THAT MAN 5 (The Wedding Story-Part 2)

by Nelle L'Amour

  As Jen poured coffee from the French press into my mug, her cell phone, charging on the counter, rang. Her signature ringtone—the melody of Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”—played. Setting the glass vestibule down, she leapt up from her seat and sprinted to the phone. My gaze stayed riveted on her great ass and taut legs that had become shapelier and more muscular from doing the Santa Monica Stairs with me regularly. Her ponytail bounced with her sprite gait.

  Putting the phone to her ear, her eyes grew as wide as saucers. “Oh my God,” I overheard her say. “I’ll be right there.” She ended the call.

  “Baby, what’s going on?”

  “Marcy’s at Cedars.”

  “Holy shit!” Fuck. I didn’t mean to curse in front of my son. I just couldn’t help it.

  “I’m heading over. Get there as soon as you can.”

  Not bothering to change out of her sweats, Jen grabbed her car keys. She brushed by the table, giving Leo and me each a big kiss, and dashed out the door.

  It was time to break out another expensive box of Cuban cigars.

  *

  Jennifer

  Libby wasn’t supposed to give birth for another two weeks. Her water had broken early, and when I arrived at Cedars, she was already in the delivery room. Marcy was hovering over her, in green scrubs and a facemask, similar to the ones I was forced to put on. A team of nurses surrounded them.

  Libby was plopped up against a mountain of pillows, clad in a pink hospital gown, her knees bent and splayed.

  “Lib!” I shouted out, running up to her side.

  My bestie smiled faintly and managed to wave to me.

  “Breathe,” Marcy commanded.

  “How’s she doing?” I asked Blake’s sister, my voice laden with worry.

  “Great.”

  Libby blew out short, sharp breaths. Pants.

  I squeezed her hand. Her fiery red curls were matted to her sweat-laced face.

  “Push,” ordered Marcy.

  “Fuck,” grunted Libby as she did as asked. Her freckled face turned as red as her hair.

  “Are you in pain?” My voice was shaky.

  Breathing as instructed, she shook her head. Her extended belly rose up and down.

  Libby was giving birth to our second child.

  Yes, my best friend in the world, now happily married to a great guy and the mother of twins (another story!), had offered to be our surrogate after I told her Marcy, our first surrogate, felt our chances for a successful pregnancy would be better with a younger woman.

  Choosing not to remarry though she was contently involved with an older, respected doctor, Marcy was now close to forty-five. She was the best sister-in-law in the world. That day in her office two months after my surgery, she gave Blake and me a priceless wedding present. The gift of life. A family. As I watched Libby labor, I flashed back to that moment and then to the epic birth of Leo. After a long struggle, he came out roaring like a lion.

  A shriek from Libby pierced the air and cut into my thoughts. My already frenetic heartbeat sped up.

  “One more push!” urged Marcy.

  My unblinking eyes stayed glued on my best friend as she grunted a loud breath, tears streaming down her scrunched up face, and then they widened as a tiny dark-haired head emerged between her bent legs. I bit down hard on my bottom lip as she continued to grunt and push out the tiny life form with Marcy’s gloved hands gently guiding it into the world.

  The next thing I knew, the unmistakable wails of a newborn were filling my ears.

  With a heavy sigh of relief, Libby fell back against the pillows. I hugged her.

  “Lib, you did it!”

  “We did it!” Libby beamed, her voice strong for a woman who’d just given birth.

  Oh, my Lib! Always there for me! My eyes shifted to Marcy.

  Smiling beneath her mask, she cradled the tiny baby in her arms while two of the nurses cleaned her up and then swaddled her in a soft pink blanket.

  “Congratulations!” they said in unison as they transferred her into my arms.

  Breathless and wordless, I gazed down at our little girl. Our miracle. Our beautiful miracle. I couldn’t wait for Blake to meet her.

  *

  Blake

  It took all I had not to drive like a madman. Thank fucking God, the streets were empty. A rarity for LA but typical for Christmas Day. Jen’s father was seated beside me in the Range Rover (our family car), and in the backseat, Leo was strapped into his car seat with Mrs. McCoy planted on the adjacent cream leather seat. My heart was in my throat and beating a mile a minute. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” was blasting on the radio, and Leo was singing along in his adorable pitch-perfect voice. Oh, yeah, Santa had come. That’s for sure. But I just didn’t expect this present today of all days. The plans we had for later were scrapped—to see an animated movie and then go to Chinatown with my parents, Grandma, and Luigi. I tried calling Jen. No answer. Clenching the steering wheel and my teeth, I could hear my palpitating heart in my ear and feel it beat in my throat. Libby was way early and I was fucking freaking.

