by Lindsey Hart
The hint of a blush appeared on Shane’s cheekbones. “They were there when you opened it?”
“Of course. I got back to work late, and they were still there working on projects. I think they stayed just to make sure I opened it.”
“Maybe I should thank them then?”
“Your sense of humor is a unique brand, let’s just say that. I don’t know if Laney was disgusted or charmed.”
“Is it possible to be both?”
Rayvn shook her head, smiling wryly. “I don’t know. Maybe. I want to hear you say it, Shane. That you’re in this if you’re in. I’m not going to stick around if you’re not willing to give this thing your everything. I know sometimes things don’t work out in the end and, well, that’s a chance we’ll have to take, but if they don’t work out because you’re going to bail on me half way through or get scared and run off or make lame excuses then-”
“I’m not going to bail on you.” Shane shifted, closing the gap between them. He took one of her hands, which she suddenly realized was ice cold. He wrapped it up in his larger, stronger ones and chaffed it until the warmth started to seep back into her joints. “I swear to you, Rayvn. I’m not going to quit half way through. I want this. I want to do this with you.”
“What’s this?”
“All of it? Everything? Everything that is good and everything that isn’t. All the pretty stuff and all the ugly shit too. I want it all with you.”
“How do you know, though? It hasn’t been long enough. What if all of this just turns into a disaster and we end up hating each other?”
“Isn’t that the chance everyone takes? Normally I would say you’re right and we don’t stand a chance. Normally my skeptic, realistic self who doesn’t believe in romance and bullshit would tend to say that everything basically gets all fucked up eventually. I would say that we shouldn’t even try… but then I met you and I realized just how much I’d been missing out on by thinking that way. Really it was just a way for me to try and hide behind something. You know my past. You know that I haven’t manned up and that I’ve let myself take the easy way out.”
“Yes, I know. Maybe I’ve done the same.” Rayvn glanced down at their hands, which were still joined together. The warm from his touch seemed to spread, permeating her entire chest.
“We’ve both been hurt in the past. You, more than me. I was hurt by watching someone else get hurt. I haven’t even taken a single risk. I know what you’ve been through, Rayvn, and I swear, I will do everything in my power not to hurt you. We can’t know that it will work, but we can try. The whole hundred percent thing. I’m not going to give up halfway. I’ll do my best every single day to make you feel like you are the only woman in the world. To me, you are.”
“And you know this after a month?”
“I think so.”
She looked up and found Shane studying her. He smiled slowly, and it transformed his entire visage. He looked so sweet, so trusting, so vulnerable, that she couldn’t say no.
“If you want the truth, I’ll tell you the truth. I want to say yes. I want to say yes so badly. I tried to think about cutting you out of my life these past few days. It didn’t really work. It hurt me more than anything. I’m scared. You’re scared. I think everyone is scared. Maybe we’ll settle in and just be scared about losing each other, not losing our love. I think when you have kids it’s even worse. You’re afraid every single minute of the day for that child, because you love them so much.”
“I can’t imagine losing a child, Rayvn. I can’t understand what you went through. There is nothing I can say that will make it better, at least, I don’t think so. All I can do is try and be here for you. I’ll try and make you happy. I want to make you laugh. I want to look after you when you need it. I want to be here for you. I swear I’ll never tell you who you have to be or what you have to do with your life. I just want to be a part of it. Even just a little bit, if you can share that with me, would be worth it.”
“Even friendship?”
“If that’s what it’s going to take, then yes.” His hand tightened around hers. “Because I know that eventually you’ll see my charming side and you’ll come around. Even if I have to steal entire yards worth of flowers…”
Rayvn couldn’t keep a straight face any longer. She laughed and god, it felt good. All the tension spilled out of her and she literally watched Shane’s shoulders slump with relief.
“You are such a goof,” she giggled. “I can’t believe you actually sent a condom poked full of holes in that card. That’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
“Good. I was betting on you enjoying that, not getting real mad and reporting me for being a sick individual.”
“Who would I report you to?’
“I don’t know. The cops?”
“You are such a dork. Now please, hug me and then kiss me and take me to your room. I want to be friends, but I don’t just want that. I want you, Shane. I want you to keep making me laugh and keep being ridiculous and keep learning all this stuff with me along the way. I don’t have any more answers than you do. I might have believed in marriage and all that, but it ended up as a failure. I guess maybe I was the same as you were. Maybe I didn’t believe in any of it either, when it came right down to it. When I met you though… I tried very hard not to like you. Very hard. It backfired. I do like you. I do enjoy you. I want to keep doing that. I think if we can always keep laughing, we’ll be fine.”
