“Take as long as you need, I’ll wait right here. I’m ready to talk like adults, Ashley. I’m ready to be a real man,” he declared.
“You’ve always been a real man in my eyes. The only man for me,” I assured him, before grabbing a towel and making a beeline for the bathroom.
Stepping into the hot water, I tried to tell myself not to get my hopes up too high; tried to remember that he could crush me at any given moment. It was a chance I was willing to take.
* * *
When we pulled into the parking lot of the Cerf Blanc, only the most recognizable vehicles were there. The SUV that the head chef drove, the tour van of the band who had performed the last time we were here.
“You really went all out,” I said nervously, and Jensen grinned somewhat timidly, an expression I was unfamiliar with.
“I wanted to prove a point,” he explained casually.
I didn’t get the chance to ask what he was proving, as he got out of the car and came to help me as well. He gripped my hand tightly, refusing to let me go even once I was out of the car. We walked hand in hand into the restaurant, soft music already playing when we entered. I allowed Jensen to lead me to our usual table, my heart skipping a beat as he pulled a chair out for me.
In that moment, I allowed myself the slightest shred of hope. Perhaps his feelings for me had not dissipated altogether. Maybe they hadn’t dissipated at all.
Taking his seat, Jensen considered me for a moment. He nervously chewed his bottom lip, and I was certain that I had never seen his confidence slip to such an extreme before.
“So…” I began, smiling as the waiter brought me a glass of water.
“Your food will be out soon,” the waiter assured us, and I offered Jensen an inquisitive look. He smiled sheepishly, shrugging a bit.
“I like to think I know what you like, by now,” he explained. A breathy chuckle slipped past my lips, and I nodded my head in agreement. “You’re probably wondering what I brought you here to talk about,” he began, prompting me to nod again. “I wanted to let you know that I’m not willing to give up on you. I want to pursue this relationship as far as we can take it, and…I’m ready to give up all that’s necessary for me to be a good father,” he said with certainty. I tilted my head, pausing to thank the waiter as our food was brought.
“You don’t have to give anything up for me, Jensen,” I tried to assure him, though my heart was pounding in my chest. He smiled, rolling his eyes teasingly.
“You’re my princess. Soon to be my queen, it would seem. We’ll have our own little royal family to take care of, and…it’s not that I have to give it up. I wouldn’t do it just because I’m supposed to. I want to give up some things to make our relationship work. I’ll take on fewer hours, cut out the travel time and the business trips. I’m going to be there for our children, and I’m going to be there for you,” he said assertively.
I felt my cheeks grow warm with pleasure, though I tried to hide it by digging into my food.
“You don’t know how much that means to me,” I finally admitted, between bites. He quirked a grin, looking as if there were more he wanted to say. I tilted my head, somewhat taken with his expression of boyish excitement. “What has you so smiley?” I said.
“I decided on my way to your apartment that it would be rather awkward to go back and forth every day between our apartments. I wanted to take a big first step and…ask you to move in with me,” he confessed.
I must’ve looked shocked, as he made to backpedal.
“You don’t have to, of course,” he tried, but I leaped up from my seat, rushing around the table to grab him up. Our lips met, chastely at first but our passion increased quickly. When I drew away, both of our cheeks were flushed.
“I’d love to move in with you,” I whispered.
Jensen looked utterly delighted, pulling me in for another tender kiss. I moaned against his mouth, running my fingers through his hair.
“All right, then.” He held up his glass. “Here’s to the start of the rest of our lives,” he said with an air of finality.
I have to say, I liked the sound of that.
Chapter 22
Jensen
The next few months were some of the happiest of my life. Ashley’s move went smoothly and my apartment quickly became our home. The more time we spent together, the deeper I fell for her. I didn’t think it was possible, but I loved her more each and every day. The feelings seemed to be reciprocated, and I felt as if things were finally falling into place for me. I had never known how much I desired a proper lover until I had one and she was taken away. With Ashley back in my life, I knew I would never let her go.
We’d already scheduled a C-section for the birth of our children, having been reassured that natural birth wasn’t really an option. When the day came to head to the hospital, I could tell Ashley was terrified. Truth be told, I was rather scared myself, but I managed to keep my composure for her sake, not wanting to allow a sliver of weakness to shine through when I had to be strong for my princess.
Our hands were tightly clasped together for the drive to the hospital, and her entire body quaked from the force of her nerves. I rubbed my thumb against the back of her hand, glancing away from the road for just a moment to check on her.
“I’m scared,” she said quietly, fidgeting nervously in her seat. The scene reminded me vaguely of when we’d first found out we were having four children, though the fallout was blessedly absent. My only concern that time around was comforting her.
“You don’t have to be scared, princess. We’ve hired the best doctor in the country, everything is going to be smooth sailing, I’m sure of it. I’ll be by your side all the way, and in a matter of hours, we’ll be seeing our children for the first time,” I assured her, and I observed her anxious grin from the corner of my eye.
