Finding Forever with You (The Malone Brothers Book 4)

by S. L. Sterling

  I threw my head back against the headrest, and with my eyes closed I mumbled, "Sophie wants to borrow my sperm." I blew out a breath and tried to calm myself down, but the car came to an abrupt stop, and a horn blared out from behind us. "Hunter, what the hell!"

  "Sorry about that, but did I hear you right?"

  "Yeah, you heard me. Sophie, she wants a baby, and she asked me to father the child." I still couldn't get her voice out of my mind—or the look on her face as she had asked me. The beginning of the night she had been so distraught, but once she asked me, she had appeared to be confident yet completely hopeful that I would do it.

  "So like you'd whack off in a cup and pass it over to her?"

  "I guess so. I haven't a clue. I cut my hand, and, well, then I started drinking, and the rest of the night went to shit. I could barely even remember my name let alone have any type of real conversation on the matter."

  Hunter let out a loud laugh. "That's fucking awesome. So what did you tell her?"

  I sat there trying to remember exactly what I had said. All I could remember was the look on her face, the look that I had let her down. There had never been another time in my life that I had remembered ever seeing her face look like that when it came to me. It haunted me. I cleared my throat. "I didn't say anything. I couldn't. I was so shocked that, no matter how much time had passed, I could barely put two words together. Once I gathered myself together enough, I told her I'd think about it. She left looking so defeated."

  "Well, you could always negotiate. I mean, you do practice contract law. It's a sterile transaction, right? So slap a contract together, have her sign, and be done with it. I mean, seriously, this is simple. You're making it more difficult than it needs to be. Look at it logically."

  "Can you pull over?" I mumbled, undoing my seatbelt, and reaching for the door handle.

  "Pull over? What the hell for?"

  I couldn't wait. Instead, I rolled down the window and stuck my head out, throwing up right down the side of Hunter's new BMW. My stomach was still swirling as I pulled my head back in the car and put the window up. "Sorry about that. You might want to drive through that car wash over there," I said, pointing to the one across the street. "I'll pay."

  "Damn right you'll pay. Jesus, Chase, this is a brand new car."

  "Sorry, man."

  Hunter began laughing. "It reminds me of when we were younger."

  Hunter pulled into the car wash, and we sat in utter silence as we drove through. I sat facing straight ahead, focusing on the movement of the brushes as the whole night played out again in my mind. "Perhaps you should eat something?" Hunter said, pulling back out onto the street and continuing to make his way towards my condo.

  "I'm really not hungry."

  "All right, so, what did she say exactly? I need all the details."

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. I let out a breath, pulling my phone out and looking at the screen.

  "Fuck me," I murmured, shoving my phone back in my pocket.

  "What?" Hunter asked, pulling into the parking lot of my condo and putting the car into park.

  "That was Sophie."

  "And?"

  "She wants to have lunch with me tomorrow. She says there is more, and she wants to discuss it with me in person, and I think I'm gonna be sick again," I said, opening the car door and crawling out just in time to toss my cookies on the edge of the parking lot.

  Hunter chuckled and rolled down the car’s window. "Here, don't forget your food," he said, holding up the bag.

  "Keep it. Thanks for picking me up." I held my hand over my stomach and waved. Once he pulled from the parking lot, I walked to the main entrance, punched in the security code, and headed up to my condo.

  7

  Sophie

  I'd woken early after a rather restless night of sleep. I had tossed and turned, constantly checking to see if Chase had answered my text – he hadn’t. I'd rolled out of bed before my alarm with a bad headache, a bad case of bed head, and practically everything in my body aching. I took a hot shower, popped two pain pills, and got ready for work, leaving the condo with bagel and coffee in hand.

  I took my usual route to my office and decided to make a pit stop down by the waterfront. I parked the car, grabbed my coffee, and took a walk down the pier. I needed to try and forget what had happened last night before I got into the office. I would never be able to get through my day, if my mind wasn't clear.

