by Harley Wylde
“I do. It’s not that. The food looks wonderful, and I really am hungry.”
“Then what’s wrong?” I asked.
“I’m late.” Her gaze locked on mine. “Like three days late, which I know isn’t much. It could be nothing.”
“Late as in...”
“As in I might be pregnant.”
I swallowed the knot in my throat and shoved down the fear building inside of me. I still wasn’t convinced I wouldn’t be a shit dad, but I was going to do my best. I reached across the table and took her hand.
“Make an appointment for tomorrow. Don’t take no for an answer,” I said.
“You’re freaking out, aren’t you?”
“Maybe a little.” I smiled. “But we’ve got this. Plenty of room here for kids, right? As soon as we know for sure, we’ll work on setting up the nursery.”
“Shouldn’t we wait until we know what we’re having?” she asked.
“Maybe. Now eat. If you’re pregnant, you can’t keep skipping meals.”
“All right. Daddy.”
I shook my head but couldn’t stop smiling. That word wasn’t quite as scary as I’d always thought. Yeah, I’d had shit parents and didn’t know a damn thing about raising a kid, but Honey was levelheaded and the most amazing woman I’d ever met. She’d probably have the kid walking and talking a week after it was born. I’d have to do some research so I’d know what to expect, both during her pregnancy and in the first year of our kid’s life.
Damn. A kid.
I could do this. I could handle it. If the baby was half of Honey, then it would be one kickass child. She was smart, funny, sweet... and all of her good habits outweighed my bad ones. Or so I hoped. If the kid ended up anything like me, we were in some serious trouble.
“I booked some recording time this week,” I said. “Ben thinks he can help me launch a new career. Guess we’ll see how it goes. It’s a good thing you wanted me before you knew who I was, otherwise I’d worry that you’d take off now that I’m a nobody.”
She rolled her eyes. “Jace Devayne, you couldn’t be a nobody even if you tried. You might not be the bad boy rockstar anymore, but you’re still an incredible man with a voice that will make women scream for more. And you damn well know it.”
“I love you,” I said softly, catching and holding her gaze. “You’re my everything, Honey. I know it’s fast and insane, but I think I knew the second I saw you that you were special and meant to be mine.”
“I love you too.”
“We’re in this together, right? The baby, my new career... whatever life wants to dish out, we’ll handle it.”
“Together,” she said, smiling a little.
After dinner and dessert, I played some of the songs for her that I’d been working on in my spare time. She cried when I sang her song, and I knew I’d remember that moment for the rest of my life. Even if everyone else hated my new music, the fact that I’d moved my wife to tears was better than any amount of applause or sales. Knowing that I’d touched her in that moment, shared something almost spiritual with her, was more payment than I would ever need.
And if the fans like it too, then that would be awesome. I wanted to make my new music career work, even though it would take some time and effort. In the end, it would be worth it. I no longer had to force myself into a mold. I could be me, let the world see the true Jace Devayne, or at least the man I was becoming.
I stopped singing and realized I was being a selfish asshole. I’d been so focused on how my fans had handled the news of my marriage, I’d never once asked Honey if she’d received any backlash on social media.
“Honey, have you checked your accounts online, or any fan sites you might have?”
“Yes.” Her lips sealed tight.
“The hateful fans are attacking you, aren’t they?” I asked, sighing deeply. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
She waved a hand. “I’ve asked my readers not to engage with them, but it’s all out war. Those rocker groupies don’t stand a chance against a horde of men and women who want a happy ending. Besides, there’s nothing more dangerous than a person who reads.”
“What can I do to help?” I asked.
“Just love me,” she said. “And maybe pose for the occasional picture with me. My readers are asking for more photos of the two of us. Your fans might hate the fact we’re married, but mine think it’s the sweetest story ever. I think once your new music becomes available, they’ll buy every single album you release.”
“I don’t care if anyone buys them,” I said. “Just getting to do my own thing is enough for now.”
“Come on,” Honey said, tugging on my hand. “Bedtime. I’m exhausted, and from what I read earlier today, pregnant women need more sleep.”
I pressed a kiss to her temple. “Then I’ll make sure you get lots of rest.”
She eyed me. “You know, resting means I have to actually sleep when I’m in the bed. Having you make me scream your name probably isn’t considered all that restful.”
I smacked her ass. “I’m not a sex maniac, woman.”
“Uh-huh.”
“All right. So maybe when you’re around my dick stays hard, but I can keep it in my pants. The question is whether or not you can keep your hands to yourself tonight. I think you’ve gotten used to sex every night.”
“So full of yourself,” she said.
“I’d rather you be full of me.”
She laughed all the way to the bedroom, then fell asleep within seconds of her head hitting the pillow. And I didn’t mind in the slightest. Watching her sleep, holding her close, it was more than enough. I loved my sweet Honey more than anything else in life, including my music. She was my world, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life showing just how much I loved her.
Epilogue
HONEY
Nine Months Later
“Jace Devayne, so help me God, I’m going to rip off your balls if you ever do this to me again!” I screamed as another contraction hit and I felt like our son was trying to rip me in two.
“Breathe, baby,” he said.
I squeezed his hand until he winced, then panted my way through another contraction. Why had I refused drugs? Why? Jace was fucking huge, so it stood to reason his kid would be too. I was regretting my decision right now.
“Time to push,” the doctor said.
I screamed with every push and then wanted to cry in relief when my son vacated my body. The baby cried long and loud as the nurses cleaned him up.
“Congratulations, Mom and Dad,” the nurse said as she laid our son on my chest.
“Hello, Lucas Devayne,” I said, running a finger over his perfect little nose.
“You did good, baby. He’s as beautiful as his mom.”
“And as punctual as his dad,” I teased.
“I got here as fast as I could,” he said. “I left in the middle of my first concert, but when I explained to the fans my son was on his way into the world, they cheered me off the stage and even cleared a path for me.”
“And you were worried no one would like your new songs.”
“Thank you,” he said softly.
“For what?”
“Loving me. Believing in me. Giving me a beautiful son and making me the happiest man on earth. I can’t imagine anything I could possibly want or need that isn’t right here in this room with me.”
Tears stung my eyes as he kissed them, then our son started fussing. The nurse helped him latch on for the first time, and as I fed Lucas, Jace kissed me. It wasn’t one of the heated, passionate kisses that had made me melt when we first met, but it was sweeter and one I would hold close to my heart always.
No matter how many times I heard him say he loved me, no matter how often he held me close or made love to me, it would never be enough.
“Jace Devayne, I love you. So very much.”
“I love you too, Mrs. Devayne. I can’t get enough of you. Never will.”
My heart warmed and I was happie
r in that moment than I’d ever been. I didn’t know what the future held for us, but with Jace and Lucas, I had everything. As long as we were together, as long as I had my family, then nothing else mattered. We were each strong individually, but together... together we were indestructible.
~*~ The End ~*~
ABOUT HARLEY
Harley is the International Bestselling author of the Dixie Reapers MC and Devil’s Boneyard MC series. She writes over the top hot books with sexy, alpha men who go after what they want, and the women who can’t resist them.
Find more books by Harley by visiting harleywylde.com ...
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Other Books by Harley Wylde
Dixie Reapers Series
Venom
Torch
Rocky
Bull
Preacher
Tex
Zipper
Wraith
Devil’s Boneyard Series
Jackal
Scratch
Havoc – coming Jan. 2019
Bad Boy Romance Series
Grease Monkey
Cuffs & Kink
Against the Wall