An Unexpected Surprise

by Remy Marie

  “So, Nia, have you told your parents yet about your pregnancy?”

  “Ugh, no.” I took a sip of water as my throat suddenly felt dry.

  “Oh, do they know about Tony.”

  “No. They don’t know anything. I was actually keeping it all a secret?”

  “Huh, why is that? I mean, seven months from now when your ballooned, I’m sure they would want answers.”

  “Well…until three weeks ago, I wasn’t sure…”

  Mary looked up from the pot she was drying and nodded.

  “Ah…you weren’t sure if you were going to keep it?”

  I nodded feeling even more embarrassed than before. I held my head in shame in fear to look at Mary. I didn’t want to see her cheerful face frown knowing that I had thought of terminating their grandchild. I was surprised when I felt her arms wrapped around me. She rubbed my back and told me, “it’s alright you know. No need to feel ashamed. It’s your right, you know.”

  “I know, but it’s so much more complicated. I’m scared.” I admitted. I wasn’t sure why I was baring out my soul to this woman, but I was. Tears welled in my eyes as I admitted the fear in my heart.

  “I know you are, but things will work out.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Faith. Do you believe in God?”

  “I do. I mean I haven’t been to church in forever, but I am a Christian.”

  Mary nodded. “As long as you have faith, things will work out. I know what’s like to be pregnant at a young age. I had Tony’s brother when I was 16.”

  My eyebrows rose.

  “Yes, it’s true. I dropped out along with Nick to raise our child. I too were in the same position as you, wondering if I should keep the child or not, but I did. I kept him, and I kept the faith. In the end it was the best decision I’ve ever made. I’ve lived a wonderful life, married my high school sweetheart and raised three amazing children. Life works out that way.”

  “But how did you know it would all work out.”

  “You don’t. You just take the leap and keep the faith. You have a big decision to make, just know Nick, Tony, and I support you. No matter what.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled.

  She grinned and rubbed my knee, “and remember no matter what, you’re always welcomed here for a plate, okay? Next time, I’ll show you how to make lasagna. Okay?”

  I smiled and wiped away my tears. I stood up and gave her a giant hug. “Thank you.”

  “No, thank you dear.”

  ***

  “Did the talk with my mom go okay? When my dad and I walked in you seemed emotional.” Tony admitted.

  “It went better than okay,” I grinned.

  “Really?”

  I nodded.

  “That’s great. I was nervous about today, but my parents took it well.”

  “They did.”

  We fell silent for another minute. Tony drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while I looked out watching the dark trees past by us during the drive.

  “Tony?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Are you serious on what you said to your parents? About having a plan to raise our child?”

  “I was. I’ve already submitted the materials to the university to drop out. I want this to both workout for us. I know having a kid, puts a wrench in our life plans, but hell, that’s life.”

  “That’s what your mother said.”

  “Go figure. My mother always has some words of wisdom.”

  “Tony, having his kid, it’s not going to be easy.”

  “I know.” He said stone jawed. “But I want to have a child and I couldn’t think of anyone but you to have one with.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Seriously. I really like you Nia. I want to make this work between us. Call me crazy, but I can see myself spending the rest of my life with you.”

  My jaw dropped at his admission. I was speechless as he kept driving. He didn’t pressure me to reply back his admission of love. I’d never felt this feeling before. The feeling of someone taking your breath away. Right there I felt it. It felt uplifting and wonderful. Like a light summer breeze on a warm day. I couldn’t help but to smile as I looked down at my dress. I was speechless.

  The car grew silent as Tony focused back on the road. Even in the darkness, I could tell that he was concentrating. I hated driving at night, especially in pitch black country roads, but with Tony I felt safe. There was a strong connection between him and I. Even though we only knew each other for a month, I had a good feeling with him and this baby. Is it crazy that I really like him too? Could this whole idea work between him and I?

  I didn’t know the answer, but I wanted to find out. I needed to find out.

  In less than thirty minutes we arrived back at my dorm and Tony parked the car in the adjacent parking lot. He leaned over and placed his hand on the back of my seat.

  “I had a fun night with you tonight,” he grinned.

  Reaching out, I rubbed Tony’s thigh, and his gaze changed. His eyes looked heavy, and his lips trembled. I could tell he wanted to kiss me. Dare I say it, I wanted to kiss him as well. I was overwhelmed with emotions, most of it was love. This man that sat next to me, was willing to sacrifice everything for me. He deserved to see, hear and feel every emotion that I felt. Reaching up, I cupped his chin in my hand and rubbed the side of his face.

  “Tony, I…”

  “You don’t need to say it. I know.” He grabbed my shoulder, dragged me close, and kissed me. I nearly fainted from his powerful display. Feeling his lips upon mine, I felt everything. I felt his love, I felt his passion, I felt his affection. I could tell from that single kiss that I was his everything. I knew from that one kiss that everything was going to work out. He loved me like I loved him. When we broke, I was breathless, as was him. We both gazed into each other eyes, not speaking a word, but it was clear what we both wanted.

