by Sandi Lynn
I walked out of the office and headed up the stairs. Everly started following me, so I stopped and turned to her with a pointed finger.
“You stay down here!”
She frowned at me as she turned around. Opening my closet door, I walked inside, and sure as shit, there was the box lying in the corner on the floor. How the hell did it even get there? Now my plan was ruined because I knew Everly was suspicious. I shoved the box in my pocket, went downstairs, grabbed Everly’s hand and took her into the living room.
“What is going on, Asher?” She demanded an answer.
I placed my hands on her shoulders and took in a deep breath.
“I love you, Everly King, and you have made me the happiest man alive. This past year with you has been incredible, and you’ve given me something I thought I would never have or experience. I want many, and I mean many more years like this. You are my soulmate and the air I breathe. I can’t imagine living life without you.” I pulled the ring box from my pocket, got down on one knee and took hold of her hand. “Will you marry me, Everly? Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife for the rest our lives?”
She gasped as she brought her hand up to her lips. Tears filled her beautiful eyes and for once in her life, she was speechless.
“Oh, Asher. Oh my God. Oh my God! Yes! Yes, I will marry you!”
A wide grin crossed my face as I slipped the custom-made diamond ring on her finger, stood up and hugged her tight.
“I’m so happy you said yes. I love you so much.” I broke our embrace and kissed her lips.
“I love you so much.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “You lost the ring, didn’t you?”
“Yep. I had been searching for it for two hours before you got home. This wasn’t how I planned to propose. I wanted to do it differently, but since my father told you to tell me where to look for it, I figured you became suspicious.”
“This was perfect, Asher. Absolutely perfect.” Our lips met for another kiss.
Six Months Later
Everly
Asher and I were married six months later in a beautiful church with an elegant reception that included four hundred people in the ballroom at The Remington. The day after our wedding, we boarded a private jet and spent two weeks in the Maldives, where we had our own private residence that sat over the ocean water with a private pool. The first week we were there, we didn’t leave our bungalow once. Every meal brought to us, was enough to feed a family of six. We mostly stayed in bed. But when we did venture out of bed, we swam in the pool and the ocean, and we did some scuba diving. The second week we spent shopping and sightseeing.
After Diana had their son, Harry, she swore she was never having children again due to the difficult birth. But when we were on our honeymoon, her and Daniel Facetimed us to tell us she was once again expecting. The relationship between Richard, Christina, and my sisters grew stronger every day. We did things together as a family. Emily was well on her way to becoming a professional photographer. She already had a few photographs in some art galleries across New York and Vogue hired her as a freelancer to do a small fashion shoot which would lead to her working for them full-time.
As for Curtis, he was still around. Not as much, but every now and again he’d pop in to make his presence known. I did warn him that he was to stay away from us on our honeymoon. He agreed and said he’d see us when we got back.
It was two months after we got back from our honeymoon as I stood in the bathroom and stared at the word “Pregnant” that displayed in the window of the white stick.
“Oh boy,” I said out loud.
I couldn’t comprehend how this had happened since I was on the pill. Then I remembered screwing up my pills on our honeymoon because I was so caught up in the beauty of everything, I had completely forgot to take it one day. Okay, maybe two days. But I’d doubled up the next day like I was supposed to. Shit.
“Congratulations, darling. I can’t believe I’m going to be a grandfather.”
“You can’t be a grandfather, Curtis. You’re dead. Have you forgotten that?”
“No. What do you think Asher is going to say?”
“I don’t know. We never really discussed kids. Honestly, I never wanted any because of—well, you know.”
“You can’t let that stop you from having a family. What’s meant to be is meant to be. Maybe you’ll get lucky and she won’t take after you.”
“She?” I looked at him and he smiled.
I heard the elevator ding and Curtis disappeared. Shoving the stick in the pocket of my pants, I went down to greet my handsome husband.
“There you are, gorgeous.” He smiled as he kissed my lips.
“How was your day?” I asked.
“Stressful. But better now that I’m home with you. It’s so nice to come home to peace and quiet.”
I swallowed hard when he said that.
“Go pour yourself a drink. In fact, make it a double.” I patted his chest and turned around.
“Okay.” He chuckled. “Are you going to tell me you’re pregnant or something.”
I froze in place as my back was turned to him.
“Everly? Sweetheart? I was kidding.”
I stood there and took in a deep breath as he walked over and stood in front of me.
“Are you pregnant?”
I reached in my pocket and showed him the stick.
“The stick says I am.” I bit down on my bottom lip.
“Wow. Okay. Okay. Okay.” He kept nodding his head.
“Okay what, Asher?!” I loudly voiced.
He gripped my shoulders and stared directly in my eyes.
“We’re having a baby, Everly.”
