by K. C. Crowne
It was scary at first. He was so small nestled in my big arms. He barely weighed anything at all, and he appeared so delicate and tiny. But it just felt right to have him cuddled close to me, and before I knew what hit me, tears streamed down my cheeks.
“He’s perfect,” I murmured, knowing that all parents felt like that when they saw their child. I’d never met a more beautiful and perfect human in my entire life, barring Eva, of course.
I was both ecstatic and terrified. This little life depended on us, and I knew I would do everything to give him the life he deserved. I’d be able to see my son whenever I wanted, and from that moment on, I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to leave his side.
“How are Mommy and baby doing?” A doctor popped into the room with a friendly smile. Her dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and she looked to be around Eva’s age.
“We’re doing great,” Eva said, though her voice sounded tired.
“Well, you did great, mama,” the doctor said. “If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to push the call button. My name is Dr. Fisher.”
“Wait, Dr. Fisher…” Eva said, a curious look on her face. “Do you happen to be married to Dr. Jessica Fisher?”
The doctor’s face lit up. “Why yes, I am. Was she your gynecologist?”
“Yes, she confirmed my pregnancy months ago, and we also went to school together. She told me her wife worked here.”
“Small towns are wild, aren’t they?” the doctor said.
“Yes, they are,” Eva said.
“I’m sorry she wasn’t here to deliver your baby, but she had a family emergency,” Dr. Fisher explained. “She hates when she misses this part of the process.”
Eva smiled at her. “Please tell her I said hello, and that we’ll have to grab coffee again soon.”
“I will do that. And again, please don’t hesitate to call on me if you have any questions,” she reminded us. “When you’re ready for guests, I can send them in, just let me know.”
Eva looked at me. “Do you mind if they join us?”
“Not at all,” I said.
“Can you let my brother and his girlfriend come up here, please? I know they’re excited to meet the baby.”
“Absolutely, I’ll send them on up,” the doctor said, slipping quietly from the room.
“So, Jessica… as in Jessica Parker?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, I guess I forgot to tell you about all that, but she’s actually really sweet now.”
“Some things can change, I suppose,” I said softly, rocking my little boy as he slept peacefully in my arms.
Lily nearly sprinted into the room with a hapless Matt behind her. “I’ve been promoted to Godmother!” she squealed quietly as she rushed over to Eva and gave her a big hug.
Eva chuckled and hugged her back.
“So is it confirmed? You’re naming him Xavier?”
Eva and I shared a look and a smile. We’d kept the name under wraps until we saw the little guy, mostly in case we had changed our minds. But we were both certain now.
“Xavier Edward, yes,” I said.
Eva nodded. “Edward after Dad, and Xavier because… well, we both like it.”
“I love it,” Lily gushed. She glanced at me, and I could see that she wanted to hold him so badly but was too polite to ask.
As much as I didn’t want to part with him, I knew Eva’s family would also want to meet him, so I handed him gently to Lily, who looked as if she might cry from joy.
“He’s perfect… “
“Careful, Matt,” Eva joked. “She might be asking you for one soon.”
“We’ve already had that talk,” Matt said, smiling at his nephew in Lily’s arms. “It won’t be too long before Xavier has a cousin. We just want to get married first.”
My eyes fell on Lily’s ring finger, noticing a diamond that hadn’t been there before. I cocked an eyebrow in question. Eva must have seen the ring at the same time; her eyes widened in gleeful surprise.
“When were you going to tell me?” Eva cried out.
“We didn’t want to take away from the birth,” Matt explained with a grin.
“Take away from it? Why would I be upset about even more happy news?” Eva exclaimed, laughing. “Oh guys, I’m so happy for you… Does this mean you’re moving to Liberty, Lily?”
She nodded almost too enthusiastically. “Yes, already put in my notice at my apartment and plan to be living here by the end of next month.”
Matt asked to hold the baby, and she reluctantly passed Xavier over to him. She held her hand out to Eva, and the two women gushed about Lily’s ring.
I reached into my pocket and felt the box. I had every intention of waiting and asking when the time was right, just the two of us. But I couldn’t think of any better time to ask than then, with our family together.
I cleared my throat and slipped the ring on Eva’s hand. She stared down at it in shock for a moment.
“I thought you might need a ring of your own,” I said with a shy smile. My heart pounded in my chest, and even though I was certain she wouldn’t say no, there was part of me that feared maybe she would.
She stared at me, then back at the ring. “Are you—”
“I’m asking you to marry me,” I said, completing her sentence.
Lily squealed again, jumping up and down beside Eva. “Say yes!”
“Of course I’m going to say yes,” Eva cried as tears welled in her eyes. Her hand began trembling as she reached for me. I kissed her deeply as she whispered, “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
Matt carried our son to us and handed him to Eva. Lily took some photos of our family.
“Get next to your sister,” Lily demanded of Matt. “I want one of you two and the baby.”
Matt sidled up to Eva’s side and asked her, “So sis, I’m going to ask the question I asked you in New York City, and I want you to be honest with me. Are you finally happy?”