  I sat down on a bench, sipped my coffee, and watched the boats leaving the harbor. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the birds chirping, and I took in a deep breath of fresh morning air. While I sipped on my coffee, I watched couples walk along the water's edge, holding hands. I smiled to myself, and once my cup was empty, I got up and made my way back to my car, glancing at my watch.

  I pushed the heavy door open and walked into the lobby of my office. I was surprised to see the waiting room as full as it was. I had figured it would still be quiet at this time, and that was when I saw one of my clients was sitting waiting for me. I glanced at my watch as I made my way to my office, and then up to the clock on the wall, and realized my watch had stopped. The place was packed because I was the one who was running late. Almost forty minutes late, to be exact. Certainly not the way I wanted to start my day.

  I set up my computer in record time and pulled the client file and immediately called them in, apologizing profusely.

  A lot of conversation and two hours later, I walked back into my office and picked up the client file that still remained on my desk. That made two appointments down, and even though the day started out rocky, I was feeling surprisingly good, and then I looked to the stack of files that sat on my to-be-done pile. A surge of stress ran through me, and I shuddered at the thought of all I still had left in front of me for today.

  "Hey, girl. I'm on my way to refill my cup. Did you want a coffee?" I heard Carol ask as she stopped just inside of my door. She leaned against my door, looking over to the corner of my desk where my work sat. "Looks like you might need one, considering your workload today."

  "That would be wonderful, and I have a feeling that I will be taking half this stack home. I just spent an hour with Mr. Leeman and Mr. Sage. Oh, and did you know that Mr. Sage does not like it if you are late," I said, rolling my eyes.

  "Ah, yes, Mr. Sage. Say no more, my dear. That alone calls for one strong cup of coffee that you should have had prior to the next appointment." We both laughed as she reached for my cup, and then carried on down the hall.

  I walked around and sat back down in my chair and opened up the next file that sat on top of the pile. I was going over the notes from our last meeting when Carol set the cup of coffee on my desk. "Thank you! You're a saint," I said, letting out a breath and smiling up at her.

  "No worries. Good luck with the rest of your day. I have a boardroom meeting I have to get to."

  "Have fun with that."

  "You betcha." Carol winked and disappeared from my office.

  I glanced at the clock on my desk and went back to reading over the file. I was glad to see I had a few hours before my next meeting, which meant I had plenty of time to get prepared, I thought to myself. I took a sip of coffee and began reading over the client file in front of me.

  A good twenty minutes had passed, and I had just gotten deep into file when my cell phone vibrated across my desk, causing me to jump. My heart sped up a little when I saw Chase's name on my screen. As I answered, my stomach did one of those excited but nervous little flips.

  "Good morning." I did my best to keep my voice upbeat. I didn't want Chase to think I was nervous to talk with him, but the truth was, my heart was pounding out of my chest.

  "Morning. I'm sorry to bother you at work, but I got your message and was hoping that perhaps you still wanted to meet for lunch today."

  I glanced down at my watch, and then to my schedule, noting I had time between eleven and one free. "Yep, how is eleven?" I questioned.

  "Eleven works f
ine."

  "Where did you want to meet?"

  "How about The Manor House, and would you be able to do me a favor and pick me up on your way?" He chuckled.

  I frowned. He'd had his car last night. I'd seen it. "Sure. Your car in the shop?"

  Chase let out a breath. "No, it's still at the restaurant. Hunter came and picked me up last night. I was in a little bit of shock, not to mention I'd had too much to drink, and my best friend left me high and dry."

  I let out a little giggle. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Guess I will see you in an hour or so."

  "Sounds good. Oh, and, Soph, I'm looking forward to finishing our little talk today."

  "Yes, of course. I'll see you soon." I hung up the phone and did my best to ignore the funny feeling in the pit of my stomach as I tried to dive back into the file in front of me. My stomach rolled in anticipation of talking to Chase, and I found it harder to concentrate the more I tried. After ten minutes, I grabbed my legal pad and jotted down some things I wanted to make sure I brought up to Chase. I wasn't about to blow another chance with him. I needed him to realize that I was serious about this.