“All this will have been worth it, if they’re all safe and healthy. I’m still just afraid that there may be some side effects from the drug,” she confessed. I tightened my grip on her hand, hating myself for putting that doubt in her mind to begin with.
“Darling, you know that the supplement was approved months ago. You’re worrying over nothing, my love, just please try to relax. I hate to see you upset,” I said comfortingly, and she leaned back in the seat, closing her eyes and steadying her breathing.
“Are we almost there?” she asked, her voice strained. Her free hand rested on the swell of her stomach, trembling vigorously. I drew the hand I was holding to my lips, pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles.
“We’re here. Wait here and I’ll fetch a wheelchair for you,” I said hurriedly, parking in the nearest spot and rushing to get a chair to transport her in. She had grown huge in the last few months, and while she could still walk, I knew how quickly she tired.
Rushing back to the car, I threw her a stern look as I saw her making an effort to get out of her seat. I quickly rushed forward and helped her into the wheelchair and she sagged into it, struggling to catch her breath. I could only imagine what an effort it took to carry four children at once.
“We’re not late, are we?” she asked nervously, and I brushed a hand through her hair to comfort her.
“No, baby. Not late,” I smiled.
We were recognized as soon as we stepped into the building, and the next half hour seemed to pass in a blur as they moved us into a room and prepped Ashley for surgery. I could see her nerves working her over, and though I made my best effort to soothe her, there was only so much I could do. I sat in the chair next to the bed, speaking words of encouragement and comfort. She squeezed her eyes shut, shifting uncomfortably on the hospital bed.
“It’s almost time, Miss Calhoun. Just sit tight,” one of the nurses assured her. Her eyes widened in a blind panic, and she made an effort to sit up. I gently placed my hand on her shoulder, cooing softly into her ear.
“It’s going to be okay. You’ll be fine, the babies will be fine. This is the moment we’ve waited so long for,” I whisp
ered. She nodded jerkily, gripping my hand tightly enough that it felt as if the bones might crack. “Just try to relax. Lie back and think of the good times we’ve had these past few months,” I said soothingly. Ashley made a valiant effort, eyes fluttering shut as she exhaled deeply.
“I hope they like the nursery. Green is a nice color, isn’t it?” she asked, obviously forcing her voice to remain level. I could only smile fondly at how hard she was trying to stay composed.
“Gender neutral as well,” I replied, glancing up as an entourage of doctors and nurses stepped into the room.
Ashley’s eyes shot open, and she inhaled a shuddering breath as the group began to crowd around the bed. The nurses busied themselves with thoroughly preparing the area where the incision would be made, the doctor accounting for each individual tool he needed. I wasn’t the only one to notice that Ashley was getting a bit green around the gills.
“Oh, honey, with the epidural you won’t feel a thing,” a nurse assured her. Ashley hummed her acknowledgement, watching as they sterilized a large area of her lower stomach. Before we knew it, the time had come for the procedure to begin.
One by one, the doctor carefully extracted four healthy-looking babies from my lover’s belly. Ashley caught her breath and watched with bleary-eyed fascination as each of the babies was lifted into view. With each infant delivered, the doctor announced the genders in a booming voice.
In what felt like the blink of an eye, everything was finished. Ashley had successfully delivered our four perfect children: three girls and a boy. She looked utterly exhausted, but before she lost consciousness altogether, I asked her about names.
We’d known we were having four children, but somehow we hadn’t really discussed names. We’d been sure that the right thing would strike us when we saw our children for the first time.
“The boy, his name is Jeffrey,” Ashley managed, looking at me with tears in her eyes. I felt my own eyes grow moist—we had truly honored my brother.
We gave the girls names starting with Js as well: Jennifer, Jessica, and Julia. The doctors allowed us a brief moment to embrace with our children, but Ashley was soon lost to the world. Concern must have been obvious in my gaze, as the doctor clapped a hand on my shoulder.
“She just needs some rest, son. Don’t you have some happy grandmothers waiting to meet these little ones?” the man asked with a smile.
I nodded, and before I knew it, my mother was clinging to Jeffrey and choking out sobs while Ashley’s mother fretted over the little girls. I watched the scene tears in my eyes, feeling for once like my family was actually whole again.
Slumping into the chair beside the hospital bed, I gripped Ashley’s hand in my own as our mothers cooed over their grandchildren. I glanced toward my princess, noting that she seemed to be watching peacefully. I hadn’t realized she’d woken back up, but tears of joy were running down her cheeks.
“We did it, Jensen. We actually did it. You think your dad would be proud?” she asked gently, and my heart clenched in my chest.
“He would be thrilled, honey,” my mother said, answering for me. “Not only did Jensen carry on the family name, he found true love in the process. I can’t imagine his father could be any happier.”
“Now you rest, sweetheart. You’ve had a long day,” Ashley’s mother said softly. Ashley looked as if she might argue for a moment, but soon she nodded her head and allowed her eyes to close again.
“I love you, Jensen,” she whispered, tightening her grip on my hand for a moment before she began to drift off.