  With a smile I asked, “did you want to come upstairs with me?”

  “I would love to,” he grinned, leaning forward to kiss me.

  That night was the last time I’ve ever doubted myself with Tony. Through two more pregnancies and ten years of marriage, I have no doubt that I made the right choice that night to be with Tony. Who would’ve known that the love of my life was right across the room in the club?

  A Sneak Preview of Eastcliff University Book 2: Duet

  It’s been three years since I’ve seen her. Sure, we’d chatted via text and FaceTime, but this is the first time I’d physically seen her since high school. My nerves were all mixed up as if they were stirred together in a blender. I could hardly keep my leg from bouncing due to how nervous I was.

  What in the hell is wrong with me?

  When her bus arrived, I stood up immediately and grinned. I ran out to the station and waited as each passenger filed out of the bus. She was the last one to get out, and of course, she looked gorgeous. Long relaxed ebony hair, smooth like velvet, dark skin, a pink sweater, and a pair of hip high black yoga pants, and white fuzzy boots.

  Dear Lord!

  Who was I kidding, she was always beautiful, I just never had the courage to tell her.

  Growing up, we were always two peas in a pod. She was the first person I met when I moved to the new neighborhood. Just when I thought I lost all of my friends in Pittsburgh, I gained a new one in Raleigh, North Carolina. We were always close, attending summer camps together, playing in band, and singing in glee club. We’d always had this tight relationship, but we never truly moved past just being friends. One day I’d hope we’d move past that stage. I pray that we could move past that stage.

  When she saw me, her brown eyes opened wide.

  “TJ!” she grinned. She placed down her guitar case and bag and outstretched her arms wide for a hug.

  “Cassie!” I shouted as I hugged her. I picked her up and twirled her around. She gleefully giggled as we completed two full circles. My smile grew wider as my nose picked up her flowery perfume.

&nb
sp; Is it even possible to look and smell good at the same time?

  “It’s been too long,” she replied, pushing her hair behind her ear.

  “I know. It’s crazy that we’ve been cooped up on the far sides of the state, with me at Eastcliff and you at State.”

  “We can’t wait this long again to see each other.”

  I nodded and then grabbed her bags.

  “Oh, you don’t have to carry that.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You’re on vacation. You should be relaxing.”

  “Thanks,” she cheesed.

  “I’m over here.” I carried her luggage out to the parking lot to my old van. Along the way, Cassie and I caught up more. There I learned that she’s been sending out audition tapes to different music producers but hadn’t any luck. In glee club, she was always the best singer, so it took me by surprise that she was struggling to get to the big stage. We swapped stories on how our schooling was going as well. We were both seniors and each had the growing fear of what to do with our lives when we graduated.

  When she saw my old faded black van, she giggled, “I still can’t believe you still drive that junk.”

  “Hey, this piece of junk has saved our asses on more occasions than one. Remember Mike Fisher’s party?”

  “Oh course! We ran into the van and hid while the cops broke up the party. How long did we have to lay flat in our backs until the cops left?”

  “Had to be for hours,” I laughed. I looked down and smiled. That night meant even more to me than she realized. That was the first time, I felt like the mood was right to confess my love for her. For three hours straight, we’d cuddled close and talked only about our relationship. Lord, did I want to kiss her then and there. I should have, but I got cold feet.

  I wasn’t sure why. I mean, a lot of our friends had said that we were the perfect couple, but I wasn’t sure. What we had as friends was perfect. Who was I to ruin it?

  Another reason that held me back was the fact that we would’ve been an interracial couple. Even in this progressive age an interracial relationship between a black woman and white man seemed taboo. You’d see it on tv and in public, but even then, in the South being with a black woman had this stigma behind it. In high school, I’d seen the looks that the interracial couples in school got. Watching them receive the glares and the stares, I questioned was it right to even start a relationship with Cassie.

  At the time, I thought I was doing the correct thing by staying friends, but now, I think it was a dumb reason why I never took that leap that night. Letting something like race decide if you should be with the person you love is the most idiotic thing ever. I wish I would have been brave that night and took the leap, but like a coward, I kept my mouth shut. I won’t make the same mistake again.

  To read more, download the ebook for free with KindleUnlimited or own it for 99 cents. Click use the link below to download.

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DD8XKZ2

  About the Author

  Remy Marie is an interracial romance author who loves to write about charming heroes and brave heroines. While writing never came naturally for Remy, he continued to strengthen his craft, by constantly reading and writing. If he is not writing or reading, he is usually watching TV with his supportive wife, loving his toddler, aggressively cheering for his college and professional sports teams, playing video games, or crunching numbers at his daytime job. If want to learn more, please go to the social media sites below.

  https://twitter.com/remymarieauthor

  https://remymarieromance.blogspot.com/

  https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/72321338-remy-marie

  Works by Remy Marie

  Eastcliff Romance University Series

  Never Have I Ever

  Never Have I Ever…

  How can a simple game be so complex?

