by Mia Ford
We looked up as the door opened and a small older woman walked into the room. She smiled kindly at the both of us and walked to the back, grabbing my file. I looked over at Nathan and squeezed his hand again, giving him an excited grin.
“Good morning,” she said. “My name is Eleanor, and I will be your ultrasound tech today. This is your first well visit, correct?”
“Yes ma’am,” I said, smiling.
“Exciting,” she said. “You will get to see that baby for the first time and, hopefully, hear a heartbeat.”
“Will this hurt her?” I asked.
“No.” She smiled. “I’ll be super gentle. Just go ahead and lie back on the table, and I’ll get you all set up.”
She turned on the machine and got the wand ready. I laughed to myself, watching Nathan’s eyes grow big as she rolled a condom down the stick and lubed it up. Once she was inside, she moved it around quite a bit, measuring different things and taking pictures of the inside of me. Finally, it was our turn. She turned the monitor toward us and pointed to what looked like a little bean wriggling on the screen.
“There’s the baby,” she said excitedly.
Instantly, my whole body went calm, and I looked up at Nathan with tears in my eyes. He had teared up, too, and bent down, grasping my hand and kissing it. We watched as the little life inside of me moved to the beat of its own drum. She clicked a button, and we could hear a muffled beating.
“And that is its heart beat,” she said, smiling. “So, strong.”
“Do you hear that?” I asked through tears.
“I do,” he whispered. “It’s perfect.”
She took a couple pictures of the baby and printed them out for us. We sat there staring down at the little baby on the paper. She finished up all of her measurements and then cleaned me up, letting me know I could get dressed and get ready for the next part. I pulled myself up on the examination table, and Nathan got up, bringing my clothes over and helping me get dressed. He was always so careful and caring toward me, and I could tell that he was going to make an amazing father.
After I had gotten all my clothes on and washed my hands, I sat down in the chair next to him and looked at the pictures in awe. Neither one of us could believe how much of a miracle it was to be pregnant. Everything seemed so real at that moment, but instead of being nervous or scared, I was really excited.
“Can you believe we are going to have a baby?” he asked, shaking his head. “It looks so funny, but I love it already. When do we find out whether it’s a boy or a girl?”
“Not for a few more months,” I said. “Everyone says the time flies by, though.”
“I’m sure that it does,” he said. “I just want to enjoy every moment of it with you.”
I smiled and leaned in, giving him a kiss. I looked up at the door as the nurse stuck her head in and smiled. Nathan put the pictures in his wallet and helped me up out of the chair. I was perfectly capable of functioning on my own at that point, but he was very attentive. It would definitely come in handy when I was too big to lift myself out of chairs.
“You ready to get your blood taken?” the nurse asked.
“Is anyone ever ready for needles?” I laughed nervously.
“It won’t hurt,” she said, leading me down the hall into another room.
The nurse was gentle and quick, and before I knew it, we were heading in to talk to the doctor. Nathan introduced himself and shook the doctor’s hand excitedly. The doctor looked pleased that my mentality had changed so much since the last time he saw me. We learned about what to expect at the appointments, the different tests that could be performed, and then Nathan asked him a barrage of questions. It was really adorable, and I appreciated how much he wanted to be involved. He wanted to know every detail of what he was supposed to be doing. I could see the amusement on the doctor’s face. He ended the conversation by promising Nathan he would talk to him about the delivery in detail when the time got closer.
When we were done, they gave us a bunch of reading material and set our next several appointments. We walked out of the doctor’s office on cloud nine, heading over to a café down the street to eat lunch. I was starving by the time we got there, and I was really glad that I had my appetite back. In fact, it had come back times three. We sat down and ordered our food, and Nathan pulled out the pictures again.
“I can’t even express to you how excited I am,” he said, beaming. “Seriously, this is the best thing ever, besides you, of course.”
“Aww thanks, honey.” I smiled. “And I am finally excited about it as well. It is definitely a different experience having you here with me.”
“Have you thought about baby names at all?”
“Not really,” I said. “I was still trying to get through the nausea when I finally got to tell you. I have always liked the names Nicole or Ava for a girl.”
“I like Ava,” he said. “That’s nice, and Nicole is great, too. I’ve always liked Brant, Preston, or Nicolas for boys’ names. They always seemed to be really nice guys with their heads on their shoulders.”
“I really like Nicolas,” I said. “That was my great grandfather’s name.”
“How about Elva?”
“Oh, God, no.” I laughed, thinking about that guy that Lindsey set me up with. “That is a disaster waiting to happen. You might as well name him Brock if it’s a boy. He will be a jock with a big head.”
