her tight little body. But I never truly believed that one day she’d be mine.
With a warm smile, her hand wraps around my wrist and we both start speaking at the same exact time.
“Shar brought—”
“I couldn’t—”
Both of us laugh, finally breaking the building tension.
“You first,” she says, still giggling. “What I have to say will take a lot longer. And we’re probably going to want a few drinks first.”
Setting my arm on the sofa behind her, I take a deep breath. “Shar brought Avery by the bar this morning.”
She wrinkles her nose. “You slept at the bar?”
I chuckle, glad that she trusts me enough not to get all worked up over my ex coming to see me. “I got a little hammered last night.”
Her eyes burn with apologies as she reaches for my hand. “Nolan…”
“I’ve been through worse,” I admit with a wry smile. “Shar confessed that her and Charlie decided to have a PI follow Avery around. Turns out she has an expensive cocaine habit.”
“No way.”
“Everything she did to you and me was because she blew her allowance and didn’t want her father to find out. She must’ve figured it’d be easier to get more money from me instead.” Growling, I run a hand over my stubbled jaw. “I feel like a fucking idiot for not knowing she was doing drugs while we were together.”
“Addicts are good at hiding things.” She laces her fingers with mine, a sympathetic expression straightening her features. “Is she going t
o get help?”
“Shar threatened to turn her into the police for supplying an eight-ball to a sorority house if she doesn’t. She also insisted that Avery tell her father everything. I just wish there was a way to make her fix the mess she created with your firm.”
“It doesn’t matter. I may have found a new job,” she tells me, all at once glowing with pride. “Shar asked if I’d help set up a non-profit organization to cater to young women who have been assaulted or are dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. I didn’t have a chance to give her an answer because she went into labor right after she asked, but I’m thinking I may accept her offer.”
“Sof, that’s—”
“But there’s more to this story that you need to know.” Gazing down on our intertwined hands, she mutters, “It’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time now.”
Though I’m nervous to hear whatever revelation has her suddenly so glum, I rub the back of her hand with my thumb, encouraging her to continue. Still looking down at our hands, she continues speaking at a slow pace, as if carefully choosing each word.
“I was pretty shy in high school. A little awkward, too. I didn’t date much. James played football with one of the most popular seniors, and convinced him to take me on a date. We went out to eat and had a couple of beers. I wasn’t drunk or anything, just buzzing and filled with excitement. Bobby was…well, there’s no eloquent way to say this. He was a total asshole, and I was a virgin. He forced himself on me.”
“Fuckin’ hell.” The words spill from my lips before I have a chance to sensor myself. When Sofia flinches from the harshness of my voice, I bring my other hand up to rest alongside her face. “I’m sorry, baby. Jesus Christ, I’m so sorry that happened to you. Tell me that motherfucker is behind bars.”
Shaking her head over and over, she answers, “I was so young…and embarrassed. I didn’t want anyone to find out, especially my family.” Her weary eyes slowly draw up to capture mine. “I became pregnant that night.”