  Arriving at Cedars, I left the car with the VIP valet, and with Leo riding me piggyback, I dashed into the hospital. The McCoys trailed close behind us, fit enough to keep up with me.

  “Daddy, why we go to the hospital?” Leo breathed into my ear. “I no fall down.”

  Besides being born here, he’d been to Cedars once before—the emergency room—when he’d fallen off our backyard jungle gym and cut open his chin. My poor little man needed three stitches. While he was as brave as the lion he was, yours truly, Mr. Cowardly, almost needed smelling salts to get through the ordeal.

  “Why, Daddy?” my son asked again.

  “It’s a surprise,” I said breathlessly. And it better be a good one.

  “Tell me, Daddy, what it is,” Leo begged.

  Before I could respond, my cell phone rang. My breath hitched as I picked it up on the first ring. Jen!

  Thank you, Jesus. Now, I just had to find Room 3020.

  *

  Jennifer

  “Oh honey, she looks just like you!” said my teary-eyed mother, who was gathered around me along with my elated father, Blake, and Leo. I was seated in a comfortable armchair, our newborn in my arms. Libby, believe it or not, had already rebounded from the record-fast delivery and was taking a stroll through the maternity ward to give us some alone time with the new addition to our family.

  “An Irish beauty!” chimed in my proud dad.

  I glanced down at her. Indeed, she was with her milky skin, tuft of ebony hair, and long-lashed blue-green eyes. Just fed, her rosebud lips pursed with contentment. I gently kissed the top of her silky scalp and inhaled her intoxicating newborn scent. Lifting my head, my eyes met Blake’s glistening blue orbs. Standing motionless, he was a cross between a zombie and a god.

  “Here, Blake. Hold her.” I stood up and carefully transferred our little bundle of love into his strong manly arms.

  “Hi, princess,” he said softly, the awed expression on his face melting my heart.

  Never taking his eyes off her, he slowly lowered himself to the armchair. Leo was eye-level with the baby.

  “Say hi to your sister, Maeve, my little man.”

  Maeve. Blake and I had chosen that name together. An homage to my late grandmother, it meant “the cause of great joy” and indeed she was. The best Christmas present ever.

  Staring at his sister, Leo asked, “Where did she come from, Daddy? Don’t babies come from mommies’ tummies?”

  A smile lit Blake’s lips. “She’s magic. Just like you.”

  Puzzled, adorable Leo cocked his head. “Me abracadabra?”

  Blake chuckled. “One day when you’re a big boy, I’ll teach you the trick.”

  Leo reciprocated with a big dimpled smile and then unexpectedly, he kissed our newborn on her forehead. My beaming parents hovered over them.

  I quickly snapped a photo with my iPhone. And then I blinked
my eyes like the shutter of a camera lens and took a mental snapshot of this magnificent moment that would stay in my mind forever. The album of life.

  Overwhelmed with emotion, I continued to gaze at Blake—that man with whom I’d shared this incredible journey. Life, I’d learned, is not a fait accompli. A simple dare can change the course of everything…take you down a miraculous road you thought you’d never travel. A road to happiness and true love.

  As Blake lovingly held our little girl with our precious little boy beside him, my heart exploded. My body tingled from my head to my toes. And tears welled up in my eyes. Blake had given me more than happiness. He’d given me joy. An emotion so powerful it couldn’t be put into words.

  I looked forward to the next leg of our journey. To raising our children and growing old together. In my heart, I knew Leo would one day grow up to be that special man to a wonderful woman and our little princess would find her own that man to love and protect her. Like I had with Blake Burns.

  My husband. My lover. The father of our children. My hero.

  Oh, how I love that man.

  THE END

  …well, almost…

  A LETTER FROM BLAKE

  Hey there all you beautiful and sexy readers~

  Come on. You know me by now. There’s no way I was going to let my tiger get the last word in as much as I love her. I am, after all, that good-looking guy on the cover, the one who inspired this story.