He laughed and choked on his coffee. “My dad wanted to name me Brock, but my mom wouldn’t have it.”
“That is because she is apparently a very smart lady,” I said. “I don’t think I could have taken you seriously if Brock was your name.”
“That’s because I would probably drool on myself.” He laughed.
“I really think that Ava or Nicolas could be our winners,” I said, smiling. “I thought it would be really hard to pick out names, but it seems that we are on the same page as usual. Well, except for the whole Elva thing, but I’ll pretend that you never said that.”
“I appreciate it.” He laughed. “And I agree. Ava if it is a girl, and Nicolas if it is a boy.”
“Well, now that that’s settled,” I said, laughing. “God, I am starving. I want to eat everything on their menu.”
“You are the most adorable pregnant person,” he said, smiling.
“You can’t even tell I’m pregnant yet,” I said, pouting.
“They can’t, but I know, and I think it is so adorable,” he said. “I might have to just keep you pregnant.”
“Oh, God, please don’t,” I said, swallowing a gulp of water. “So, have you thought about whether you want a boy or a girl?”
“A boy, of course,” he scoffed. “I want to teach him all about life, show him how to make things, and do whatever normal little boys do. Of course, I want him to make his own choices, too. I don’t expect him to take over the company, but he can if he wants to.”
“What if it’s a girl? Can she take over the company?”
“Of course,” he said. “But it’ll be a boy. What about you? Do you want a boy or a girl?”
I sat there imagining my life in both scenarios, both as a mother to a little girl and the mother to a little boy. It was the first time I had really thought about it. I wasn’t sure what I was hoping for, and then, I imagined brushing my daughter’s hair, watching her snuggle up to her daddy, and making a life with her.
“I think I am hoping for a little girl,” I said. “You can have daddy/daughter tea parties, and I can braid her hair.”
“But I don’t know anything about girls,” he said, pouting. “I know a little about women, but what I know won’t be any help when raising one. On top of that, I know how guys think, and I’m likely to push her into being a nun.”
“That’s so silly.” I laughed. “If she is anything like me, she would never survive as a nun. She would be way too defiant and mouthy.”
“This is very true,” he said with wide eyes. “We should just have two. One of each.”
“With your luck, it would be two daughters.” I laughed, watching the waiter set our food down in front of us.
“You are more than right about that,” he said, shaking his head. “I would be surrounded by women all day long.”
“In reality, I don’t really care whether it’s a boy or girl, as long as it is healthy and happy,” I said, smiling before shoving a forkful of pancakes in my mouth.
“I agree, but I hope it inherits my eating manners.” He laughed, making fun of me.
“I’m very mannerly,” I said with a full mouth.
“I see this,” he said, laughing. “I just want us to be a happy family, and I would be super blessed if I had a little girl that was as amazing as her mom. My life will be complete either way.”
“And I feel the same about you,” I said. “This baby, if it is anything like you, will be one of the best men I know. I feel so lucky that you are part of my life and that I can count on you being an amazing father.”
“I’m going to do my best,” he said, smiling.
“We can learn together,” I replied.
I sat there eating and talking more about the baby, the nursery, and all the things that we were going to have to buy. I felt completely at peace, knowing that Nathan was going to be there for us no matter what. Life had really turned around, and I knew that it was going to be perfect between us from then on out. We had been through torture being separated by forces that we did not see coming, and I would never let that happen again. Just hearing him tell me how much he loved me, how excited he was, and how thankful he was that we worked things out let me know that he was never going to let us separate again, either.
Maybe true love was real, and I just had to wade through all the bullshit to finally realize it. I knew one thing for sure, I had finally gotten my own happy ending, and it was even better than I imagined. Love was even better than I could have imagined.
Epilogue
Three Months Later
Nathan
We had just left the doctor’s office and found out that we were going to be having a beautiful baby boy. I could see him growing and moving inside of her through the ultrasound, and I was so excited I could barely contain myself. I managed to convince her, even though she was tired, that we should go out to celebrate. I had to go into work for a meeting but I told her to be ready when I got off. She had moved into my place shortly after her first doctor’s office visit. We found that neither of us wanted to be apart, and it would be easier to plan if we were in one place. My house was bigger, with more room for the baby, so I packed her up, put her house on the market, and moved her in. It was really nice having us all together in one place.
When I was done with work, I swung over to the house to pick her up. I walked through the door and called out her name, stopping as I walked into the living room. She was standing there, pulling at her dress as it flowed down over her little belly and hit the floor. I couldn’t believe just how absolutely gorgeous she was. She glowed from the inside out. I kissed her on the forehead and led her out to the car. We climbed into the town car since I didn’t feel like fighting LA traffic and headed over to the restaurant. On the way, I smiled, listening to her talk about the baby clothes that her dad had sent over. He was excited to be a grandfather.
