Dion puffed out a sigh of relief. Could he put the boy down now? Would he start crying again?
He walked over to the open sliding doors. The sun had nearly set and luckily they didn’t have a lamp on because mosquitoes would be rising at this hour, but for the moment the deck was mozzy free, bathed in the light of the almost-full moon that hung low in the sky, white as a snowball.
The baby was warm on his chest. With one arm tucked beneath his rump and the other hand flat on his back to steady him, Dion felt comfortable for the first time since he’d picked him up.
“This isn’t so difficult,” he murmured, pleased he’d managed to stop Harry crying. “I don’t know what all the fuss is about.”
Harry squirmed briefly, then closed his eyes, still sucking on his fist.
Dion studied his tiny features, from the small, snub nose to the long dark eyelashes that lay on his cheeks. The nose was Megan’s, no doubt about it. But the dark hair, the wide top lip and the dimple in his chin came from him.
A lump rose in his throat. This was his son. He and Megan had made a whole person together. How amazing was that?
He rested his nose on Harry’s silky hair. He’d thought babies would smell of stale milk and sick and other bodily fluids, but Harry smelled sweet, of baby shampoo and talc, and the faintest whiff of Megan’s flowery perfume.
“Hey, bud.” He nuzzled Harry’s forehead. “I’m your daddy.”
Harry murmured back and gave a tiny burp.
Dion smiled, seeing he was almost asleep. Maybe he’d hold him for a bit longer, though, just in case.
He looked across the bay, at the sailboats on the horizon, and the way the moon cast a silvery path along the sea to the house.
He raised his gaze to the sky. Where was his father now? Sitting on a cloud somewhere playing a harp?
“Can you see him?” he whispered to the stars. “This is your grandson.” Not his first, and maybe not his last. But his grandson nevertheless, of his flesh and blood, carrying within him the genes of his father and his father before him. “This is what you wanted, wasn’t it? Are you happy now?”
The few early stars glittered. He swallowed and stroked Harry’s back. He was so tiny, so innocent and helpless. He had his whole life ahead of him, blank as a sheet of the white paper that had played such a big part in his father’s life for so long. What would he be when he grew up? A rugby player? A doctor? Find a cure for cancer?
And suddenly Dion understood. It didn’t matter what Harry turned out to be. Only his happiness mattered, that he loved and was loved in return.
A fierce urge to protect this tiny baby flowed over him. He wanted to watch him grow up, to guide him and support him, to be there when he had his first broken heart, when he got married, when his own children were born.
He didn’t ever want to let him go.
Behind him, the bathroom door opened and footsteps padded across the carpet. Megan’s hand rested on his back.
“Are you two all right? I wondered whether you’d strangled him, it had gone so quiet.” She moved forward and looked at his face in the moonlight. “Oh, Dion.”
He touched his cheek and realised it was wet. “I’m okay.” His throat closed up. “He’s so perfect,” he managed to squeak.
“Like his daddy.” She put her arms around his waist and kissed his cheek, then kissed her son.
And he let the tears flow, while in his arms the best Christmas present he’d ever received gave tiny, snuffly snores.
Epilogue
Christmas Future
Dion put down his book and looked across the floor to where Harry lay on a playmat. The baby had been playing with the soft toys suspended from the frame above him, knocking them with his hand, but to Dion’s surprise, Harry now lay on his front.
He pushed himself off the sofa and bent down by the mat. “Did you just roll over?” He picked Harry up and lifted him in the air. “Did Daddy’s big boy just roll over all on his own?”
“What’s going on?” Megan came in from the kitchen, drying her hands on a tea towel.
“He was lying on his front.” Dion kissed the boy’s chubby cheek. “He rolled over.”
“Harry!” Megan laughed and kissed him too. “You clever boy!”
Harry beamed and clutched a handful of her hair.
She winced. “Ouch. I swear he wants me bald.”
Dion extricated her hair from Harry’s fist and they walked out into the garden with him. “He’s going to be an All Black with a grip like that, aren’t you mate?” He picked up the miniature soft rugby ball he’d bought for his son and gave it to him. Harry promptly put it in his mouth.
“I think he’s more likely to be a chef,” Megan said. “He always wants to taste everything.”
Dion grinned and sat at the table, sitting Harry on his lap, propping the baby’s back against his chest. The New Zealand summer sun beat down, the air warm and humid. Harry wore only a vest over his diaper, and he seemed to be enjoying the breeze that washed over his bare legs.
It was three weeks since Dion had come back from the UK after returning there for his father’s funeral. He’d stayed in England for a week to finalise handing over his customers and tying up the loose ends with Jack, and then he’d got on the plane without looking back. He had more than enough savings to live on for a while, and when the universities reopened after their summer break he was going to book himself onto a teacher training course.
