I was distracted enough that when I opened the box, it took my brain several seconds to actually process what I was seeing.
A Christmas ornament. A shiny red globe with fancy gold script that said Merry Christmas, Dad.
“Nyx?” My voice was hoarse as I raised my head. “Is this…?”
She nodded, the smile on her face far too cautious for such great news, and I knew that was because she was worried about my reaction.
I carefully set the ornament on the nearby table to keep it safe, and then I grabbed her and pulled her onto my lap, my mouth crashing into hers as I cupped her face in my hands. I kissed her breathless before I spoke again, but even after I stopped kissing her, I kept my arms around her.
“When?” I asked.
“When did it happen, or when did I find out?” She let out a watery laugh. “We haven’t exactly been careful about remembering condoms the last few months because I was on the pill, but remember before Thanksgiving when I was taking antibiotics?”
“Shit.” I realized how it sounded the moment the word left my mouth, and I tightened my hold on her. “That’s a ‘shit, right, I forgot,’ not a ‘shit we messed up.’”
She laughed. “I know what you meant. ‘Shit’ would’ve come as soon as you saw the ornament if you meant it the second way.”
I kissed her forehead. “Have you known the whole time we were here?”
She shook her head. “I suspected, but I didn’t want to risk a false positive with a store test, so I went to the doctor the day before we left and had her take some blood. She called Monday afternoon.”
The day she’d met with Rafael the first time here, I remembered. Funny how the world worked sometimes. The same day I was worrying that she didn’t want to marry me was the same day she found out that our family was about to grow by one.
“I know we’ve both said we wanted kids, but we hadn’t really talked about when,” she said.
I put my finger under her chin and tipped her head back so our eyes could meet. “I love you.” I moved my hand to her stomach but kept my eyes on her. “And I love our child. Timing doesn’t matter.”
Something tight in her released, and she pressed her face against my shoulder. I kissed the top of her head, and we stayed like that until the oven buzzed, telling us that our breakfast was ready. We didn’t say much as we ate, but the way we looked at each other was enough to know we were thinking along the same lines.
Last Christmas had changed our lives because we’d gotten engaged. This Christmas, we were married. Next Christmas, we’d be parents.
When we’d run into each other – literally – at the airport, had I had even a glimmer of an idea that my entire future would be this woman and the family we’d build together? I couldn’t say that I’d seen all of this, but there had been something. A connection. Maybe even a premonition that nothing would ever be the same. All I knew for certain was that I’d never truly understood what home meant until I’d accepted what I felt for Nyx.
And I needed to make sure she knew it.
I stood up and took our dirty dishes to the sink, then I turned back to Nyx and held out my hand. She took it and let me pull her to her feet.
“You look like you’re up to something,” she teased.
“I am.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “We’ve got a whole bag of toys to play with, and I intend to use every single one to show you just how much I love you, and I love the family we’re making together.”
The smile that spread across her face made her glow. “Lead the way.”
So, I did.
The Club Prive Series
Thank you for reading a book in the Club Prive series. Each collection can be read stand-alone, but if you’d like to read the entire series, I suggest reading them in the following order:
1. Club Prive (Carrie’s Story)
2. Chasing Perfection (Krissy’s Story)
3. Unlawful Attraction (Dena’s Story)
4. A Legal Affair (Leslie’s Story)
5. Collide (Bryne’s Story)
6. The Hunter Brothers Complete
7. The Darker Trilogy.
Acknowledgments
First, I would like to thank all of my readers. Without you, my books would not exist. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.
A big THANK YOU goes out to all the Facebook fans, street team, beta readers, and advanced reviewers. You are a HUGE part of the success of all my series.
Also thank you to my editor Lynette. You make my ideas and writing look so good.
About the Author
M. S. Parker is a USA Today Bestselling author and the author of over fifty spicy romance series and novels.
Living part-time in Las Vegas, part-time on Maui, she enjoys sitting by the pool with her laptop writing her next spicy romance.
Growing up all she wanted to be was a dancer, actor and author. So far only the latter has come true but M. S. Parker hasn’t retired her dancing shoes just yet. She is still waiting for the call to appear on Dancing With The Stars.
When M. S. isn't writing, she can usually be found reading– oops, scratch that! She is always writing.
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