“Laughing? Well, that’s easy. Everyone knows that I’m pretty much always good for a laugh. Seriously though, maybe when the bad comes, if we can cry and grieve and scream and whatever else we need to do… if we can do it together, maybe we will be alright. I’m still scared, Rayvn, but being away from you was the worst. It was worse than anything I’ve ever felt in my life. I still might not believe in marriage and cheesy romance, but I do believe in you. I want you.”
“Well then,” Rayvn breathed. “Are you going to kiss me or do I have to force you?”
“Force me?” Shane grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
He pulled Rayvn towards him and she went with a little gasp of surprise. He wrapped his arms around her and bent his head and the minute his mouth slanted over hers, she somehow just knew that whatever came at them, whatever the future held, they would come out of it alright.
EPILOGUE
Shane
There was nothing more beautiful in the world than watching the woman he loved hold their new baby daughter. Her hair was a knotted mess, she was still soaked in sweat. Her body was trembling with the aftershocks of just going through eight painful hours of labor and pushing, but she looked like an angel.
She’d handled it like a champ. Every agonizing minute of it. He, on the other hand, had never felt so helpless in his life. Watching Rayvn in that kind of pain, unable to do anything for her at all, but rub her back or squeeze her hand or offer words he hoped were helpful, it was a new experience for him. He was used to being the strong one, the one who protected her.
He was terrified through every single minute of those eight hours. Rayvn’s water broke at two in the afternoon. She’d been standing in the kitchen lecturing him about putting the crib together since he hadn’t quite got around to doing it and then, bam! Her water was leaking down her legs and suddenly, the whole having a baby thing got real.
By the time they arrived at the hospital an hour later, her contractions were already twenty seconds apart. It turned out once their daughter decided to make her entrance into the word, she wanted to come in a hurry.
“Harmony Jade Rempel,” Rayvn whispered as she stroked their daughter’s bald little head.
The nurse hovering beside them was going to take their child soon, weigh her and clean her and swaddle her and put on one of those little pink knit hats that they’d seen in all the birthing videos they’d watched during their classes.
Soon, but not yet. For a minute longer, she was Rayvn’s alone. That first touch, a mother’s f
irst joyous tears on seeing their child, that first cry… Shane would never forget any of it. It was the most beautiful thing in the entire world.
“And to think there was a time when I said I didn’t want this,” he whispered thickly as he bent over the edge of the bed and kissed Rayvn’s forehead. She didn’t react to the splash of moisture that trailed down his cheek and hit right below her hairline. Maybe she didn’t feel it.
Her dark eyes twinkled as she looked up at him. “You looked like you didn’t want it when I was pushing. I thought you were going to fall right over.”
“Believe me, I was close. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“We watched all those videos…”
“Not the same. So not the same.”
“But it was a miracle, right? Please tell me that you’re really not going to decide to never have sex with me again now that you’ve seen me give birth to a human being.”
“Oh god no.” He grinned. He reached out, so very gently, and laid a hand on his daughter’s cheek. It was wrinkled and red, the skin a little dry from being nearly two weeks overdue. She was so soft, so dainty, so entirely perfect. “You can’t get out of it that easy. You’re pretty much still stuck with me for life.”
Rayvn smiled back softly. She looked at him as though there wasn’t a room full of nurses and a doctor looking her over, ready to stitch her up if she needed it. She looked at him like she hadn’t just gone through the worst pain of her life. Birth. He really never thought he’d witness it. He never thought he’d find anything that was actually pretty damn gross to be so miraculous and beautiful.
“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
The nurse behind them reached in for their daughter then. Rayvn handed her over gently, if a little unwillingly. She knew she’d get her back right away.
Shane took her hand, threading their fingers together tightly. “It’s been an amazing two years, Rayvn.”
“I hope you won’t change your mind about that now that you have poopy diapers to change and a crying infant to keep you up all night.”
“Not a chance on that either. You’re stuck with me, poor girl. Poor girls. Both of you. Stuck with me for life.”
“Our daughter will be lucky to have you as a dad. There is no one better.”
“Cross your fingers. I haven’t given it a shot yet. Not really.”
Rayvn’s eyes filled up with love. Aside from creating a human and carrying it inside of herself and giving birth, she was the most amazing woman in so many other ways. In every other way. She was entirely perfect for him. He never thought that he’d be one to fall in love, but when he fell, he fell hard. The hardest.
He couldn’t imagine not loving Rayvn or not having her in his life. She was the best part of it. She was the reason he woke up each morning, excited to face the day. She made every single moment together special.
And if that was corny and cheesy and romantic and whatever else he’d always hated, then he was fine with being the ultimate cliché.
“Our rainbow baby,” Rayvn sighed. “She’s finally here. I can’t believe it. I’m so excited to take her home and really start our lives as a family.”
“A family,” Shane sighed. “I like that. “My mom will be banging down our door the minute we’re home. And Nina and Chet.”