  I saw a few drops of rain on my windshield as I pulled up outside of Malone Law. Chase stood on the sidewalk and waved when he saw my car pull up. He looked just as tired and worn down as I felt. I waved as he approached my car, my stomach doing that anxious little flip again. To say I was nervous was an understatement. Since he had called, I had been absolutely useless at work, and even working on the list of things I wanted to mention to him had been of no help. I quickly tucked the legal pad between my seat and console so that he couldn't see it when he climbed in.

  He opened the car door and climbed in, doing up his seat belt before he turned and looked at me. "Hey! How are you?" he mumbled, giving me a nervous smile.

  "I'm okay. How are you?"

  "Okay." I swallowed hard and pulled away from the curb and headed towards The Manor House. Chase was oddly quiet on the drive, looking out the window as we made our way the five city blocks to the restaurant. I pulled into the parking lot and right up beside Chase's car and cut the engine.

  We walked side by side into the restaurant, neither of us saying anything. The tension between us was unbearable, and all I kept thinking to myself was that I was the one who had created this tension. Me and my silly ideas.

  Within ten minutes, we were seated at the back of the restaurant, bread basket sitting between us on the table, while the waitress was waiting to take our drink orders.

  "I'll have a soda water with lemon," I said, looking to Chase.

  "Crown and Coke." He coughed into his hand.

  "Um, how about just a coke? I don't want a repeat of last night." I giggled.

  Chase rolled his eyes and dismissed the waitress. As soon as she had walked away, he looked over to me. "I'm fine, you know. I'll be fine." He opened the menu in front of him.

  I stuck my head into my menu and sat staring at the page, the names of the dishes eventually all blurring together. I was beginning to doubt if I could indeed go through with this whole thing again, after what had happened last night. I sat there trying hard to find something that I wanted to eat, and that was when my worst fear entered my mind. What if he said no? I really didn't know how I would react to that answer.

  Chase slapped his menu shut, causing me to jump and draw my attention to him. He reached for the bread, but I quickly swatted his hand away. "Let me." I grabbed the knife from the table and took the bread, cutting it into pieces.

  "How is your hand anyways?" I asked.

  "It's okay," he said, looking down at his bandaged hand and reached for a piece of bread.

  "I felt awful that you cut yourself."

  Chase shrugged as he buttered his bread and took a bite.

  "All right, so back to what we were talking of last night," I said, finally putting the knife down and grabbing a piece of bread for myself.

  "Yes, about that. I have a few things that I want to say," he said, clearing his throat, but I put my hands up to stop him.

  "Before you say anything, you should know I want to do this natural," I bit out as he buttered his second piece of bread, fearing he may stab himself with the butter knife.

  "What? Childbirth? Of course, both Carter and Hunter have said that Heather and Hope have said they wouldn't have done it any other way, so I can totally understand that."

  I shook my head and took a drink of my soda water before continuing. "Um, no, not childbirth. Well, no, yes childbirth, but making the baby. Thought perhaps we should start here first. I also don't want you to worry. I won't hold you accountable for anything."

  Chase looked around the restaurant and then back to me. So far so good, I thought to myself. He hasn't cut himself or passed out yet.

  "Okay. Go on." He swallowed hard.

  "Okay, so this is what I was thinking. You'd spend the week at my place. Now if you stay in October, which is next week, I've counted everything out, and if everything goes according to my plan, then I will be good to work right through tax season before the baby comes. However, it has to be the first week of the month. One week earlier or later, and it will mess everything up."

  Chase finished chewing and took a drink, placing his glass down on the table. "I see you've really thought this out."

  I nodded. "I have. I'm very serious about this, and that also is exactly the right time. I've been tracking my cycle, and next week is the most optimal time for me to get pregnant."