When the car pulled up to the curb, I opened the door and climbed out, reaching down and helping her out of the car. She wobbled a little, trying to catch her center of gravity. As she straightened her dress and looked up at the sign, she giggled, realizing it was the restaurant where we first met. I hadn’t been back there since I met her, and I knew it would be the perfect place to come.
“Ah,” she said, smiling. “The place that started it all.”
“Indeed, it is,” I said, leading her to the door.
“I hope you brought your good pick-up lines because I won’t be so easy this time to take home,” she said, teasing.
“I know. I can’t liquor you up to get you to take me back to your place.” I laughed.
“Or vice versa,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.
I opened the door and held it for her, watching as she smiled at me passing through the entrance. I stood there as she talked to the hostess, asking for a table for two. The place wasn’t nearly as crowded as the last time, but still, my nerves were going wild in my chest. I had to take a deep breath as we walked toward our seats. This was a really special day for us.
I stepped ahead of Amanda and pulled out her chair, pushing it in as she sat. We ordered our food and chatted excitedly about finding out the sex of the baby. I no longer had to call him “it,” and the name Nicolas seemed more and more perfect as time went on. When dinner was done, the waiter brought out a dessert that she hadn’t ordered. I smiled at the confusion on her face.
She sat there for a moment, watching as the staff cleared the table, not yet really looking at her dessert. Finally, she put her hands in her lap and looked down, her eyes widening at the shiny diamond sitting on top of the piece of cake. It was an engagement ring, and I had worked it out perfectly so that she would be more than surprised. It definitely seemed to be working. She lifted her hands from her lap and put them over her mouth. She turned to me and gasped, watching me drop down on one knee.
“Amanda, you are the most amazing thing to ever happen to me,” I said. “I have felt since day one that the universe brought us together. Spending the rest of my life with you feels like the only option I have. It is the only option that I will ever want. You are the love of my life. Will you make me the happiest man in the world and become my wife?”
She nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks. She reached out and took my hand, pulling me up to my feet. I wrapped my arms around her and leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips. Then I pulled back and slid the ring onto her finger.
“I love you so much,” I said, smiling. She had no clue how much I’d fallen for her, but she would eventually get it. I’d make sure of it.
“I love you, too,” she sobbed. “Damn these hormones.”
We both laughed and hugged again, feeling the excitement surging through us. I had found the love of my life, and I was never going to let her go. I pulled back and turned to the restaurant, clearing my throat. Everyone was already looking over at us in awe.
“May I have everyone’s attention?” I asked loudly. “She said yes! And because of that, everyone’s dinner is on me!”
I smiled as the restaurant cheered and clapped, waving at Amanda with excitement. I turned back to her and pulled her into my arms again, feeling my shoulders relax. She felt like home, and that was the best feeling in the entire world.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to make you my fiancée,” I said, smiling.
“As long as we don’t have to have a big wedding, I’m good.” She laughed.
“I don’t care if we get married in the supermarket, as long as we are together,” I said with a chuckle.
Everything had turned out just as the universe wanted. I got my happily ever after and the most amazing woman in the world. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Twin Brothers
Blurb
Two gorgeous twin brothers, one unsuspecting good girl!
Seems like everything will go south!
But, that’s the BEST thing that ever happened to me.
Jane applies for a secretarial position in a shipping company, managed by two hot as hell bad boys!
Enter Brent and Brandon.
They are two HOT. SEXY. KINKY. ALPHAS.
And they love to share!
Well….this seems to be quite an arrangement!
Pity that Jane will eventually have to choose….
CHAPTER 1
Brandon
I was just ripping off the underwear of the slim blonde in the darkened hotel room, ready to be inside of her in this penthouse suite that was mine for the week here in Chicago. She was easy, giving in to my bright blue eyes and heavy, dark hair after only one drink. It was convenient that I met
her in the hotel bar where I was partying with my twin brother, Brent. I was certain that he was in his own room with the sexy redhead he’d been kissing at the bar. I could hear the wind outside of the many windows as I slid a finger inside of her body and found her neck with my lips. I was horny as hell and ready for this woman, at least until it was time to kick her out.
I was just moving over her when my phone rang from the living room of the huge suite. I assumed it was some girl that wanted to hook up, but I was busy. I had a girl and I was ready to rock her world as I moved over her. I heard the phone ring once more after it went through the three rings before going to voice mail. Who the hell was so hell bent on getting through to me at one in the morning? I sat for a moment and listened to it go through the cycle, breathing in the fruity scent of her body as it went silent.