by Eva Luxe
“Boom, boom, boom!” Bella repeated, before going back to blowing raspberries.
Caleb was really good with younger kids, and enjoyed helping her stack the blocks back up. I hoped that Bryant would be as good with his younger sibling— we had decided not to find out if it was a girl or a boy, and instead be surprised after the baby’s birth, which, judging from the size of Hope’s baby bump and her overdue due date, could be any day now.
The baby was supposed to be here by Christmas but it turned out babies have their own ways of doing things and sometimes like to take their own sweet time. I had decided long ago that whenever the baby wanted to make his or her arrival would be fine with me, even though I was rather impatient.
I realized now, though, that some things had to be worth waiting for, and were. I was also treasuring the time together with Bryant, making up for lost weeks and months and years, before his baby sibling arrived. I hoped he wouldn’t be jealous and that instead we could all be a happy family.
Everyone was in a great mood. It was like the accident had never happened and we were just five happy families enjoying our holiday together. Plus Eve was there, of course, as was my mother. Bryant had been really enjoying living with Hope and me, but he always loved when Grandma came over to visit, or when we went over to her house. Those two would always have a very special bond thanks to how she had cared for him when I needed her to the most.
“Hope, you look absolutely amazing,” said Ramsey’s wife Monica. “Do you mind if I touch? I always hated when people just did that to me without asking.
“Go right ahead,” Hope answered, giggling, while Monice rubbed her very pregnant belly. “And thank you for the compliment. I hope that I look a lot better than I have been feeling these days.”
That got laughter from everyone in the house.
“Is everyone ready to eat?” called Eve from the kitchen.
She was looking better than ever and had insisted on coming over and cooking for the party. She didn’t usually cook or clean any more, as she had enough money to live on and we had hired someone new quite a while back.
I had told her that she didn’t have to cook today, either, but she said that she would be glad to do that for her future son-in-law, daughter, and grandchild. She was quite insistent on calling me her future son in law, so I knew I should get the ball rolling with plans to make that official soon. I could tell that Hope was happy to have her there doing what she loved, and that Eve of course enjoyed cooking Christmas dinner, so I didn’t put up much of a protest, even though I would have rather her just rest instead of slave over the stove.
Eve had been seeing some of the best doctors in the country. I had told them to find the best treatment and that I would pay for it, whatever the cost.
It seemed that as soon as she started being treated by the doctors, her condition improved dramatically. She came right back to working for me, even though I told her that I would have to find someone to replace her. There was no way that my child’s grandmother was going to be working for me or anyone else if I had anything to do with it.
So, as far as I was concerned, the day she insisted on coming back was the last day she was ever going to work for me. She took her time, making everything sparkle and shine, for her last time being my housekeeper.
At dinner, I felt like I wanted to make a speech.
“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” Everyone turned to look at me and the music was turned all the way down.
“Thank you all so much for joining us here today. Your love and support means the world to me. I know that it has not been easy with all that we have been through, but I am happy that we are able to spend time together as we prepare for a new chapter of our lives. Cheers.”
Everyone raised their glasses and called out “cheers”.
“I’d like to say something, too,” said Ramsey, standing up. “I am so grateful that we are here with you today. For a while, I thought that we would never come back together. And the fact that you welcomed us into your home to celebrate Christmas and the birth of your new child says a lot. We love you, man.”
Ramsey and I hugged like long lost brothers. And soon, the rest of the Bradford brothers joined us, as did Larson. Because, that’s what we really were.
Ramsey had saved my life. And Harlow had helped me restore it. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them.
I motioned to Hope, and she came over to join the hug. Her hair smelled like cinnamon as I pulled her in close to me.
“Have you been baking?” I asked her.
“Perhaps I got up earlier than you to make you one of my famous apple pies,” she said.
I laughed, and kissed her. Bryant had been busy with his toys, but— never one to want to be left out— he bounded over to us to join in the group hug, as did my mom, and the rest of the women who had been at the table.
“I love you, Daddy,” he said.
“I love you too, son.”
I looked around at everyone there with us and decided to say something cheesy. It was Christmas eve, after all, and the first time I had ever been able to put this expensive cabin to use, filling it with love and light of friends coming together for a special occasion.
“I love all of you, too.”
“Cheers,” said Harlow, grabbing his bottle of beer and holding it up high. We all did the same. “To our reunion.”
“To our reunion.”
We had certainly been reunited by love and a baby.
Merry Christmas to us all.
Epilogue
Hope
Christmas dinner was beautiful. The party the night before had been epic and I was glad Darren had thrown it. It was wonderful to meet his friends. But, now it was great to have Christmas dinner with just our family.
The table was draped in red, green, and gold. There was so much food on the table, there was barely any room for our plates. But, it was wonderful sitting there with my whole family, which in my mind included Bryant, and Darren’s mom, and my mom and brothers, all of whom were there with us as they deserved to be.
