by Aleo, Toni
“Welcome home, baby.”
I lean over, meeting Jude in the middle for a long, lusty kiss. He tangles his fingers in my hair, and everything catches on fire. But that’s kissing Jude; he lights me from within.
Always has, always will.
As I step out of the car, Jude gets Harrison. I walk around the car as Jude walks toward me, holding the car seat. I hold up my phone. “Let me take a picture!”
He rolls his eyes, completely over my picture-taking, but I don’t care. These are memories! I snap one of him grinning while Harrison sleeps soundly. “Got it!”
He laughs as he takes my hand, and we head toward the house. Everything is so peaceful around us, and I can’t wait to sit on the back porch with a cup of coffee and my baby in my lap. When I hear chatter, loud chatter, Sinclair chatter, I look at Jude, and he shrugs. “I think everyone is in the back.”
I nod as he opens the door for me, and I walk in. A huge sigh of relief leaves my lips when I see the house is completely set up. No boxes, no signs of moving whatsoever. It’s all like it was back in Minnesota, and it almost makes me cry. I love my family.
“I owe our family so much.”
Jude takes my hand. “No way. This is what family does.” A grin takes over my face as he looks over at me. “Let’s go check out Harrison’s room.”
“But—”
“They’re fine for a second. Plus, I want to take him out of this carrier so my mom doesn’t grab for him.”
I laugh as he leads me down the hall. All our pictures from over the years are hanging on the walls of the hallway, just as I would have done it. Our wedding, him winning the Cup, me at the dance studio, and even some of us from college. Family pictures, all our nieces and nephews, and a few candids of us with friends. Our life in pictures. I’ll need to get some prints of Harrison, but I have time.
When I reach the end of the hallway and see the huge photo of us with Tristan and Harrison on the day he was born, my breath catches.
“Oh.”
Jude grins. “Lucy’s doing.”
“I love her,” I say softly as he pulls me into Harrison’s room. Man, my sister-in-law is a genius. The room is decorated in a nautical theme. Anchors are everywhere, and above his white crib is his name in rope. Beside it are two quotes, “For this child we prayed.” and “Your first breath took ours away.”
“I really love your sister,” I say as my voice breaks.
I cover my mouth while he smiles. “Yeah, she really did a great job.”
I look around at all the shots of us with Harrison over the last couple weeks. Lucy made sure to use this space to celebrate our gorgeous son. It’s perfect. When Jude stands, Harrison makes a disgruntled noise, but Jude laughs. “Get used to it, buddy. You’re about to meet everyone.”
“Yup,” I agree, wrapping him back up in his blanket. I go to take the beanie off Harrison’s head, but Jude smacks my hand away.
“Leave it. We’re twins.”
My heart can’t take it. “It’s hot.”
“And you’ve got him in a blanket,” he challenges, and I roll my eyes.
“Fine,” I say, taking the blanket off, and Jude cuddles him to his chest. Of course, it’s the perfect picture, so I take one despite my husband’s annoyance. “Get used to it.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he mumbles as he kisses Harrison, and we head out of the room. As I walk through the house, I marvel at how perfect it all is. I owe Lucy anything she wants. All she’ll need to do is ask. When we reach the sliding doors at the back, my face breaks into a huge grin. Our whole family is out there with balloons that read “Welcome home!”
“They went all out.”
“That’s how we do things,” Jude says, sliding the door open, and when everyone sees us, they start cheering and yelling. Soon, we are wrapped up in hugs and kisses, and I’m whole. So damn whole. As I expected, Autumn gets Harrison first, and while I watch her gush over him, tears fill my eyes. She’s so happy, like it’s her first grandbaby…when really, it’s her ninth.
“Well, aren’t you the cutest little thing in the world?” she asks, and I lean into Reese as she wraps her arms around my neck, kissing my head.
“I’m so proud of you,” she whispers in my ear, and yup, the tears start.
“He is absolutely perfect, Claire,” Autumn says, cupping my face. “We are all so proud of you. This baby is going to be so loved.”
“He’s everything we didn’t even know we needed,” I gush as I wipe a little dribble from his lips. “Jude is a mess. He doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing.”
They both laugh. “He’ll learn. But you, you’re a natural.”
I wipe my cheeks. “I’ve wanted this for so long.”
“The greatest things are worth the wait,” Reese says, kissing my cheek.
When Phillip comes over, he pulls me into his arms, kissing my forehead. “I love you, kid.”
I cuddle deep into his chest. “I love you.”
He holds me as we look down at Harrison, and I can’t describe what I’m feeling. Soon, Harrison is passed around, and as I assumed, he is adored. Everyone gushes over him—the girls love him to pieces, and even the boys make a big deal over him.
When Lucy gets him, she kisses both his cheeks, and I see the tears in her eyes. “I am so happy for you guys.”
“Thank you,” I say as emotion chokes me. “The room is perfect.”
“Oh, I’m so glad. Jude gave me the green light. Mom was trying to block my creativity, but I knew what this little dude needed.”
I nod. “You did. Thank you.”
She doesn’t take her eyes off Harrison, completely in love with him. “The perfect room for the perfect gift from above.”
When Jamieson finally gets to him, his little eyes widen in amazement of the baby. “We’re gonna be best friends.”
I nod. “Yup.”
“We have to wait to play hockey with him, right?” Jamieson asks me, and I nod again.
“Just a little bit. Maybe a year.”
He nods with a determined look on his face. “I’ll teach him everything I know.”
