by J. N. Pack
“Shh… Don’t do that. That nurse was wrong. Losing her wasn’t your fault. God had a plan for her. Things happen sometimes that are out of our control. You couldn’t have done anything different if you wanted to. She was meant to be our angel.” His voice wobbles at the end. He pushes my head against his chest and it’s soothing. We stay right there in that bed for the rest of the day and he leaves long enough to take a shower at his mom’s and get something to wear to class the next morning. He comes right back and climbs in the bed beside me wrapping his body tightly around mine. Before I fall asleep, I hear him whisper, “I love you Piper. I think I always have.”
“I love you Caelan! I always will.” He kisses my cheek as I slip off to sleep. The dreams don’t come. The pain doesn’t come. The sadness slowly seeps from my pores escaping into the world for someone else. Now that everything was out, I was in peace. Caelan held me like he was afraid he was going to lose me.
Chapter 27
Caelan
I’m a nervous fuckin’ wreck, but there is absolutely no other place I would be than right here, right now. Sweat gathers on my forehead even though there’s snow on the ground. I have to keep my hands in my pocket to keep them from shaking.
Piper went home to visit her family for the Christmas holiday and asked me to come, but I told her I couldn’t make it because my Dad was going to be home and it’s been nearly a year since I’ve seen him. It was a bit of a lie, but not a complete lie. They will be home, but we are going to spend a week with the Burrows for Christmas. Piper’s mom contacted my mom and asked us to come for the week of Christmas.
Here I am standing on her front porch with my entire family at my back, including Mannex. He said he wasn’t going to miss this. I ring the doorbell and drop to my knee, pulling the diamond ring from my pocket. I hear gasps from behind me. Mannex laughs, he knew it was coming, but I’d never tell him when.
When Piper opens the door and she sees me she stumbles back a step, “Cael?”
“Meet me at the altar Piper?” I say quietly unable to meet her eyes for fear that she’s going to say no.
I watch as her bottom lip trembles and then move up as her eyes tear up.
“Marry me baby. Make me whole.” I beg.
She throws her arms around my neck and I wrap my arms around her, “Is that a yes beautiful?” She leans back with tears streaming down her face and nods her head frantically.
Her family had gathered around behind her. “Come inside guys, it’s freezing.” Her father Skip says.
My brother pats my shoulder as he squeezes into the house beside us. I climb to my feet pulling her with me. After everyone disappears inside, I take a moment on the front steps with her. Hold her hands in mine, I lean in pulling her lips to mine. Leaning back, I whisper, “I don’t deserve you, but I will spend the rest of my life earning the love you have for me.”
She tilts her head to the side, “After everything, I think we both deserve a do over. I don’t hold anything you’ve ever done against you. Never have. Had none of that crap happened we may have never made it to this point.”
“Naw baby, we were always going to reach this moment. It was just a matter of time. You were always my broken bride.” I lean my forehead against hers smiling.
She smiles back pressing her lips to mine. The door opens and Jaxon laughs, “Get in here it’s freezing.” She smiles at him taking me inside and introducing me to her family. They were all wonderful people. I thought that maybe since they all wanted her to marry Tanner, that they’d be a little less inviting, but that wasn’t the case at all.
Epilogue
Piper
Wedding Day
I’m a nervous wreck. I haven’t seen Caelan in thirty-six hours and yes, I have counted them. Tanner, Jaxon, Mannex, and Carlos kidnapped him for the weekend for his bachelor’s party. We hadn’t been apart from each other since Christmas and the few hours we have to go to class.
“Stop pacing…” Jillian ordered. “Last time I seen you this nervous, you left your groom at the altar.”
I roll my eyes, lifting the bottom of my dress to show her the converses on my feet. She deep belly laughs, “Really Pip?”
I smirk.
Her belly has grown in the six months since Christmas and you can definitely tell she is growing another set of twins in there. Boys. Two more boys. I touch my stomach without really realizing I’m doing it. A tear trickles from the corner of my eye and I quickly wipe it away. At that moment my phone buzzes in my hand and I flip it over to see a text from Caelan.
Caelan: You busy beautiful?
Piper: What do you mean am I busy? I’m trying to get ready for a wedding, duh!
Caelan: Wanna meet me at the altar then?
I laugh out loud the nerves leaving me just as quickly as they came. I glance up at Jillian, “I need Daddy.”
As fast as her pregnant belly will allow her to go, she rushes to the door and calls for him. A few minutes later he pops in the door. “Yes baby? Jaxon can have the truck out front in two minutes. We can get out of here.”
I laugh, “No Daddy. I’m ready, take me to my husband.”