This is how life was meant to be lived, I thought.
I could feel my mother’s eyes staring at me from across the table. She looked so happy, like she was realizing a dream that she’d held for a very long time.
I stood up to speak. I felt it was my turn to give a toast, and I was planning to let my mom and Darren and Bryant know how much I loved them. And to thank them for all they had done for me.
But, before a word could leave my lips, I felt something pop and water started trickling from between my legs.
Everyone stopped and turned, staring at me.
“You okay?” asked Darren, a look of worry starting to show on his face.
“My water just broke,” I said.
“Sure did,” my mother added, as if there was any doubt.
We rushed to our cars and headed to the hospital. My mother told Darren to go on without her and that she would follow with a bag of my things.
Soon after getting to the hospital, the doctor told me that he hoped I was ready, because this baby was on its way out.
“This little one is determined to be a Christmas baby,” were his exact words.
“We’re definitely ready,” I told him.
They didn’t even have time to give me an epidural before the baby was out, while I screamed and writhed in pain. Darren was holding my hand the whole time, until the baby’s head appeared and he proclaimed, “The baby has red hair! Just like you!”
“Just get it out of me!” I screamed, fearful of how it would feel for the baby to actually come through.
But, aside from a burning sensation that left almost as quickly as it had come, that was the easiest part. Suddenly, loud crying could be heard and I immediately started crying tears of joy.
“Would you like to cut the cord?” the doctor asked Darren, as he placed the baby on my chest.
I looked down at the head full of red hair, already in love, before I r
ealized almost too late that I didn’t even know gender the baby was. Not that it really mattered. I would still be just as in love.
“What is it?” I asked, kissing the top of the baby’s head as Darren cut the cord.
“It’s a boy,” the doctor answered. “A Christmas boy.”
“Oh, my God,” I answered, happily. “A boy!”
“What should we name him?” asked Darren. We hadn’t discussed names much because we’d agreed it was bad luck. But, I already knew what I wanted.
“George. For my dad,” I said.
The baby’s tiny hand closed in a fist around my finger when I said it.
“George,” Darren answered. “I like that.”
We smiled at each other.
Then he added, “You know, I really thought it might be a girl. I’m glad he’s a boy. I love him no matter who he is. But, I also thought, hmmm, maybe we’d have a girl.”
“We’ll just have to have another one,” I said, and laughed.
“We sure will,” Darren agreed. “I like the name George. It sounds very royal.”
“Yes. My mother will be happy,” I said. “Of the fact that he’s here, and that he’s named George. And my dad would be so proud.”
As if on cue, my mom pushed open the door of the hospital room. She’d never been known for her tact. Darren’s mom was following her, and Bryant squeezed in ahead of both of them.
“It’s a boy,” Darren announced, proudly.
“A grandson!” My mother proclaimed. “Your brothers will be so happy. I took them home to finish opening up the rest of their Christmas presents because I didn’t realize this would be so quick. But, I’ll bring them over here to visit soon.”
“A brother,” Darren’s mom said to Bryant, in a sing song voice.
“Yay! A brother! Can I see my baby brother yet?” came Bryant’s high-pitched squeal from around the corner.
“Sure! Come on in, buddy,” I called from the bed.
He ran over and peeked up at the baby I held in my arms.
“Yay!” said Bryant again, clapping and jumping up and down. “I have a new baby brother! And he gets to come live with us at our house!”
“I’m glad you’re so happy about this news,” Darren said, looking relieved. I knew he’d been anxious that Bryant would be jealous. “We’re excited to expand our family. And, on that note, there’s something I was planning to do today, before little George here stole my thunder.”
“What?” I asked him, looking into his serious green eyes.
By looking over at my mother’s eyes, which lit up with happiness, I had a good feeling of what was to come. I just couldn’t believe it.
Darren got down on his knee right there on the cold hospital room floor, and held up a tiny blue box. He opened the lid, revealing a large, shiny diamond ring.
“Hope, you’ve made me the happiest man ever. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed, reaching over to hug him, then saying, “Ow,” as my rib cage twisted a bit. I was still in fragile condition from giving birth.
“Are you okay?” Darren asked.
“Yes, yes, yes,” I continued, not letting a little injury get me down. “Yes, I’m okay, and yes, I’ll marry you, and yes, this is great. I’d be so happy to be your wife.”
“Daddy’s going to marry Hope,” Darren explained to Bryant.
He bent down to kiss me, and then kissed Bryant and then little George, right on the top of his head. He was bobbing around looking for my boob, so I decided to try to nurse him.
“Hooray!” exclaimed Bryant, jumping up and down and clapping his hands. “This is the best day of my life!”
His excitement was contagious. Darren’s mother and my own both started clapping along with Bryant. And I could agree with him on that.
A new baby. And an engagement to Darren. On Christmas. This definitely was the best day of my life.