“Yes. I know. Are you like in total shock or something?”
“Yes. Actually, I am.”
I dropped my shoulders and fell into his arms.
“So am I. It’s all your fault.”
“My fault? You’re the one on the birth control.”
“If we didn’t fuck like rabbits on our honeymoon, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Baby.” He broke our embrace. “If you would have remembered to take your pills, this wouldn’t have happened. But it did and you have a tiny human growing inside you. Our baby.” He smiled. “A baby created out of pure love. One we’ll be responsible for at least until the kid is in its twenties. I need that drink now. I’d offer you one, but you can’t drink because you’re pregnant. Sucks to be you, Everly.” He grinned.
“You just wait, Mr. Remington. I’m going to make your life a living hell during this pregnancy.”
“I have no doubt you will, sweetheart.” He smirked and I walked over and smacked his chest.
“I hate you.” I pouted.
“No you don’t. You love me just as much as I love you. And just as much as we’re going to love our child.” His lips pressed against mine. “Now, come on. Let’s go upstairs and celebrate.” He took hold of my hand and led me towards the stairs.
“I’m going to get fat.”
“I’ll still love you, baby.”
“I’m going to be bitchy and uncomfortable.”
“I’ll still love you, baby.”
“I’m going to have all kinds of cravings and send you out in the middle of the night to get what I want.”
“I’ll still love you, baby.”
We reached the top of the stairs.
“I’m probably not going to want sex as much.”
He turned and looked at me.
“That’s not even funny.” His brow raised at me and I smiled.
44
Five Years Later
Asher
“Hello, my gorgeous wife.” I smiled as I kissed Everly on the cheek and handed her a bouquet of red roses.
“Hello there, my sexy husband. What are these for?” she asked as she brought them up to her nose.
“No reason. Just because I love you and I haven’t given you flowers in a while.”
“You gave me roses last month.�
�� She grinned.
“Like I said, it’s been a while. Where’s Sophia?”
“Up in her room playing. Can you tell her that dinner is almost ready?”
“Of course. It smells delicious and I’m starving.” I kissed her lips.
Walking up the stairs, I unbuttoned my suit coat. As I stood in the doorway of my daughter’s bedroom, I watched as she sat at her little table with her stuffed animals in each chair except for the one across from her.
“Hello, sweetheart,” I said as I walked in and kissed the top of her head.
“Hi, Daddy! How was work?”
“Work was good. What are you doing?” I asked as I knelt down beside her.
“Having a tea party with Grandpa and my friends.”
I swallowed hard.
“Grandpa Richard?” I nervously asked.
“No, silly. He isn’t here. It’s Grandpa Curtis.”
“Everly!” I shouted. Everly!”
“What? I’m sure the entire building just heard you.”
“Sophia, tell mommy who you’re having a tea party with.”
“My two dolls, Millie and Daisy, and Grandpa Curtis. But he left when he saw Daddy walk in.”
“Oh boy.” She gulped as she looked at me.
“Sweetheart,” Everly spoke as she knelt down beside her. “Do you see Grandpa Curtis a lot?”
“Yeah.” A big smile crossed her small face. “He’s funny.”
“Okay. Now I know she’s not talking about my father,” I said.
“Yes, I am, Daddy.”
“Sweetheart, you know Grandpa Curtis is dead, right?”
“Yeah. I know. He told me that he will always watch over me.”
“Great.” I rolled my eyes as I let out a sigh.
“Okay. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Clean up your toys,” Everly spoke.
I followed her out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen.
“Now what?” I asked.
“Now nothing. We were afraid this was going to happen, Asher. We’ve had many discussions about it.”
“I know, Everly. But I prayed it wouldn’t.”
“She’ll be fine. And now that I know she has my gift, I can help her with it. Are you mad? You seem mad?”
“No, baby. I’m not mad.” I wrapped my arms around her. “We’ll both help her with it. Since when had my father been coming around again?”
“I haven’t seen him, Asher. I swear. You know I always tell you when he’s here.”
“I know.” I sighed.
“Is it really so bad that he plays with her? He is her grandfather.”
“Her dead grandfather. All we need is for her to go around telling people that and they’ll think she’s a lunatic.”
“I know. I’ll have a talk with her.”
“We’ll both have a talk with her.” I kissed her forehead.
That was the day Everly and I learned that our five-year-old daughter, Sophia, was special. I wasn’t too worried because having Everly for a mother, I knew my daughter would be just fine.
Two months after we found out about Sophia’s gift, I took Everly back to the Maldives to celebrate our wedding anniversary while Richard and Christina watched Sophia. Two months later, Everly discovered she was pregnant. Needless to say after we found out, I went and had a vasectomy. We weren’t taking any more chances. Seven months later, our second daughter, Sarah Nicole Remington was born. Now I had three beautiful girls in my life, and I couldn’t have been happier.
