6 Mountain Brothers for Christmas

by Rye Hart

  The tears fell, from both of us, as we talked.

  “I didn't mean for this to happen,” I said. “It just did. And I wouldn't take it back for the world, but I also don't want to lose you. You're the only family I have left.”

  “Do you love him, Violet? Truly love him?”

  “Yes,” I said, not even taking a moment to question that. “I do. With all of my heart. And he loves me, mom.”

  She sighed. “He's right, you know.”

  “About what?”

  “I heard what he said to you as you were leaving. How you were done coddling me. He was right. All these months, you were the one taking care of me, when I should have been the one taking care of you.”

  “I wanted to do that, mom,” I said.

  “I know, honey, but you weren't supposed to. I'm the mother,” she said. “And when I kicked you out, it was all over my own feelings again. I was so caught up in how I was going to lose you, and I pushed you away.”

  “I'm still here, mom,” I said. “I always will be.”

  “And I'll always be there for you too,” she said. “And if it means I have to come to terms with accepting Sebastian, well, I guess I'm the one with some growing up to do. It's just hard to imagine my baby girl with someone old enough to be her father.”

  “He makes me happy, mom,” I said. “And treats me very well.”

  My mom was silent for a few minutes. “I don't doubt that, Violet. Sebastian is a good man, I have no doubt about that.”

  Hearing her say that filled me with hope.

  “Maybe you two should come over for dinner soon,” my mom said. “I'd really like to see you again, Violet.”

  “I'd like that,” I said. “And I bet Sebastian would like that too, mom.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - VIOLET

  As I stared down at the pink stripes, the answer was clear. This was the second test I'd taken that day and had gotten the same results. Sebastian sat beside me as I stared down at the test then back up at him.

  “Positive. I'm guessing two false positives in a row isn't likely.”

  I was shaking. Sebastian and I had never talked about having children together. After all, we were just getting started on living together. It became something of a necessity after my mom had kicked me out. A necessity that became a blessing in disguise.

  Tears welled up in my eyes. Yes, I wanted kids, and the idea of having kids with Sebastian seemed nice, but things with us were still relatively new. And I had no idea how he felt about any of it.

  “Shhh,” he said, pulling me into him, kissing my forehead. “It's going to be okay.”

  “I need to talk to my mom,” I said.

  For some reason, finding out something big like that – that I was pregnant – made me yearn for my mother even more. We had dinner scheduled later that evening, but I wasn't sure that would be the best time to make the announcement that she might be a grandma. She was just beginning to try and accept us as a couple, so there was that. That was a lot for her.

  But as I stared up at Sebastian, I feared maybe he had other plans; plans that didn't include keeping the baby. I tried to get a feel for his thoughts, but without him saying much, it was more than a little difficult.

  “Sebastian,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I don't know how you feel about being a father, and I understand if you don't want to be a dad. But whatever happens between you and me, I can't – ”

  Before I could finish, I broke down in a fit sobs. The idea of aborting our child filled me with dread. It was weird ,before I even knew for sure I was pregnant, when it was just a matter of my period being late, I knew I wanted the child. Part of me was so happy to see the results, but of course, I was also fearful of what it might mean for my relationship with Sebastian.

  I continued, “Whether you want to be in the child's life or not, I'm still going through with it.”

  I was strong. I could do this. Even if it meant being alone, I could and would do it. Sebastian stared at me, a serious look on his face, but then he smiled at me. And in that smile, there was so much hope.

  “I was hoping you'd say that,” he said. “I didn't want you to feel obligated though. You're so young and have so much life to live still. But I don't have as much time to be a dad. And well – ”

  “So you're happy about this?” I asked, suddenly feeling my pulse racing and a sense of genuine joy spreading through my body.

  “Yes, I am actually,” he said, appearing surprised at his own answer. “Very much so.”

  “So this is it,” I said, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding. “We're going to have a baby.”