He smiles widely and holds his arm out for me to take, “Let’s go make my son-in-law the happiest man on earth. Next to me anyways.” I smile as we make our way to the front of the church. We stop in the foyer as the music plays. On cue the doors open to the front of the church and every guest turns to watch me walk to the man I love. When he sees me a smile spread across his face. I smirk and lift the bottom of the dress showing him the converses on my feet. He laughs and crooks his finger at me for me to come to him and my Daddy starts walking me down the aisle. I’m fixing to marry the man of my dreams, but first I have another secret he needs to hear. When we get to him my dad takes my hand and places it in Caelan’s before whispering, “Take care of my little girl.”
Caelan nods, “Always.”
The preacher starts the ceremony, I hold up my hand stopping him, “One second please.”
Caelan looks down at me concerned and fearing he’s going to have to chase me down the aisle. I lean up to his ear and whisper, “I need to tell you something first.”
His lifts and eyebrow, “Now Piper?”
I incline my head back so I’m looking him in the eyes, “I’m… I’m pregnant Caelan.”
His mouth drops open and a grin quickly replaces it as he wraps his arms around me spinning me in a circle, “My baby is pregnant!” and all the guest cheer.
The preacher clears his throat, “Let’s make this family official then.”
I blush as we take our vows in front of our family and friends.
Eight months and Two Days Later
Caelan
I swear there were hundreds of Doctor’s appointments since the wedding. She was a nervous wreck the entire time, but I knew God wouldn’t break her like that again. It was earth shattering the first time. Then her sister losing one of her twins when she gave birth a couple months back, this family has been rocked to its core. Piper has been torturing herself and is scared to death to give birth, but here we are. Or at least here I am. She’s being prepped for a c-section and now I’m a nervous wreck.
Tanner and Meggie, along with Mannex are sitting with me while I wait for them to let me go back with my wife. Her Dad stepped out when they said she had to have a c-section, I’m positive I saw tears in his eyes. Jaxon and Shelby haven’t left my side, they’ve been a God send. Jillian and Cindy, Piper’s mom went down to grab a cup of coffee. Tanner drops his hand on my shoulder, “She’s going to be fine man. They just think a c-section is better for her. You’ll be right there with her. You’ll get to walk the baby to the nursery and as soon as she’s in the room and rested, they’ll bring the baby in. She’s going to be fine.”
I growl, “But what if she’s not? I can’t lose her.”
Someone clears their throat and I glance up to find my mom standing in the doorway. “Give me a minute with my son, please.”
Tanner and
Meggie give us the room. I run my hands through my hair. My hands are shaking.
“Son look at me.” I glance up at her. “Your baby was fine ten minutes ago when they did an ultrasound to check on her. Your wife is strong and healthy. Do not go into that room like this and make it worse on her, she’s been through enough. They are both going to be fine. You need to believe that, or she won’t.”
I nod, just as the nurse comes in and hands me a set of blue scrubs, smiling, “Ready to go meet your daughter?”
I suck in a breath and nod.
“Go get changed and we’ll get you back there.” She points to an empty room and I rush in and pull them over my clothes before coming back out and following her down the hall. I’m about to meet my daughter. We are going to meet our daughter.
When we get in the room Piper is strapped down to a table and there’s a curtain hung between her head and her stomach so she can’t see anything going on past that point. When she sees me, I see the nerves written all over her face. I smile brightly, “Hey baby.”
I grip her hand and a tear trickles down her cheek.
“No, stop that. We are fixing to meet our baby girl, no need for those tears.” I hope I’m convincing because I’m a nervous wreck. The Doctor says, “We’re going to start. Let’s bring this little one into the world.”
I smile at him and he gets to work. I rub circles on her hand and every few minutes I peek over the curtain. My stomach churns a little at all the blood. “Is she out?” Piper asks nervously. The doctor says, “Almost.”
I smile down at her. Another tear trickles down her cheek. She tries to smile back, but I know she’s having flashes of what happened to her in France.
The Doctor announces, “She’s out.”
Piper’s eyes widen and she panics, “She’s not crying, why’s she not crying?” and it’s at that exact moment that the most beautiful nose filled the air in the room. A quiet whimper that quickly turns into wailing. I laugh looking down at Piper, “There. She’s got some powerful lungs.” Pipers crying but has the biggest smile on her face.
The nurse comes around the curtain with a cotton top baby girl in her arms, “Mama, wanna meet your baby?”
Piper nods her head frantically needing to see her baby. The nurse puts her in my arms and shows me how to hold her. I then turn her where Piper can see her and as soon as Piper has her little finger in her hand she quiets. Piper smiles, “My baby.”
I lean down and kiss her forehead, “My girls.”
About the Author
J.N. Pack
J. N. Pack is an author of New Adult romance books. She is a junk food and red wine junkie. Born and raised in South Carolina, she enjoys the simplicities of life. She is a married mother of three crazy kids who keep her on her toes, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
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Other books by J.N. Pack
Anniston Secrets
Harlow & Axel
From the Ashes
Mountain Brook Academy
Mountain Brook Academy
Queens of Chaos
Lunatic
Lords of Exile
Tally (Coming soon)- First half can be found
in the Crimes of the Wicked Anthology!