Thank you for reading and for your support of this indie author.
Can’t get enough Darren and Hope? Subscribe to my newsletter and receive an exclusive bonus extended epilogue to Mountain Man’s Baby.
Click here to sign up!
Can’t get enough sexy, rugged mountain men? If you liked Mountain Man’s Baby then I know you’ll love Eva Luxe’s, Mountain Billionaire. Here’s an exclusive sneak peek!
I fled from a life of luxury. But can I hide from love?
My father is one of the richest men in the world, but also one of the cruelest.
So I've changed my name and live in seclusion, in an isolated cabin in the woods.
I only invite over my one-night-stands- I'm not the relationship type.
But one night with a curvy, feisty bombshell named Paige is off the charts hot.
My c*ck wants more, but my head is telling me to take it slow.
What the f*ck is Paige doing here, anyway, snooping around in my life?
She seems to have secrets, but it's not like I don't have plenty of my own.
I could give up my mountain hideaway for her.
But will that be enough to forge a future together while we both confront our pasts?
***Here is an exclusive sneak peek***
Chapter 1
Zach
The roar of the enormous buzz saw filled my ears as I fed another massive log through the machine. Sawdust shot up like sparks around me, and the smell of timber was in the air while I went through the stack of logs piled beside me. Working at the lumber mill could be dangerous if we weren’t careful, but I loved this job.
It was an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. I was usually assigned to hauling the massive logs to the machines because of how strong I was, but today, I was put in charge of getting the timber in the machine so that it could be sawn in half. Goggles and breathing masks kept me company for the day, which was how I liked it.
Here at work, I kept to myself, I didn’t have to deal with people talking in my ear, and I was good at my job. I could haul the wood, get it sawed in half, load it onto the trucks, and get them off the compound. I didn’t have to talk with anyone, I didn’t have to interact with customers, and I got paid a decent wage to do so.
All I had to do was lift heavy shit and stick to where I was assigned for the day.
I could be living a very different life. One in which I was living off my wealthy inheritance and not having to lift a finger, let alone a bunch of logs. But that would require dealing with things I had walked away from a long time ago. And I enjoyed living a life in seclusion where I could be left alone, rather than a life of luxury in which I had to deal with other peoples’ demands on me or poor treatment of me.
Fuck that. I’d rather be a happy lumberjack than a miserable billionaire.
A few hours in, I shut the saw down to take my break. The world seemed strangely quiet without the machine on. I grabbed my thermos of tea, and then ducked behind a towering pile of logs to enjoy my break in peaceful silence.
“Hey there, Zach. I didn’t think you were coming in today.”
I silently cursed. Of course, there was always that one talkative person. That one person who just couldn’t stand the sound of silence. Here, that guy just happened to be my best friend.
I looked up at him. “Hey, Caden.”
“They got you cuttin’ this shit in half today, huh?”
I nodded but said nothing. I just poured myself some tea and took a sip. Caden sat down beside me with his back against the wood pile. He drank from a colorful can of some brand of energy drink I didn’t recognize. I tried to avoid that heart attack inducing shit.
“I hear rumors, you know,” he said. “Of people getting promoted and shit this year.”
“Lucky them.”
“I hear you’re one of the ones they’re thinking about promoting.”
I chuckled. “As long as I don’t have to talk to people, I’m okay.”
“Do you talk to anyone besides me anymore?” he asked.
“Sometimes, I wish
I didn’t even talk to you.” I grinned over at him before I took another drink of warm tea.
“So, I’ve been thinking,” Caden said.
“That’s never good. Did it hurt?”
“You’re a dick. I was thinking about opening my own lumber company.”
“Your own lumber company,” I said.
“Don’t do that repeating thing you do when you think I’m being an idiot. I don’t like it.”
“You are being an idiot.”
“Just hear me out. We could start our own lumber company. I could be the person that oversees everything, and you could manage all the people that work for us. We could make lots of money and travel the world and fuck all the women we want to in every country we landed in.”
“No, thanks,” I said.
“Just like that, huh? Not gonna even think about it?”
“You know I don’t like talking to people.”
“You talk to me.”
I shrugged. “You’ve been my best friend since high school. Of course, I talk to you.”
“You talked to people in high school.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“You should’ve talked to people in high school,” he said.
We both chuckled before I got to my feet to head back to my workstation for the day. Caden followed beside me.
“The company’s been busy lately,” he said. “That means more hours for us.”
“Yep.”
“Which means more money to line our pockets.”
“It does.”
“It’ll be nice. Maybe we could open up our own coffee shop or something,” he said.
“How the fuck did we jump from you owning your own lumber company to you opening your own coffee shop? You hate coffee.”
“That’s why I would hire you. You drink coffee, right?”
“Not even a little bit,” I said.
“That’s shit. I just saw you drinking coffee from the thermos.”
“What you saw was me drinking tea.”