He’d also moved in with Megan temporarily. She’d offered him a place to stay until they decided what they wanted to do, and he’d accepted with the understanding that he’d sleep in the spare room so they could take things slowly.
That had lasted all of two nights, by which time the sexual tension between them had grown so high they couldn’t keep their hands off each other any longer. Since then, they’d slept in her bed, and it had very quickly become apparent that neither of them wanted that to end any time soon.
Megan took the seat opposite him. “The estate agent rang, by the way. They’ve got a property just come on the market they want us to view.”
“Cool.”
“It’s quite big, a couple of acres of bush plus a paddock for playing rugby in.” She smiled.
“Sounds great.”
Her smile slipped slightly. “That’s if you’re sure. I don’t want to rush anything, Dion. Just say if you want more time.”
In response, he looked across her small garden to the jacaranda tree currently in full bloom, lilac-coloured petals scattered all across the lawn. “There’s a kingfisher,” he said, nodding toward the bird that sat on the lowest branch, its thorn-like beak and shimmering turquoise coat obvious in the sunlight.
She glanced across. “Yes. Must be here because of next door’s pond. I often see it flying around.”
He took the opportunity of the misdirection to retrieve something from his back pocket. It was a small paper gift bag with two looped handles. He tucked the handles in Harry’s hand, and the baby’s tiny fingers clutched it obediently.
When she turned back, he looked down at his son. “I think Harry’s got something for you.”
She followed his gaze, and her eyebrows rose. “What’s that?”
Harry tried to suck the handles, and she laughed and pulled it free from his hand. “Thank you, sweetie.” She glanced at Dion, then lowered her gaze and pulled the bag open.
She took out the contents—a small card and a jewellery box.
Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t look back up at him. She put the box on the table and opened the card.
Dion peered over the top. “What did he write?”
Her lips curved. “‘Daddy says Will you marry me?’” The flush deepened.
Dion feigned astonishment. “Harry! Did you really ask Mummy that?”
She bit her lip, her blush deepening.
“Open the box,” he prompted.
She did so. The large diamond solitaire glinted in the sunlight.
“You clever bo
y,” Dion said to his son. “Where did you get the money to buy that?”
Smiling, he looked back at Megan. Her eyes glistened.
“Dion,” she said. “You don’t have to—”
“I know.”
“Seriously. We have all the time in the world.”
“I know.” He picked up her hand and kissed her fingers. “But there’s no doubt in my mind. I love you. And I love Harry. I want us to be a family. And I want to wake up next to you every morning for the rest of my life. I can’t get down on one knee because I have a fat lump on my lap, but honey, tell me you’ll marry me and make us the happiest two boys in the world.” He indicated his son’s cherubic face. “He’s been planning this for weeks. You don’t want to make him cry, do you?”
She gave a short laugh and rubbed her nose. “No, I don’t want that.” And she got out of her chair and gave him a hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too. I’m just so sorry I’ve wasted so many years coming to that conclusion.”
“It’s okay. It was meant to be.”
He cupped her head and kissed her, once, twice, and then a longer third time, moving his lips to her cheeks as they grew wet from her tears.
Harry squawked and pulled her hair, and they moved back, laughing.
“Okay, Mr. I-must-have-all-the-attention.” She wiped her face and lifted him out of Dion’s arms. “Now, I know you’re a Daddy’s boy, but there’s one thing that Daddy can’t do for you, isn’t there?” She began to unbutton her shirt.
Dion leaned back, legs crossed at the ankle, and watched them contentedly. Harry usually had a doze after he’d been fed in the early afternoon, and Dion had taken to joining Megan in bed after she lay Harry down for his nap. Sometimes they took the opportunity to snatch some sleep together, drowsing in the warm afternoon sunshine, locked in each other’s arms. And occasionally they made love, feeling decadent and slightly wicked making the most of their time together while the world rushed by outside the window.
Life was good, he thought languidly. He liked being a dad. And he knew Megan wanted more children.
Maybe it was time to make themselves a little Christmas present for next year.
The End
I hope you enjoyed His Christmas Present. If you’d like to find out more about my books you can sign up to my newsletter here or check out my website.
