EMBER - The Free Novella Read online

  The corner of his mouth pulls up into a small smile. "You'll have to commute to go back-and-forth getting things ready for your gallery showing. Our doctor is here too."

  She is and she's wonderful. When we saw her for the first time today I knew that she was the perfect fit for Dane and me. Our baby is growing just as it should be and in a few weeks we're going to have a sonogram to find out if it's actually a boy or a girl.

  "I can meet you in the city when we have appointments." I take a long drink from the glass. "I'll schedule them so they're on the same days when I'm at the gallery."

  "You're doing this for me, aren't you?" He reaches past me to refill the glass to the top with juice before he takes a drink himself from it. "I don't miss living in Queens. I'll live wherever you want to live."

  I take back the glass before I lower myself onto one of the kitchen chairs. "I admit that I didn’t really understand the appeal of living there until I was there with Zoe yesterday. It's so quiet and peaceful. I saw a mom with her two children walking down the sidewalk. They were running and playing. I want that too."

  "We can have that anywhere, Bridget." He crouches down directly in front of me. "I don't want you to do something this big just for me. I want it to be for the both of us."

  "It is for us both. It's for the baby too."

  "Tell me the real reason." He leans forward to kiss my hand. "Tell me why you suddenly want to move to the suburbs."

  "Everything has felt off balance since we got back to New York." I sigh heavily as I lean forward in the chair so I can cup my hand around the back of his neck. "I know that your dad complicated things for you. I know it was devastating, Dane."

  He nods slowly, his brows popping up briefly. "It was devastating, Bridget. It made me question everything about myself. It made me question whether I'm going to be a good dad and husband."

  I knew that. I'm grateful that he's admitting it but I've felt it since he asked for my engagement ring back. I've tried to put myself in his shoes but the thought of my father willingly walking away and then pretending to be dead for years breaks my heart. The reality of it would be a burden I wouldn't have the strength for. I know Dane does and I'm proud of him for it.

  "Knowing that my father abandoned me and Landon changed me." He swallows hard in an effort to curb his emotions. "I'm an adult. I'm getting married and I'm going to be a dad but I wish things were different. I wish he hadn't left."

  "I know," I offer. "I wish he hadn't either."

  "It's made me look at everything differently." He reaches past me to pull the cup of juice into his hand. He brings it to his lips and swallows every last drop. "We were called out to a fire two days ago. It was a foster home. The kids were so hungry they tried to cook and started a fire."

  "Oh no," I say softly. "Was anyone hurt?"

  "A little boy." He blows a puff of air from between his lips. "He's three, maybe four-years-old at the most. His little hand was burned."

  Quieting my emotions is hard when I hear about things like this. Now that I'm going to have a child of my own, I feel an almost instinctive need to protect other children too. "Will he be okay?"

  "He'll be fine. He's a fighter. I went to see him at the hospital during my break today. He wants to be a fireman when he grows up."

  I smile at the grin on Dane's face. He loves when children tell him that. He's proud of what's he's accomplished in his life. "I bet he will be."

  "He was left alone in that apartment with four other kids." He shakes his head from side-to-side. "Their foster mother was out at a bar. It's ridiculous."

  "That's horrible." I feel anger welling inside of me. "She won't get those kids back, will she? I mean something has to happen to protect them."

  "They'll be moved to new homes." He rakes his hand through his hair. "I see that too often. There's a break in the system somewhere. Kids who have been tossed aside by their parents get forgotten and put wherever there's room."

  I watch the way his jaw tenses as he speaks. I hear the emotion in each word. He's not reacting this way just because of what he saw today. This is touching him deeper. This is because of what his father did to him.

  "I'm never going to let our child down." He leans forward to graze his lips over my cheek. "I will take care of you and our baby until I take my very last breath."

  I push my lips into his for a long, lingering kiss. I know he will. I know he means every last word he's saying to me.

  Chapter 12

  "I told you that was my son," Dane says proudly as he sits next to me in the examining room. "I knew I was having a boy."

  My mother reaches to grab hold of Anja's hand. "We are having a grandson. A grandson."

  Anja nods quietly, her free hand resting on her lips.

  I look up at Dane. We had decided last night that we wanted both of our mothers in the room with us when we found out our baby's gender. It felt right and as soon as the technician found the baby's heartbeat, they both started to weep.

  "Have you thought about names?" Anja asks, her gaze drawn to me. "What do you want to name your son?"

  Dane and I have volleyed potential names back and forth since we found out I was expecting. Each time we mentioned one, we'd both shake our heads in unison, knowing that it wasn't quite the right fit.

  Our baby has to have a name that speaks to who he is. I don't want to burden him with the expectations of a name that carries the weight of another person. Naming him after Dane, or my father would be lovely save for the fact that our son is going to carve a niche for himself in this world. He's going to chart his own course and to do that he needs a name that will reflect who he is.

  "I think we're going to wait to meet him before we name him." Dane stands. "We'll know his name when we see him."

  Our mothers both look at each other, their confused expressions a mirrored reflection.

  "You can sit up." The technician taps me on the shoulder. "Everything went well. You're right on schedule."

  "Can we each get a picture?" My mother grabs hold of Anja's hand. "We each want one if that's possible."

  "I'll print those out and have them ready at the front desk." The kind woman pushes the sonogram machine back into a corner of the room before she takes her leave.

  "Bridget and I are going back to the gallery to work on the finishing touches of her show," Anja says to my mom. "Do you want to have lunch with us before we go back?"

  As I hear my mother saying she'd love to, I turn to look at Dane. I knew we'd be sacrificing a special moment by having both our mothers in the room with us, but as my eyes meet his, I know he's thinking exactly the same thing I am. Now is the ideal time to tell them.