Eva beamed at her brother. “I have never been happier.”
Epilogue
EVA
One Year Later
“We are gathered here today to celebrate the love of Evelyn Palmer Stone and Declan Wilde,” the officiant announced, and even still, I struggled to believe it was real.
We had a son and had built a life together, but there were days that I couldn’t believe Declan and I ended up together. All those years ago, I’d wanted nothing more than to spend my life with him, and when I left Liberty, I thought that was the end for us.
How wrong I was.
I stared at my dream man with the kind eyes and the dimples when he smiled, and I knew in my heart that we were always meant to be. No one understood me the way Declan had, and he’d been there for me through the hardest parts of my life.
Tears welled in his eyes as I read my vows to him.
When it came for him to recite the words he’d written himself, my heart swelled in my chest and I cried more tears than I could ever remember crying. Happy tears, of course. Because it was impossible not to be happy when we were together.
“Eva, you and Xavier are my entire world, and I would do anything for the two of you. I’d give up everything for you, and I know, in my heart, that we were always meant to be together. I almost lost you all those years ago, but clearly, we were meant to be together, as evidenced by us standing here today. I promise you, I will never give you a reason to run away from me again.”
I squeezed his hands in mine and counted down the seconds until I could kiss those sweet lips of his. I wanted nothing more than to be his wife for forever and always.
He’d proved to be an amazing father in the last year, not that I ever had any doubt. He was the kindest, gentlest person I’d ever met, and every day, he amazed me with how great he was with our son.
The rest of the officiant’s words were a blur until he said, “And now I pronounce you husband and wife. Declan, you may kiss your bride.”
Decl
an wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, pressing his lips to mine, and I swear there was a spark. Our friends and family cheered from their chairs, standing as we walked down the aisle.
Rose petals flew around us from every direction, and it was hard to see anything with the flash of the cameras, but I saw Lily and Matt, hand-in-hand, her pregnant belly more obvious by the day. Soon I would be an aunt, and I couldn’t wait.
Lily was working as a writer. She wrote a blog that was picking up steam and had written a book that would be published in the next few months about the current media climate and the impact it had on women’s self-esteem. I couldn’t be prouder of my best friend. She and Matt lived in our childhood home, which they’d fixed up for their growing family.
My mother was next to them holding Xavier up. Our son smiled as he saw his parents, and he reached for us as we walked by. I couldn’t resist taking my little boy in my arms, and together, we walked out of the church as a family.
Not that the marriage made it any more official; we’d been a family long before we said our vows.
The camera flashes no longer felt intimidating or scary to me, though I’ll admit it took a while. The press had hounded me for a few months, but eventually my quiet life in Liberty grew too boring for them, as I’d predicted. Lily sometimes wrote about my life, and she wrote honestly about it, giving my followers some news about me and the charity we were starting together.
We stepped out of the church into the streets of Liberty, and I was surrounded by a feeling of familiarity.
All those years, I’d dreaded returning to these streets, but now that I was there, all the bad memories were replaced by good ones.
And staring at my son and husband, I knew there were better memories to come.
Extended Epilogue
DECLAN
Three Years Later
Every Child Counts. It was a simple name, but it portrayed our values well. We’d opened several chapters around the country within a few years. Eva poured all her time and money into the organization, and I helped wherever I could, often teaching classes in architecture and design to high school students who would possibly go on to become future architects.
Lily taught writing workshops to children of all ages while her two little ones played with Xavier in the activity center.
Matt had put together basketball teams for several age groups, all mixed gender, and that was going very well. The kids enjoyed shooting hoops and getting in exercise and lessons in teamwork. Matt was a teacher, so it was clearly his passion, and he was great with the kids.
And of course, Eva was teaching art. Her love. She was always smiling brightly when I saw her. She was glowing even more now, as she was six months pregnant with our second child, this one a little girl. We had plans for at least one more, living our dream of having a big family together.
I walked up behind Eva as she finished a painting demonstration, wrapping my arms around her and hugging her tightly, Xavier at my side.
She giggled as she turned to me. “Finish with your group already?”
“Oh yeah, they’re fast learners They wanted to work on their group project anyway, and said they wanted to surprise me with it, so I took that to mean they wanted me to leave.”
She chuckled. “You do so well with them, you know.”
“I love it. Had I not gone into architecture, I could have seen myself as a teacher too.”
“Well, you’re a damned good one,” she said, kissing me, her large belly pressing into me. “But you have to get lost. I have another group coming in now.”
“Xavier and I can help, you know.” I picked up our little boy and we gave her our best puppy dog look. Truth be told, I enjoyed spending time with her and watching her teach. She was a natural and completely in her element.
She gave me a look and said, “Only if you promise to keep your hands to yourself, Mr. Wilde.”
“As hard as it can be, Mrs. Wilde, I think I can manage with the little ones around,” I teased, kissing her quickly before stepping away.