Also Available by this author
From Entangled Publishing
Holly’s First Noel (w/a Faye Robertson)
Kiss and Make Up (w/a Faye Robertson)
Bloodlust (w/a Faye Robertson)
From Samhain Publishing
White-Hot Christmas
Something Blue
Come Rain or Come Shine (Anthology)
Sensual Healing Trilogy
An Uncommon Sense
Making Sense
Talking Sense
Love in Reverse series
Seven Sexy Sins
Six Naughty Nights
Five Exotic Fantasies
From Lyrical Press
Whistling Dixie
Mr. Insatiable
Sweet as Honey (August 2014)
Santa’s Secret (December 2014)
From Escape Publishing
Summer Fling
One Hot Winter’s Night
Indie Published
Stranded with a Scotsman
Written in the Stars
His Christmas Present
Two Passionate Proposals
(contains novellas Black Hawke Down
& Surrender Your Heart)
*
From Angry Robot Books
Heartwood – The Elemental Wars Book 1
Sunstone – The Elemental Wars Book 2
(Epic Fantasy, w/a Freya Robertson)
Treat With Caution
(Treats to Tempt You # 1)
An enemies-to-lovers romance with heat and heart.
Tasha Wilde has spotted the perfect site for the Treats to Tempt You confectionery shop she’s planning to run with her best friend, Maisey. It’s the ideal size and location, right on the waterfront in Doubtless Bay, New Zealand. The only fly in the melted chocolate is Maisey’s brother, Kole. He wants the shop for his photography business, and he’s about to sign the lease.
Tasha and Kole Graham have trod the wafer-thin line between friends and enemies since they were teenagers. Privately, she acknowledges Kole has grown up into a fine figure of a man. Okay, to be honest, he’s so sexy he often dismantles the speech center of her brain. But he’s still the most irritating guy on Earth.
Kole tries to think of Tasha as just his sister’s best friend, but it’s getting harder and harder. Literally. And he’s having trouble hiding it. So when their friends suggest a bet with the shop as the prize, and it means he can get his hands on Tasha, he’s quick to agree. The Shakespearean-style scheme? To get the other person to fall in love with them. In eight days.
Both are confident their attraction is only physical. Both are going to get into trouble. But who will win the bet on Midsummer night?
Warning: Sultry and steamy, with rising temperatures. And the sub-tropical weather’s pretty hot too.
Excerpt
“You are the most annoying man in the history of the world,” Tasha snapped.
Kole grinned, stretched out on the sand, and put his hands behind his head. “Thanks.”
“It wasn’t a compliment.” Tasha glowered at him, but he remained unrepentant, his grin spreading if anything. Gritting her teeth, she pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose and turned her gaze to the sea. Honestly. Trying to have a conversation with Kole Graham was like trying to wrestle a crocodile.
They sat with Kole’s sister Maisey and his best mate Joss on Coopers Beach, a long crescent of sand that formed part of the beautiful Doubtless Bay in the Far North of New Zealand. The summer breeze played with Tasha’s hair, and waves crept up the sand and then slid back, sensual as a lover’s fingers. Over her head, the pohutukawa trees displayed their Christmassy red flowers, and her bare legs glistened in the warm December sun. It could almost be paradise. Except she was certain there weren’t any crocodiles in paradise.
She glanced back at Kole. If she were anyone else, she might have considered him attractive, with his short dark hair, lean jaw, firm but sensual lips, and muscular frame highlighted by the All Blacks rugby shirt that stretched across his torso and around his impressive biceps. He carried himself with a confident sexiness bordering on arrogance, and this, along with his wry sense of humor, suggested he was probably excellent in bed.
Too bad he annoyed the hell out of her.
He looked across, saw her watching him, and raised an eyebrow. He was always trying to embarrass her, to make her blush and lose her composure. He hadn’t managed to do so once in the eleven years they’d known each other. Tasha didn’t embarrass easily.
“Stare any longer, I’ll have to start charging,” he said.
“You have chocolate on your top,” she pointed out. “I was wondering whether to find you a pelican bib.”
He looked down at his rugby shirt, spotted the offending piece of confectionery, and scooped it up. “I was saving that for later.” He sucked it off his finger.
Tasha rolled her eyes. “I’m not surprised you’re still single at twenty-eight. You’re like a trained ape. Without the training.”
“For God’s sake, you two.” Maisey sent them an exasperated glare. “You’re like a couple of five year olds. I’m tempted to send you to bed without any tea.”
“I think she meant separate beds,” Joss said at Kole’s approving murmur.
About the Author
Serenity Woods lives in the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand with her wonderful husband and gorgeous teenage son, and writes contemporary romances with both heat and heart. She would much rather immerse herself in reading or writing romance than do the dusting and ironing, which is why it’s not a great idea to pop round if you have any allergies. You ca
n check out all her books at http://www.serenitywoodsromance.com.
Table of Contents
SECOND CHANCES
Copyright Information
Contents
In Too Deep — Tracey Alvarez
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Also Available
About the Author
The Playboy’s Redemption — Diana Fraser
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Also Available
About the Author
Laura’s Big Break — janet elizabeth henderson
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Second Chances Boxed Set: 7 Sweet & Sexy Romances in 1 Book Page 133