  Never Have I Ever, is a simple drinking game played with a group of people. In the game the players raise a set of fingers and say a truth about their life experiences they have never experienced before. Such as never have ever I gone skiing, been to Hawaii, or been arrested. If another player has experienced this event, they place a finger down, and take a sip of their drink. The game continues until one of the players places all their fingers down.

  This is the game two Eastcliff University students played together. Christina Dennis and Carlos Mendez thought they were going to be playing a simple game. Instead they found themselves admitting truths never spoken before, dealing with complex emotions, and doing the one thing they never ever thought possible, fall for each other.

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P9XHXJJ

  Duet

  How do you tell your best friend that you love them?

  I’ve been in love with the same girl since I was eight. Like an idiot, I’ve never taken the leap. Tonight I will. Tonight I will confess my love to her. My only hope is that when the moment is right, I won’t miss my chance.

  Duet is a steamy, friends to lovers, interracial, bwwm, short story romance. It is apart of the Eastcliff University Romance Series. These stand alone short stories can either be read together or apart.

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DD8XKZ2

  Rivals

  Ali Park would be cute, hell, even dateable, if she didn’t annoy me all the time. Everything was a competition between me and her. I was the number one student in the finance major, she was number two. Everyone knew it. Since freshman year, we’d been bitter rivals, always getting high marks in class, signing up for the same extracurricular activities, and having an enough recommendations from professors and employers to fill a book. If you looked at our resumes side by side, they’d be similar. Only a .005 gpa separated us from number one and two.

  I didn’t have to look to know that Ali’s glare was on me. She hated me.

  God, I hated him. Always one step ahead of me in everything I do. He barely studies in school, yet he’s magically able to get a higher grade on something that I spend hours studying for. Just thinking of the fact that this job will come down to random test makes my blood boil. Whatever happened to selecting the best candidate based on an interview? Apparently, the only thing that matters at F&Y is intelligence, because Michael Swift had no personality.

  The funny thing is, he could actually be dateable. I mean, he’s really good looking. Tall, slim muscular build, with a shapely afro. However, it just goes to show you that looks don’t mean everything.

  Rivals is an AWBM steamy interracial short story about two rivals realizing that they have more in common than what they let on. This enemy to lovers short is a stand-alone book in the Eastcliff University Romance series. It can either be read separately or concurrently with the other books in this series.

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F9F57K4

  The Alpha Nanny

  She needs money. He masks his pain. Life gives them a second chance, but reality may tear them apart.

  Deena Zheng is in over her head. With her father’s mounting medical bills, a townhome in disrepair, and more stress than one person should bear, she does all that she can do to stay afloat. Out of options and desperate to pull her family out of the red, she must get out of her comfort zone and accept a nanny position with her firm’s notoriously impossible client or risk her family’s livelihood.

  Jesse Grant struggles to get past his grief after losing the love of his life. Ever since her death, the billionaire hedge fund manager has used alcohol to mask his pain and, in the process, lost a part of himself. With a young son to raise and a business to run, he must pull himself together before he jeopardizes everything he’s worked so hard to build.

  When they meet, the physical attraction is undeniable, but their personal demons and new professional relationship will make any hopes of pursuing a relationship too complicated for either to handle. Will they ignore their growing feelings for each other and keep their relationship strictly professional or will outside forces force them to reveal the truth?

  Find out in this steamy second chance
interracial AWBM contemporary romance!

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VRXCZHD

  The Date Lottery

  Victoria Evergreen has nothing going for her: she’s a mere store clerk, reeling from the after-effects of a terrible breakup, and the only saving grace in her life is her best friend, Sherri. But when Tori chances upon a $10,000 lottery ticket to an invite-only date contest, her life takes an unexpected turn. Enter Dhruv Patel, Olympic skier, international lawyer, dream hunk. The two chance upon a beautiful, electrifying romance, but little does Dhruv know that Tori stole the lottery ticket. And little does Tori know… Dhruv holds secrets of his own. Will their respective secrets cost the couple their newfound love, or will they move past them and emerge stronger? Find out in this sizzling bwam romance.

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZQV6LHC

  Blurred Lines: Hill Springs Warriors MC

  Every great love story needs a beginning. This is theirs…

  Jake Johnson is running from his horrible past as a New Orleans police officer. He thinks starting fresh in Norfolk will get his mind off the mistake that still haunts him. Commended for his bravery in the field, Jake gets promoted to go undercover as a member of the Ragin Cajun MC to take down the notorious drug kingpin, DeAndre King.