  Chase was just about to say something when our food was placed in front of us. His eyes met mine as the waitress announced each dish and finally walked away. We both dug into our plates and ate in silence. Once our plates were cleared and the bill was delivered to the table, Chase sat forward.

  "Listen, Sophie, I'm still going to think about this. I will have a decision to you in a couple of days. Does that sound okay?"

  I nodded. I felt confident that I had laid everything out on the table. Chase hadn't fainted or cut himself, and I felt satisfied and hopeful with his answer. I went to reach for the bill, but Chase grabbed it first. "You got last night. The least I can do is get lunch." He winked.

  "All right, I've got to go," I said, glancing down at my watch. "I have a client in a half hour. I'll talk to you soon."

  Chase stood as I stood, and unlike last night, this time he kissed me on the cheek before I walked away.

  8

  Chase

  I had been trying to type out this damn email for the past hour and still had yet to get the tone of it correct. I hit delete, wiping the entire contents of my email, and slammed my fists on my desktop and began typing again. The sooner I could get this finished, the quicker I could get home and unwind, and unwinding was exactly what I needed. I was about three sentences into the email when I once again hit delete and began all over again.

  "Hey, man, you all set?" Hunter appeared in my doorway, leaning against the doorjamb, shoving the last of what looked like a muffin into his mouth.

  "Yep, all the loose ends are tied finally. I was just trying to get out one last email for the day, but I can't seem to get the wording correct."

  Hunter pulled the chair out on the other side of my desk and sat down across from me with a smug smile. "Things still bothering you, are they?" He grinned.

  I nodded. That was an understatement. I'd barely slept in two days. "How are Autumn and the girls? Did she enjoy my dinner the other night?"

  "She did, and everyone is good."

  "Great! I really miss those angels. I should drop by and visit soon." I shut my laptop in frustration and placed it in the bottom drawer of my desk and looked to Hunter who was still smiling away. "I'll just write the damn email tomorrow morning," I said more out of frustration than anything else.

  "What’s up? Did you need something before I leave?"

  "Just wondering how you made out with your dilemma? Bryce said you went to see her for lunch."

  I was just about to answer when Carter and Bryce walked into my
office and each took a seat on the couch. I paused. I wasn't sure if I wanted to share this entire situation with everyone. Hunter already knew, so it was a little different sharing it with him. However, I had to remember these were my brothers, and there wasn't much that any of us didn't share with one another. I swallowed hard, trying to decide if I should tell everyone or keep my mouth shut.

  "What dilemma are you facing now?” Carter asked, squeezing the spot between his eyes.

  "Perhaps he's been mesmerized by that pussy we were talking about two weeks ago." Bryce and Carter both chuckled.

  I glanced at Bryce and Carter and back to Hunter who knew the truth. As Carter and Bryce sat there laughing, I was getting more and more irritated, and before I could stop them, the words just fell from my mouth without a care as to what they thought. "Sophie wants to borrow my sperm."

  Bryce and Carter both looked at me as if I had spoken another language. "What?" Carter sat forward, resting his forearms on his knees, totally interested in what I had to say next.

  "Sophie, she wants a baby and she asked me to um..."

  "So like you'd whack off in a cup and pass it over to her. That sounds fucking exciting." Bryce laughed, elbowing Carter, who also began laughing.

  I laughed more to myself. "No, not exactly. At first, I thought she was kidding, but now she has proposed seven days of no-strings-attached sex." I ran my hands through my hair.

  "Fuck me. You may just be the luckiest bastard alive," Bryce commented. "Sophie is hot as fuck, a little uptight, but I bet once you get her going, she is kinky as fuck too," he said, raising his eyebrows.

  "That's enough," I bit back, glaring at my brother. It wasn't that the thought hadn't crossed my mind. Actually, it had crossed my mind many times. My tone was more because he, too, was thinking that exact same thing, or perhaps had in the past.