When Aaron kissed his bride for the first time, I looked at Amelia again.
She looked at me and fanned herself as she stuck out her tongue.
She rolled her eyes, trying to play it cool even though she wanted to cry at the wedding.
Pregnancy looked good on Amelia.
I looked good on Amelia.
Forever looked good on Amelia.
We ate. We danced. We laughed.
I held her close during the slow songs and whispered sometimes romantic and sometimes filthy things into her ear. Life was about balance. Always about balance. Except when it came to the way I felt about Amelia. That was one direction… me falling over and over for her.
Aaron carried Rae out of the reception with Toby running after them.
I took Amelia by the hand and we snuck out the back.
We ran through wet grass from the rain earlier in the day. She yelled and laughed as water splashed all over her beautiful dress and my rented tux.
When we got to my truck, I pinned her against it and kissed her like the world was on fire. She sometimes felt off because of her belly, but I never for a second took her or her belly for granted. I’d arch my back like a fucking acrobat to kiss her properly, no matter how big her belly got.
I took her home, took that beautiful dress off her beautiful body, held her by her curvy hips, and loved her until she rolled to her back and put her foot to my chest and told me to leave her alone. She said it with a wink and blew me a kiss.
I could never get enough of her.
Ever.
She rolled up in her favorite blanket in the corner of the bedroom in our apartment. She insisted on putting the bed in the corner to make it like it used to be in my old place.
The apartment was good enough for now.
A bedroom for us. A bedroom for the baby.
But having a house burned in the back of my mind.
Her kid stories were being purchased by some publisher. I knew nothing of that world, but she loved what she did. I painted and had my gallery showings with Sasha. A coffeehouse opened up next door after I decided I didn’t want that space at all. Aaron made money and Sasha got all the coffee she could drink.
Amelia’s roommate cried when I helped Amelia move out. They promised to remain friends, which came with a warning that the gift for the baby would be cat related. Funny thing that happened… Grace’s new roommate came with two cats.
For the record, I still made pussy jokes.
I stood and watched Amelia sleep as I picked up the pieces of my tux. I balled them up and tossed them to the dresser. I left the bedroom and went to the kitchen for a much-needed beer. After twisting off the cap, I walked to the nursery and stood in the doorway. I laughed at the white crib with pink blankets. The everything white and pink of the room challenged the blackness I had come to love about myself and my heart.
They had changed me.
A hundred times over.
My girls. My loves.
Amelia and Delilah.
I looked at the letters above the crib.
DELILAH
It was a pretty simple decision. Amelia brought it up first even though I had been thinking about it for a while.
Now all we could do was wait.
There were three weeks to go…
… but in reality, we had a lifetime.
More from Jaxson
Stay social with Jaxson:
Readers List Newsletter: bit.ly/jk-readerslist
Jaxson Kidman Facebook fan page: www.bit.ly/JK-facebook
Jaxson Kidman Official Facebook group: www.bit.ly/jk-group
True Romance Obsession Facebook book page: www.bit.ly/TRO-facebook
Instagram @kidmanthejaxson
Look for more heart wrenching, emotional upcoming novels including:
THE WRONG SIDE
LAYNE’S HOUSE
Other bestselling novels by Jaxson include:
5 Years Later
Somebody Else (& Nobody Else)
Dear Everly,
Imagine Us
Anna’s Dress
Let You Go
When I’m Gone
What You Don’t Know
Every Other Weekend
Check out the books here:
Jaxson’s Amazon Page
PLEASE NOTE DARLIN’ - DEPENDING YOUR DEVICE, SOME OF THE LINKS ABOVE MAY NOT BE SUPPORTED. IF YOU’RE READY TO READ MORE OF MY BOOKS, JUST JUMP OVER TO AMAZON.COM AND TYPE IN JAXSON KIDMAN INTO THE SEARCH BOX AND EVERYTHING WILL SHOW UP. FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME PERSONALLY AT [email protected] FOR ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR EVEN MY PERSONAL SUGGESTIONS OF WHAT TO READ NEXT!
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. (This also includes the cover image and/or cover model(s) appearing on the cover. The context of this book does not in any way depict the personal life of said cover model(s). Image is licensed and used purely for fictional purpose only.)
First electronic edition October 2020
Copyright © 2019 by Jaxson Kidman
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part of any form.
Copyright image iStock/DepositPhotos
Copyright cover Cosmic Letters / Cormar Covers