  “We're going to have a baby,” he said, taking my hands in his.

  ***

  “Wouldn't you like some wine, sweetie?” my mom asked, pouring a glass for herself and Sebastian. I looked over at Sebastian and he looked at me. I wasn't sure if we were going to tell her tonight or not, even though I was bursting at the seams to share the news. I was afraid she might not take it too well. Things were moving a little fast.

  “No thank you,” I said, sipping my sparkling water. “I'm trying to drink more water.”

  “Good girl,” she said, smiling at me. “You were always such a good influence on me.”

  I tried to keep my mom eating healthy, even after what happened to dad. She sunk into a pit of despair and often turned to wine and chocolate to soothe her feelings, and I was there to convince her to replace her wine glass with bottled water, her chocolate with something that might better fill her stomach.

  I looked down at my hands, not wanting to look at either her or Sebastian, afraid I might give something away by the guilt written on my face. I hated keeping anything from my mother, and this was something huge. Sebastian reached over and took my hand, squeezing it. As I looked up into his eyes, I couldn't help but smile.

  We were having a baby.

  Such joyous news, and I was dying to share it with my mother. More than anything.

  “Go ahead, if you'd like,” he whispered to me.

  “Now?” I mouthed.

  “What are you two lovebirds whispering about?” my mom said, obviously trying to show she was okay with our new relationship, but it still came out awkward and stilted.

  “Uhh well, Sebastian and I have some news to share,” I said. My hands were shaking, but Sebastian kept them still and calm in my lap by holding onto them for dear life. “I know it seems really sudden, but sometimes, things happen and well, we're having a baby, mom. You're going to be a grandma.”

  My mother dropped the wine glass to the table with a loud clank and stared at me slack jawed. She looked between Sebastian and myself, and I feared the worst. She was going to flip out and kick us out again, I just knew it. I had to prepare for the worst, but this time, Sebastian was here for me. He would take care of me and we'd leave, if it came to that.

  “You're pregnant? But-- How?” My mom cringed at her own question. “No, don't answer that. I really don't want to know. Are you sure?”

  “Yes, mom. We're sure. It's unexpected, but were happy,” I said.

  My mother looked at Sebastian, then back at me. I watched the wave of emotions cross her face, and I feared the worst. But she kept her cool, and I had to commend her for that. “Wow. So I'm going to be a grandma? Well, I didn't expect this, but congratulations, honey. That's great news.”

  Sebastian cleared his throat, and both my mother and I turned to him.

  “I just wanted to say,” he said, turning to me, “That while things have moved incredibly fast between your daughter and I, that I fully intend to keep my promise to you, Angela.”

  “What promise?” I asked, turning to look at my mom. She looked as confused as I did.

  Sebastian pushed the chair back from the table, and before I knew what was happening, he got down on one knee and pulled out a ring. My heart pounded in my chest as I started crying before he even said the words. “Oh God.”

  “Violet, I intended to ask you anyway, but afte
r what we found out today, I figured there was no time like now,” he said. “Will you marry me?”

  I stared into his eyes, and it took me a moment to realize this was real. That he was really asking me to marry him, and I barely managed to mutter, “Yes,” before we embraced, kissing and nearly forgetting about my mom sitting across from us.

  As soon as I remembered where we were, I looked over and she was also crying. For the first time in I don't know how long, she was crying happy tears.

  “Thank you,” I whispered to my mother.

  “I just want you to be happy, sweetheart. And obviously, he makes you very happy.”

  And in that moment, I realized something very important, something I never thought possible.

  Yes, Violet. Dreams can come true.

  The End

  FOREPLAY

  A Bad Boy’s Baby Romance

  PROLOGUE

  I ran my hands over his firm chest and up around his shoulders feeling the thick cord of muscles that lived beneath his tight flesh. I traced my fingers over the tattoos that covered his broad frame and moaned as he filled me over and over again.