  I just want to thank you for sharing our adventure. It was some rollercoaster ride, huh? A couple of times we almost fell off. And no way could I have saved her. But there’s something mightier than a superhero. Another four-letter F-word. Fate. They say fate’s a bitch, but I’m glad she is because Jen and I ended up together.

  My sister told me Jen’s made me a better person. She’s right. My tiger has. Remember that guy at the beginning who thought with his cock? Well, I’ve got to admit I still do, but like my pal, Jaime Zander, said at our wedding, I learned my cock is connected to my heart. My cock has an appetite but my heart hungers too. I fuck hard. I love harder.

  It’s sometimes hard to believe the player you once knew is now the family guy. Man, if I’d only known what it’s like to hold a newborn in my arms, I would have had kids a lot sooner, but I had to wait for the right woman. Jen will tell you I went to heaven and back. And the first time my little cubs smiled at me, my heart melted like an M&M in my mouth.

  Just like my father, I’m damn good at my new job though I’ll confess Mr. Gift Who Keeps Giving spoils those two beautiful kids. I’m also a little over protective. Okay, so I’m over the top in that department. Being a parent brings out the superhero in me. Trust me, God fucking help the man who lays hands on my princess—even worse, who lays her. He’d better have a safe place to hide.

  Yup, Jen turned me into a man I can be proud of. A loving, loyal husband, father, friend, and lover. And she turned me into a poet too. I’ve come a long way since copying Hallmark cards and writing those dumbass limericks. Okay, so my poetry isn’t going to win a Pulitzer, but I’ve got to say it’s pretty darn good.

  They say the third time’s a charm. And it is. After our third wedding, we got our happily every after. We still have our little ups and downs—what marriage doesn’t?—but it’s perfectly imperfect. I will love Jen for richer, for poorer (fat chance), in sickness and in health until death do us part. My tiger’s stuck with me forever. I will always be that man.

  Thank you for rooting for us. Putting up with us. (Yeah, I know you wanted to slap us more than a couple of times.) And sharing our story.

  I.T.A.L.Y.~ xo Blake

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  As I wrote the two little words, “The End,” tears filled my eyes. It was so hard to say good-bye to THAT MAN—Blake Burns. What a journey this has been! I have so many people to thank.

  Deep breath! This is going to be long and I hope don’t forget anyone.

  Usually, I thank them last, but this time they’re going first. My family. Thank you for putting up with me while I wrote and edited this epic story over the past year. My sweet girls, I’m sorry for all the crappy meals, the number of times I growled, “Leave me alone,” and all the times I told you to Uber home. A special shout out goes to my husband—my very own that man who picked up much of the mommy slack while I slaved at my computer. By the way, he’s convinced he’s Blake. I say wishful thinking, or should I say I wish. Regardless, thank you, babe, for your love and support—and for admittedly giving me some of my best Blake lines.

  My second heartfelt round of thanks goes to my amazing beta readers. Across the series, they include in alphabetical order: Kelly Butterfield, Michelle Coddington, Amber Lynn Escalera, Kashunna Fly, Kellie Fox, Alma Garcia, Tracy “Sunshine” Graver, Gloria Herrera, Wanda Kather, Cindy Meyer, Kim Pinard Newsome, Jen Oreto, Sheena Reid, Jasmine Roman, Jenn Moshe Silverstein, Karen Silverstein, and Jeanette Sinfield. I’m blessed to have the best betas in the whole wide world. You are all so smart, funny, and insightful, and didn’t hold back for better or for worse. You have become more than betas; you have become my friends.

  Arianne Richmonde and Adriane Leigh, my two best writer friends (my BWF’s) also deserve big hugs. Thank you for reading THAT MAN and for all your great suggestions. Most of all, thank you for keeping me sane and getting me through the many times I thought I could never write another word or finish. Trust me, only fellow authors understand the formidable challenge of writing a book, let alone a five-part series. I don’t know what I would have done without my besties, who listened to my rants as well as shared many laughs and glasses of wine.