“Oh, Ashley. I love you too. And I’ll spend the rest of my days being there for you,” I vowed.
I had never been more certain of anything in my life.
What will the next year hold for Ashley and Jensen?
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V-Card For Sale
Ana Sparks & Layla Valentine
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Copyright 2018 by Ana Sparks & Layla Valentine
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the explicit written permission of the author.
All characters depicted in this fictional work are consenting adults, of at least eighteen years of age. Any resemblance to persons living or deceased, particular businesses, events, or exact locations are entirely coincidental.
Prologue: June 22, 2007
Tonight is the night.
I whispered the words to myself, smiling at the gorgeously made-up reflection that stared back at me. I could hardly believe any of this was happening to me, of all people.
I, Kristin Blair, was going to senior prom; not just with my makeup and hair perfectly done, my dress perfectly tailored and my high heels perfectly fit, but with the perfect date—Clark Denton—on my arm. Popular, handsome and oh so sweet, he would have his shaggy blonde hair slicked back, he would kiss me in front of everyone, and we would see where the night took us.
I twirled again in front of the mirror, watching my curls bob as I did so. They had taken the hairdresser almost two hours to do.
“You have a lot of hair!” her gravelly voice had accused, as if I had specifically sprouted an extra few hundred hairs just to spite her.
Nearing the mirror, I fluttered my lashes. Thankfully, my makeup application had been more painless. The makeup artist, Ricardo, had been speedy and cheery, delighting in my every feature.
“But your eyes!” he had exclaimed as he’d blended some ten or so different shadows together to make the sweeping sparkling perfection that now made my eyes look like two giant beacons taking over my face.
“And these lips!” he had cried, as he’d lined and glossed my pout, until it looked fuller than I’d seen it in all my 18 years.
And then there was my dress, which had taken weeks to find. Weeks of harried shuffling through rack after rack of dresses, surveying not-quite-right gowns in store mirrors, of pestering my mom to try yet another store, while Veronica scoffed at “picky people who were never happy.” But it had all been worth it when I had finally found the dress.
I smiled at my reflection, at the shining embellished fabric draped around me, the mint color perfect against my hair color, my skin tone, and my eyes. Yes, it was just perfect. And now, here I was, all ready for prom.
“Kristin?”
It was my mom. Standing in the doorway, she had tears in her eyes.
I turned to her with a nervous smile.
“What do you think?”
“I think…” Her smile trembled. “Oh Kristin, you look gorgeous. I’m so proud of you!”
“Thanks, Mom.”
As her arms wrapped around me in a hug, I continued, “Tina says Clark and I are on the ballot for prom king and queen, too.”
My mom clasped me to her tighter.
“Oh honey, you deserve it; you’ve really worked hard this year.”
“Speaking of Clark, where is he anyway?”
Hearing my sister’s snide voice, I looked to the doorway to see her standing there with her too-shiny, too-short, amethyst-colored dress.
I checked my phone: Sorry, running late, will meet you there.
“He’s going to meet us there,” I said and my sister’s sneer deepened.
“You’re sure he was 100% on taking you?”
“Yes, Veronica,” I said, glaring at her reflection in my mirror. Veronica was just jealous that no one had asked her this year or last year. She shouldn’t have been even going to my prom, really, as she was a year older than me. But since she had had to repeat the year, she and her snobby friends were apparently going, too.
Picking
up my glistening clutch, I sauntered by her, tossing her a superior smile.
“He’ll be there, you’ll see.”
Downstairs, my dad was watching TV with Billy and Diana. Seeing me, he stood up, his jaw dropping.
“Wow, Kristin, honey. I mean, wow…” His bushy brows rose so high they almost hit his hairline. Then, suddenly they fell. “This friend of yours—Clark. He’s an honorable young man, right?”
Laughing, I waved my hand. “Yes, Dad.”
But his face was serious.
“I mean it, Kristin. Just be careful, okay?”
“Okay, okay, I will! Actually, Dad, can you give me a ride?”
“Oh?”
“Clark’s going to meet me there.”
My dad’s frown deepened.
“Huh, that’s not the way my prom went.”
I patted his beefy arm. “Times have changed, Dad.”
We had something of a staring contest for a minute, his scrutinizing gaze against my innocuous one, until finally, he wiggled his eyebrows in surrender.
“Okay, okay, let’s get you and your sister to prom.”
The car ride was mostly silent. My dad made a few attempts at conversation before giving up entirely. Veronica’s words kept echoing in my head: You’re sure he was 100% on taking you?
Because honestly, I wasn’t sure. I had been downright surprised that he had even asked me to go with him. Clark and I had always joked around in computer science class, but still. He had always seemed remote—too popular and cool for me, with his impossible-to-read eyes and easy smile. And yet, in that very class, he’d poked me to show me his screen. On it was the colorful flashing message: Come to prom with me? I’d laughed and laughed, and nodded excitedly. But as soon as I had agreed, I’d felt a strange sort of foreboding. The same foreboding I felt now as we made the long drive to the school.
His Surprise Baby Page 36