  His breath was warm against me as he leaned down, kissing my breasts before taking one of my taut nipples into his mouth. His teeth grazed, nibbling softly before his lips pulled with hunger.

  He thrust steadily, and I tightened my walls around him, milking him for what I hoped would only be mine forever.

  His mouth crushed down on mine and he backed away to meet my eyes still thrusting deeply and coaxing my pleasure from me.

  He grabbed my hips and tugged me forward, grinding against me as he worked me, his hand resting on my mound as his thumb circled against my clit. He had me squirming beneath him. The pressure built until it consumed me and my orgasm burst from me with a scream that sent his hips into power mode, pounding away until our flesh slapped together loudly.

  “That’s so hot. Drip for me.” He spoke the naughty words right into my ear, and it sent chills down my spine and brought a moan from deep in my chest. “That’s right, moan for me, baby. I love making you feel good.”

  “I love it too,” I whispered breathlessly against his shoulder, and he chuckled.

  “I bet you do, baby.” He rested on his elbow, working his hips in a slow, steady pace as he ground against me, and brushed his hand through my hair and flicked his tongue in my ear, stopping to take a bite. “You’re so beautiful.”

  He pulled out and I whimpered at the loss of sensation. He bent down and lifted me easily from the couch. He carried me to the bedroom, and set me down on my feet at the foot of the bed. He laid back and crooked his finger at me. “I want to look up at my beautiful girl.” I liked the sound of him calling me his, and wondered if he truly meant it.

  He didn’t miss a stroke, and I rode him gently as I settled around him, finding that the base of his cock was only stretching me wider. I pushed myself down on his base until I felt his heavy balls press against me.

  “God this feels good.” I leaned forward and rolled my hips around as he reached up and cupped my breasts, pulling me down so that he could suck my nipples, biting and licking like he couldn’t get enough.

  “Yes, it does. Ride me, baby.” He reached down and cupped my ass, working me on his cock until I found the pace myself and was bouncing steadily on top of him, my breasts bouncing up and down as he lay back and watched.

  “You like what you see?” I rolled my hips and ground against him a bit before taking up the pace again.

  “Fuck, yes. You’re fucking gorgeous, baby. As he said the words, my head lolled back, and I felt another wave of pleasure rock through me.

  I never wanted it to end.

  CHAPTER ONE - KAMI

  Where the hell is a damn drink when you need one?

  I asked myself. My feet were throbbing with pain. There’s nothing quite like working a double shift, slinging coffee all day, and coming home to a rock band rehearsing in the garage below your apartment.

  I wasn’t sure where I got the nerve to hope for peace and quiet, but I wasn’t going to get it. To put the cherry on top of my shit sundae, I was greeted by my ex, Devin. Unfortunately, kicking his ass to the curb didn’t mean I’d get to avoid frequent unwelcomed run-ins.

  Devin played guitar for a local rock band led by none other than my best friend and lead singer, Rain Crawford. To make matters worse, said rock band’s headquarters happened to be in the garage beneath my apartment. I was the poster child for the acronym FML.

  “Hey, Kam, how’s it going?” Devin’s cigarette smoke billowed out with each word, sending chills down my spine. I knew the only reason he’d bothered to speak was because his latest fling was hanging all over him.

  It was hard to believe that I was once mesmerized by his rock star appeal. Looking back now, the signs were everywhere, and I was just too blind to see them.

  Devin knew how much it hurt when I had to close my photography studio, and yet he made cruel jokes about my failure whenever he could.

  Before our relationship, I’d had some success with photography and had gotten confident enough to rent a space to open my own studio. I didn’t know enough to take into account overhead, utilities, insurance, etc. I just wanted to take pictures. Six months in, my studio folded. Since I’d signed a lease for a year, I was stuck having to pay, even though I’d gone out of business.

  One of his favorite things to do was to point out the boarded-up building every time we passed by. It was all part of his plan to make me think I was less than him, so that I couldn’t imagine finding someone better. And I let him. To make matters worse, I caught him cheating in my bed. I still couldn’t decide which one of us was the bigger fool.