  Many of you may remember that THAT MAN 1 first appeared in Love and Laughter, a romantic comedy anthology. I want to thank Zirconia Publishing and all the wonderful, hardworking authors who participated in that anthology and worked painstakingly together to make it a USA Today bestseller. These amazing ladies and a gent include Abi Aiken, Harper Ashe, Dez Burke, Adriana Hunter, Arianne Richmonde, Aubrey Rose, Marian Tee, and Terry Towers. Love to you all.

  The success of the THAT MAN series can also be attributed to the many hardworking bloggers who embraced Blake Burns and wrote wonderful reviews that helped spread the word. A special thanks to Mary Tatar of Love Between the Sheets Promotions who spearheaded my blog tours as well as wrote some of my favorite reviews. There are so many bloggers to thank, but I want to single out a few who have been with me throughout my writing career and who have gone out of their way to put THAT MAN in front of readers. They include in no particular order: Jen Oreto/Book Avenue Reviews, Becky Barney/The Fairest of All, Ellen Widom/The Book Bellas, Selene Calabas/Sassy Girl Reviews, Gloria Herrera/As You Like it Reviews, Desirae Shie/Books, Chocolate, and Lipgloss, Jennifer Noe/The Book Blog, Mags Pereira and Jewelz Fowler/SMI Book Club, Lynn Booth/Chasing Orion’s Rouge Odyssey, Sheeba Ellison/Bedtime Reviews, Lorraine Masterson/Rusty’s Reading, Gillian Gybras/ A is for Alpha B is for Boyfriends, Cindy Meyer and Deborah Presley /The Book Enthusiast, Jennifer McCoy/SubClub Books, Lisa Pantano Kane and Jennifer Skewes/ Three Chicks and Their Books, and Susan Harwood/Wicked Women Promotions, who has also hosted my fab Facebook Release Day parties.

  I would be remiss not to thank one other entity—the amazing newsletter, Book Bub. I feel so blessed that you chose THAT MAN 1 as one of your Free Books of the Day. Thanks to that promotion, the story of Blake and his tiger touched the hearts of countless readers and made THAT MAN an international bestseller.

  The team that ultimately brings my books to fruition merits a big shout out. Thank you, Paul Salvette/BB eBooks for flawlessly formatting both my e-books and paperbacks and putting up with all my crazy revisions; Arijana Karcic /Cover It! Designs for all the glorious covers and my Facebook banner, and Karen Lawson for proofing my manuscripts and for making me laugh with your snarky comments. I am also beholden to “my Blue Ranger,” for creating beta mobiFiles and to my beloved fan and super-talented friend, Kellie Fox, who magically creates all those fabulous panty-melting graphics
you see on my Facebook page. I also want to acknowledge my amazing PA, Alma Garcia, who helps techno-challenged me in so many ways, and my mega-fan, Cathy Dotson Guadagnino, who cheers me on constantly. And I should mention, a big kiss goes to Robert Reider for being my gorgeous cover model and to his delightful mother Klara, who reached out to me and has become a lovely friend.

  Almost last but not least, I want to thank all my readers who have embraced THAT MAN and fallen in love, like me, with Blake Burns. Had it not been for your support and encouragement, I wouldn’t have written Blake and Jen’s wedding story. A special shout-out goes to those who have written heartfelt reviews, sent me heartwarming emails, and commented or PM’d me on Facebook. Your kind, often beautiful words always brighten my day and make me persevere. My love to all of you; you are the reason I write.

  Finally, I want to thank my father-in-law, aka “Mr. I. Wackit,” and my open-minded mom for believing in me and being proud of me. And thank you, Daddy, too, for always being there for me. So much of your menschiness inspired Blake. I miss you and will always love you. *Sniff*

  Okay. I did it! I hope I got everyone! As for me, I’m taking a little break and then I’ll be releasing Gloria’s Forever, a novella, in early 2015. After that, I’m on to my next book; I’m not sure what it’ll be—maybe Libby’s story or something entirely new, but you can be sure it’ll have a sexy, cocky alpha hero, who will make you laugh, cry, and swoon. Meanwhile, I hope you’ll enjoy Grandma’s famous matzo ball soup in more ways than one; the secret recipe follows. In between rolling and sucking those balls, be sure to sign up for my newsletter to stay abreast of my new releases and sales. Here’s the link: http://eepurl.com/N3AXb.

  To all my Belles, thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your love and support. It means the world to me.