“Oh, good. You’re the best and all,” I say, hugging him to my side.
He nods happily, and then Autumn takes Harrison once more. Jude stands on one side of her as I do on the other. When our eyes meet, I nod, and he grins.
“Hey, Mom, did you see his shirt?”
Autumn furrows her brow. “His shirt?”
Jude takes him, and I come around so that I can flatten it for her to read. Her brows draw in even more, and then she screams before she wraps her arms around me.
“What?” Phillip yells, and Reese comes over. She looks at me as chills run through my body and my heart pounds in my chest.
“Really?” she asks.
I nod, and she covers her mouth.
“What?” Phillip asks again, and she turns to him so he can look too.
With his eyes focused, he reads aloud, “I just got here, but I’m being promoted to big brother.”
When my uncle looks at me, his eyes glaze over as everything clicks. I nod, my own tears streaming down my cheeks. He lets out a cry of relief before he pulls me into his arms, holding me close. A sob leaves my lips as he holds me. “Oh, Claire.”
I nod against his chest. “I know. I can’t believe it either.”
“We both can’t,” Jude laughs, and when I look at him, he’s crying too. “We were both convinced it was negative. But the doctor came in and said it was positive and her levels were high. We even took another test at the hotel. All positive.”
I wipe my face free of tears. “There is still a chance—”
“No,” Autumn says, stopping me. “This is God’s work. He did all this—all these changes and all these blessings. That baby is coming, and we are gonna have baby number ten. Right, River?”
River wipes his face as he hugs Jude. “Right. I feel it.”
I do too.
“I don’t think I’ve ever bee
n so happy in my life,” Reese cries, and then everyone is crying.
Jude pulls me into his arms, and as I look around, seeing everyone crying and showering us with love, I honestly don’t know how I can be so blessed. Jude looks down at me as his hand slides over my belly, and my lips tilt. I want to believe that this baby will stick and we’ll have it in nine months. But if it doesn’t, I know we’ll be okay because we have each other. Each day we have together is a blessing, a miracle, and I am so lucky to have found the man who loves me unconditionally.
“I don’t think I could be any happier,” I say, and he bends his head down to mine, kissing my nose.
“Me either, Mama,” he whispers, his green eyes burning into mine. “I look at you, I look at Harrison, and all I hear right now is that song playing in my head.”
I look at him quizzically. “What song?”
“The one I sang to you at our wedding, ‘All of Me.’”
My lips curve. “Really?”
“Yeah, and Claire, no matter what happens, no matter how many changes are thrown at us, all of me loves all of you. All of Harrison, and all of the new baby.”
My throat is thick with emotion as I cup his face. “I have never felt such truer words.”
He moves his nose against mine. “I love you, Mama.”
With no hesitation at all, I whisper, “I love you, Daddy.”
And just as our lips meet, Harrison lets out the loudest fart known to man.
We smile so big as we look down at the wide-eyed baby who is all ours, and Jude kisses my head.
“I’ll try not to use the whole box.”
I squeeze his jaw. “You got this.”
He doesn’t look convinced, but I believe it.
Because he never lets me down.
THE END
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Also by Toni Aleo
NASHVILLE ASSASSINS
Breaking Away
Laces and Lace
A Very Merry Hockey Holiday
Wanting to Forget
Overtime
Rushing the Goal
Puck, Sticks, and Diapers
Face-off at the Altar
Delayed Call
Twenty-Two
In the Crease
Nashville Assassins: Next Generation
Dump & Chase
Bellevue Bullies Series
Boarded by Love
Clipped by Love
Hooked by Love
End Game
IceCats Series
Juicy Rebound
Wild Tendy (COMING THIS SUMMER!)
Taking Risks
Whiskey Prince
Becoming the Whiskey Princess
Whiskey Rebellion
Patchwork Series
(Paranormal)
Pieces
Broken Pieces
Spring Grove Novels
(Small-town romances)
Not the One
Small-Town Sweetheart
Standalones
Let it be Me
Two-Man Advantage
Misadventures
(Standalones)
Misadventures with a Rookie
Misadventures of a Manny
Assassins Series
Taking Shots
Trying to Score
Empty Net
Falling for the Backup
Blue Lines
Acknowledgments
A HUGE thank you to you. For reading this book!
Thank you to my family and friends.
Thank you to Lisa, my amazing editor; my fantastic betas, Heather, Jessica, Laurie, Susie, Nikki, Franci, and Althea; and my out-of-this-world cover designer, Lori. You guys made this book everything it is.
I hope you enjoyed this awesome little short story. Make sure to preorder Wild Tendy!!!!
Love,
Toni
About Toni Aleo
My name is Toni Aleo, and I’m a #PredHead, #sherrio, #potterhead, and part of the #familybusiness!
I am also a wife to my amazing husband, mother of a gamer and a gymnast, and also a fur momma to Gaston el Papillion & Winnie Pooh.
While my beautiful and amazing Shea Weber has been traded from my Predators, I’m still a huge fan. But when I’m not cheering for him, I’m hollering for the whole Nashville Predators since I’ll never give my heart to one player again.
When I’m not in the gym getting swole, I’m usually writing, trying to make my dreams a reality, or being a taxi for my kids.
I’m obsessed with Harry Potter, Supernatural, Disney, and anything that sparkles! I’m pretty sure I was Belle in a past life, and if I could be on any show, it would be Supernatural so I could hunt with Sam and Dean.
Also, I did mention I love hockey, right?
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