It was hard not to touch her, I had to admit. When you had a wife who was completely stunning in every way, like Eva, it was hard not to want to sneak away for some personal playtime with her, but as six- and seven-year-olds entered the room, I was on my best behavior.
“Mrs. Wilde!” a little girl cried, rushing toward Eva. “Felix said I looked pregnant!”
“He said what?” Eva said, staring down in shock at the little girl with bright red pigtails.
“He said I had a belly as big as yours,” she said, her lower lip trembling.
A little boy wasn’t too far behind her with an “Oh shit” look on his face. Eva’s gaze narrowed in on him. “Felix, did you tell Anna that she had a big belly?”
Felix shrugged and didn’t say anything, but his face said it all.
“Alright, class, here’s what we’re going to do,” she announced, her voice staying calm. “Take your seats. We’re going to talk about something other than painting for a moment.”
I took a seat on the floor since the chairs were all too small for me. Xavier played at the table nearby, drawing on some construction paper as I watched my wife take control of the classroom.
“Today, we’re going to have a little lesson on body image. I want you all to learn one very important thing today – all bodies are good bodies, and there is nothing wrong with you if your belly is a little bigger than someone else’s. We are all built differently, and that’s fine. It’s good even. Wouldn’t it be boring if we all looked the same?”
The kids all nodded slowly, and Anna had stopped crying.
My heart swelled with pride. My wife had struggled with these issues most of her life, and the world could be cruel, especially to women. Hearing her speak to these children about kindness and body acceptance, it hit me how important that message was. Not just for these kids, but for all of us. It was yet another reason she was an amazing mother. She was teaching our son, and soon our daughter, about kindness and accepting others.
She strived every day to make the world a kinder place, and I loved her for it.
She finished her little speech and shot me a smile. I gave her a thumbs up and mouthed the words, “You’re amazing.”
And she was. In every single way.
The End
Did you enjoy Eva and Declan’s steamy romance? Great news! Declan’s friend, Ezra, has a sexy enemies to lovers romance of his own and you can purchase the pre-order for a limited time pre-launch price of 99 cents! The price will go up to $3.99! Check it out here.
Meanwhile, have you read the other books in this bestselling Mountain Men of Liberty series? You can check out a sneak peek of Mountain Man’s Lucky Charm on the next page (this one is about Declan’s other good friend, Liam).
Mountain Man's Lucky Charm (Preview)
An Amazon Top Bestseller
"You're the only family these babies have."
Life is gravy until a call turns it all around.
1. My idiot brother is behind bars.
2. He's the father of two little girls.
3. And some fool in charge assigns ME as their legal guardian.
I'm ready to give the judge a piece of my mind.
But the minute I see my nieces for the very first time I'm speechless.
And just like that, my mountainous walls slowly begin to crumble...
Two adorable little angels.
Teary-eyed.
Scared and alone.
They don't deserve this.
Now it's up to me to make this right.
Then I meet Alex.
Answering my pathetic questions on an online parenting forum.
She's actually a smart sexy single mom to two little boys.
THE definition of MILF. And one h*ll of a mom.
I'd give anything for a chance to make a family with Alex.
But, can she ever see herself with a known playboy?
One thing's for certain, St. Patrick's Day is jus
t around the corner...
I'll use my Irish luck to charm my way into one special girl's heart.
Wish me luck!
Chapter 1
Liam
“Alright, lads! Next round on me!” I exclaimed as I slipped from the barstool, my feet almost missing the ground.
“I don’t know if you need anymore,” Ezra said with a serious expression on his face. I could count on my hand the number of times Ezra seemed to enjoy himself. Even when he was out with the guys, he seemed to have a stick up his ass.
“Why? You gonna make us all come into work tomorrow, boss?” My speech was slurred, but just a bit. “It’s Friday night, Ez. Loosen up, man.”
“I’m good,” Declan said, holding up his mostly full beer.
“As much as I’d love to join you, I have to be up early tomorrow,” Michael added.
“Yeah, what is it this time - your wife wants to take another couple’s pottery class or something?” Clark rolled his eyes.
“Nah, Becky’s going shopping with her mother. I have the kids to myself tomorrow, and Zoey is usually up early.”
Clark teased his stepbrother, Michael, often about his family, and even I thought that shit was getting old.
“That’s my cue to grab another beer,” I announced, not wanting to hear the bickering between the brothers. We were supposed to be having a fun night. “So, none for you, Ezra?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
I walked from our normal corner table up to the bar, leaning against it as I waited for the bartender to take my order. “One pint please.”
Milly had been working at the bar for as long as I’d been a customer, and I was just a wee lad back then. Long before the legal drinking age. Dad would drag me in the bar and Milly would serve me free soda all night, probably because she felt sorry for me. Things were different back then, of course. Bars no longer allowed children inside, which meant I likely would have been left at home or in the car when Dad went on his drinking binges. I was thankful for Milly’s kindness back then and the fact that she never gave me a hard time about how much of my paycheck was spent here week after week.