  The bleached blonde on his arm had tattoos and piercings and wore a concert tee and shredded jeans and lots of black leather, while the edgiest things on my body were the piercings on my ears. Don’t get me wrong, I still appreciated a good concert tee and a pair of faded jeans, but I looked more like an all-American girl next door compared to the tatted-up groupie that was Devin’s usual type.

  Little did she know that he was on a mission to sleep with as many girls as possible after our break-up. Whether it was to make me jealous or prove something, it didn’t matter. As far as I was concerned he could screw every available hole in town, so long as he stayed away from me.

  “How much longer will this be going on?” I asked as I walked by and fished out my keys, which reminded me to ask another question: “Did you ever find the spare key to my apartment?”

  “We’re on our last break, and no.” He shrugged and planted a kiss on the girl’s lips, practically reaching for her tonsils with his tongue. “I don’t know what happened to it.”

  I shook my head in disgust. I’d given him over a month to find that spare key, and while I wasn’t inclined to believe he’d actually lost it, I wasn’t going to argue with him about it. He probably knew exactly where it was and only said he didn’t so I’d stress about him coming in the apartment.

  “Never mind, I’ll have the locks changed.” I found my keys, which were down deep in my slouchy bag and climbed the stairs to my apartment. Devin and his girl who were hanging out at the bottom of my stairs, just next to my garbage can. It seemed fitting; the trash knew right where it belonged.

  I laughed quietly at my witty joke. I opened my door and glanced around to see if my place looked any different than when I’d left it, but everything was in place. I couldn’t be too careful. My relationship with Devin could be compared to peeling the skin of an onion. The man I thought I knew pranced around with false layers. Sure, everyone puts their best foot forward initially, but he was at a whole new level. I realized he was an egotistical slime ball with zero compassion for others, not to mention a man whore. It went without saying, I was better off without him.

  Unfortunately, he’d been the last in a long line of shitty choices. I really had a knack for attracting the exact wrong type of guy. The shittiest part was that I wasn’t getting any you
nger, and I wanted a family more than just about anything.

  Thank the lord I hadn’t gotten knocked up by that prick.

  At one point I was seriously considering it. It had been a half-baked idea, but I’d always known I wanted children. I worked up the nerve to speak to Devin about it a few times and, of course, he never really seemed that interested.

  Since the breakup, I’ve been feeling the urge more than ever. The reality was that I had my fair share of failed relationships and I could no longer wait for the right guy.

  I always admired my mother who raised me alone. I figured she’d done it on her own, why couldn’t I? I’ve always adored children. Maybe it had something to do with me being an only child growing up and having memories of begging my mother to have more babies. Who knows.

  When Devin and I split, I’d feared it would cause a rift between Rain and I, but she assured me our friendship meant more to her than that. She couldn’t afford losing Devin, but she wasn’t going to let me go as a friend. Damn right.

  She couldn’t get in the middle of it since she said he was not only the hottest guitarist in town, but one of the best. He had connections that helped them land gigs, and Rain leaned on him for everything.

  I threw my bag down and kicked my shoes off, as I made my way to the fridge. I checked my schedule for work, which hung on the door, and wrote “double” with the magnetic pen I kept beside it. I had quite a few of those markings, and while I was exhausted from the extra work, my pockets were lined with cash tips. If I was ever going to climb down off the mountain of debt from the failed business, I needed a nice cushion to land on.

  I opened the box and took out a cold drink and then grabbed a TV dinner from the freezer. Following the directions, I poked holes in the plastic and tossed it in the microwave.

  Thirty-three years old, sleeping above a friend’s garage, and eating Salisbury steak out of a plastic dish. I was living the life.

  At least my therapy was a long hot shower. I walked to my tiny bathroom, threw my clothes off and onto an already high laundry pile and stepped under the warm spray.