Five Years Later
Asher
I couldn’t believe Sophia was almost eleven and Sarah was five. When I’d look at them together, I’d smile at the fact that Everly and I had made such beautiful children. They were the love of my life and I couldn’t imagine life without them.
It was seven a.m. when I went downstairs for breakfast before leaving for the office. Everly was making banana pancakes and they smelled amazing. Walking over to her, I slapped her on the ass and kissed the side of her neck.
“Didn’t you get enough last night.” She grinned.
“It’s never enough with you, baby.” I gave her a wink as I poured a cup of coffee.
Sophia and Sarah came running in and took their seats at the table. I sat down across from them and grabbed a couple of pancakes.
“You girls better hurry up and get eating or you’re going to be late for school,” I said.
“Daddy?” Sara said.
“Yes, princess?”
“Who’s Noah?”
I looked at Everly and I could see the same panic on her face that I had.
“How do you know that name, sweetheart?”
“He came to visit me last night.”
“Sweetheart, that’s impossible.” My heart started racing. “He’s in a faraway country.”
“I know. He died. He wanted me to tell you that he was sorry for everything. He made me promise to tell you, and I told him I would.”
Everly sat down in the chair next to me, placed her hand on my arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. Looking at her, I slowly shook my head.
“Ah shit. Here we go again.”
I hope you enjoyed What If You. Please enjoy a sample chapter of my Sweet Contemporary Romance Novel called Harbor Falls. A clean and wholesome romance set in a small coastal town.
Chapter 1
Adalyn stood in the master bathroom of her and her husband’s multi-million-dollar penthouse holding a white stick in her hand as she had done every month for the last year and a half. The same disappointment shrouded her as tears filled her eyes when she saw only one pink line appear. Anxiously waiting, and with hope, she stared at it waiting for the second line to appear. Just like all the other months, it never did. Throwing the stick in the trash can, she quietly walked down the stairs and entered her husband’s office where he was finishing up work for the night.
“Well?” He glanced up at her behind his black rim glasses.
She slowly shook her head in disappointment as she stood there with her arms folded, trying to hide the overwhelming pain that coursed through her.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he spoke as he got up from behind his desk and wrapped his arms around her. “We can try again next month.”
“It’s been a year and a half, Darren. I don’t understand. The doctor said after my miscarriage I would have no trouble getting pregnant again.”
“I know.” He kissed her head. “Maybe the timing isn’t right. Why don’t you go up to bed and I’ll make you a cup of tea?”
Adalyn nodded her head and headed up the stairs. She’d suffered a miscarriage two years ago when she was sixteen weeks pregnant. It took her a long time to accept the fact that it wasn’t meant to be. She had doubted if she was ever meant to be a mother, because now at the age of thirty-four, her biological clock was ticking away.
Her previous pregnancy was a surprise and one that wasn’t planned. They had been married for a little over a year and wanted to wait at least two years before starting a family. But it had happened, and Adalyn was more than happy.
She climbed into bed, pulled the covers over her and waited for Darren to come up. It was a rare night he was home and not working late at the office, like he did most nights. Picking up her phone, she sent a text message to her sister, Hannah, a fashion designer who lived in SoHo. Being only two years apart, they had always been the best of friends.
“I took another test and it was negative again.”
Within seconds, her sister replied.
“Aw, Addy, I’m sorry. Let’s meet tomorrow morning for breakfast and we can talk about it.”
“I wish I could, but I have to be at the museum early. A new collection is coming in.”
“Then how about lunch?”
“That might work. I’ll let you know tomorrow.”
“Okay. Chin up. It will happen. Love you, sis.”
“Love you too.”
Darren walked in the room and handed Adalyn a cup of piping hot chamomile tea.
“Thank you. Are you coming to bed?” she asked with the hopes he would say yes.
“I still have some work to finish up, but I’ll be up in a while.”
“It’s already eleven o’clock.”
“I know what time it is.” A small smile crossed his lips as he leaned over and kissed her forehead.
When he left the room, Adalyn sighed as she brought the cup up to her lips and sipped her tea. She needed her husband right now. She needed to feel his arms securely around her as she tried to get over the fact she wasn’t pregnant. As much as she wanted to believe she came first to him, as he always stated, she didn’t. His number one priority was his work.
Darren Richards worked for his father’s company. A hedge fund firm that was started by his grandfather with only one hundred dollars to his name. Once his father retired, Darren would be appointed CEO and take over the billion-dollar company. When they first met, Adalyn knew his work was important, as was hers at the museum. They were both career driven and that was one of the reasons why she fell in love with him. But she knew there were times when her and their relationship had to come first.
Download your copy of Harbor Falls today!
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