“And my parents. They’ll be coming in a few days I’m sure. My sister can’t get time off, but she’ll be here next month. It seems that we’ll never be alone again.”
“Don’t worry. More people to watch Harmony means more time that I actually do get to spend alone with you.”
Rayvn raised a brow. “At the moment I wish I could say that I never want to go through that again, but I’m already a liar.”
Shane gave her a mock startled look. “Oh my god. You can’t mean to have more children? Just how many are you planning on? Do I get a say in this?”
She raised a hand and set it gently on his cheek. He leaned in and kissed her. They’d already discussed kids. Not a kid. Kids. They both agreed that if it happened, they’d try again, so that their child could have a sibling. He knew how important his brother was in his life and how much he missed him before he’d come back. Rayvn had a sister she was always close with.
“We’ll give it some time. I’m just so happy to enjoy this.” Rayvn’s eyes danced. “You’ve given me everything I ever wanted, Shane.”
“I haven’t asked you to be my wife yet though.” He leaned in and brushed her parched lips with a gentle kiss.
“No,” she said softly when he pulled back. “You haven’t. But I’m fine with that. I’m fine with being just us. The thing is, marriage was never a deal breaker for me. I know that you love me and cherish me and that you’d do anything for me. I know that you would give your life to keep me and now, our daughter safe. I know that I have your entire heart. A piece of paper isn’t going to change that.”
“And yet, if you wanted it, in the future, just say the word.”
She blinked, actually shocked. “You’d do that for me?”
“Marry you,” he winked. “Of course. Maybe all this time I was just pretending to be so against it.”
“Have I ever told you that you’re a dork?” she snorted and punched him in the arm.
“Only all the time.”
He grinned down at her, truly the happiest man in the world. He had a hell of a lot of regrets. He knew he hadn’t always lived his life the best way possible. He hadn’t done much of anything to deserve the blessings he had. He knew that and he’d always be thankful for them. Every single one of them. He’d taken a chance when he needed to, and more importantly, Rayvn took that chance with him. No, he didn’t deserve her, but he’d spend every single day of his life trying to be worthy of her love. He truly was the luckiest man that ever lived. Maybe the romance stuff wasn’t so bad after all.
LIST OF BOOKS
By Lindsey Hart
Love Contract
A Christmas Proposal
The Roommate: A Sizzling Stepbrother Romance
Beastly Love Boxset
A Husband for Beauty
Beautiful Encounter
Captivated by The Beast
Jordan
Scars of Love
Free & Wild
Burning Touch
Against His Will
Her Captor
LOVE CONTRACT
Available in the kindle store HERE
3 dates for one million dollars. Those were the conditions he stipulated on the contract.
Do I turn him down? Of course not, even though I have all these good reasons why I should:
Reason #1: I barely know the guy.
Reason #2: I have absolutely no idea why the hell he wants a date with ME of all people. It was not like there was anything special about me. No illusions there, thank you very much.
Reason #3: He was my Best Friend's Brother for god’s sake. Totally off limits!
Reason #4: Did I mention he makes my heart flutter like crazy? I definitely do not want to end up with a heart attack before I'm even out of my twenties.
See, I should have turned down his offer ...
BEASTLY LOVE BOXSET
A Romance Collection
FREE in KU
An amazing retelling of your favorite fairy tales in Modern Contemporary with guaranteed HEA!!
LINDSEY HART
Book 1 – Captivated by The Beast
She was going to be spending one whole month alone with this man. He was the artist and she had been paid to be his model.
But what secrets was he hiding? Why was he living here in this mansion all by himself?
Did he really need her here just to paint her portrait?
Book 2 – Beautiful Encounter
A modern-day retelling of The Little Mermaid.
She had been there on that day when he nearly drowned. She'd watched as he gave his heart away to her best friend. But now he was back again.
Book 3 – A Husband for Beauty
H
e was her husband. That's what everyone said. But she has no memories whatsoever of having married this hunk.
Exclusive Content!
Book 4 – Beauty & The Jerk
Stephane Hayes.
A Billionaire. A Hunk. A Playboy. And a Huge Jerk!
Mia still remembered that time he called her an ugly little duckling. Admittedly, they had been kids but that comment still rankled.
Meeting him again thirteen years later had not changed one thing. She still hated him.
And she hated even more seeing him flirt with her sister.
"Why don’t we play a little game?” he asked.
“What sort of game?”
“A challenge,” Stephane said, his eyes glittering. “I’ll stay away from your sister. But only if you can resist me for the rest of the trip.”
The nerve of him. Well, she was about to show him just how much of a loser he was. He thought he was God’s gift to woman. Time for a rude awakening. There was no way she was going to be letting herself be seduced, come hell and high water!
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Table of Contents
BOOK DESCRIPTION
COPYRIGHT
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6