  "We're having two boys," Dane blurts out with his eyes locked on my face. "Bridget and I are going to have another son."

  They turn at exactly the same time towards his voice. Neither says a word.

  "His name is Seth." Dane's voice cracks as he starts to cry. "He's three. I met him when I was called out to a fire a few weeks ago. I have a picture on my phone."

  I cling to his arm as he shakily opens the picture app on his phone, pulling up an image of the little boy we've both fallen head over heels in love with. "A lawyer Garrett introduced us to is working on getting an emergency custody order in place. If that happens we can have him tomorrow and then we'll apply for adoption after we've fostered him for a year. He's going to be our son."

  Both our mothers inch forward and tentatively look at the picture of the boy with the crooked smile, bright blue eyes and blond hair.

  "Does he... I mean...he looks like..."

  "He has Down Syndrome, mom." I swipe my fingers across the phone to open another picture of Dane holding him. "He's perfect. He's going to be such a good big brother."

  My mother's tears flow again as she reaches forward to pull me into her arms. "I can't wait to meet him, Bridget. I can't wait."

  I turn to the left to see Anja's hand as it rests on the cheek of her son. "You, my boy, are going to be the very
best father any child could ever have."

  I nod in agreement, knowing that is only the beginning of the adventure that awaits us both.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  "Your work has only gotten better, Bridget," Dane says as he walks into my home studio. It's a small space at the back of the house that used to be a porch. Once we settled into the house last year, we had opted to put all the renovations on hold until after our son was born. We'd spent the first two months after Shayne arrived, adjusting to life as a family of four. "It's no surprise that you're selling as many portraits as you are."

  "I thought it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding." I gesture towards the doorway. "Aren't you supposed to be getting dressed for the ceremony?"

  "I'm going to do that right away." He sits on the leather chair in the corner of the space. "Come sit on my lap."

  "We don't have time for that." I teasingly wiggle my finger in the air. "The house is filled with people and you want to fool around?"

  He cocks his left brow. "For the record, I never fool around with you. I make love with you. I fuck you sometimes, but I never fool around."

  I blush. Our intimacy has only gotten more intense since we've moved into our house and started raising our children. The moments we have alone are a gift and I've never felt more comfortable sharing my body with Dane as I do now.

  "Garrett and the baby are here." He taps his hand on his lap again. "Everyone is fawning over that little princess so they're busy."

  "Where's Vanessa?" I ask as I walk over to where he's sitting. "She's going to get here in time for the ceremony, right?"

  "She stopped to pick up the flowers." He leans back slightly, motioning for me to sit. "It means a lot to her that you asked her to be your matron-of-honor too."

  I know that it does. After Vanessa gave birth to her daughter, Ruthie, I'd felt an extra special connection to her. She had been ready to help us whenever we asked for it. She'd been the one who had helped us get the assistance we needed to understand how to nurture Seth in the best way possible. Both Zoe and her have become like sisters to me.

  "We're getting married in our backyard," I say as I settle onto his lap. "We can break some rules. I am wearing a sundress after all."

  "Landon and Tess are on their way." He pushes a hair back from my face. "I don't think we can outdo their wedding, but we definitely have them beat in the kid department."

  Dane's brother and his wife had been spending more and more time with us. They aren't quite ready for a baby yet, but they're following the path that works for them. I see the best in Landon when he's with Tess. She's strong, fearless and loves both of my children like her own.

  "I picked up the rings this morning." Dane motions towards the pocket of his jeans. "I can't wait for you to see them."

  Our decision to forgo an engagement ring in favor of matching wedding rings was perfect. Dane had contacted Ivy Marlow-Walker to help him design the rings. She's Landon's wife's cousin and Beck's sister-in-law. I agreed to let him handle it all. I can't wait to see my ring when he slips it on my hand in less than an hour.

  "I want you to know something," I whisper into his cheek. "You are by far the most incredible man I've ever known. I'm proud to be the woman you're marrying."

  "You are my everything, Bridget." He moves his head until his lips are hovering over mine. "You and our boys are my life."

  ***

  "Dane, would you like to share your vows first?"

  I look at the face of the justice of the peace we contracted to officiate our wedding. She's kind, compassionate and actually delayed the ceremony herself so she could play with our boys for a few minutes.

  Dane nods as he reaches forward to grab both of my hands. I glance quickly over his shoulder to where Landon is standing. He's cradling Shayne in his arm, while Seth holds tightly to his other hand.

  "Bridget." Dane's voice is soft and low. "My dream in life was to meet a beautiful woman. I knew that she'd be kind, compassionate and strong."

  I nod, knowing that if I try to speak now, that my voice will only fail me.

  "When I saw you at the restaurant that first night, I saw every single moment of my future. I saw all of my tomorrows."

  I hear the faint sound of a heavy sigh behind me. I don't turn but I know it's Zoe.

  "You have given me a life that transcends each and every dream I've ever had. You have given me a family that I'll cherish until my last days on earth. You have given my heart a partner that it will never let go of."

  I stare into his deep brown eyes. My lips part briefly even though I know I'm not going to say anything.

  "My heart is yours. Keep it forever. Never let it go."

  I lean forward to kiss him softly, knowing that I'm going to have to try and remember the vows that I wrote for him. I've been working on them for weeks but right now the words fail me.

  "Bridget. It's time for your vows."

  I glance briefly at the officiant before I brush my lips against Dane's ear. "I can't remember what I want to say."

  "Let your heart tell you. Don't think. Just look at me and tell me how you feel."

  I edge back a touch so I can look at his face. I nod before I pull in a breath.

  "Every girl dreams of her own hero." I look towards where my father is standing next to my mom. "You're my hero, Dane."

  "I'm a fireman," he whispers softly. "It's my job."

  I giggle. I love that he still finds the same satisfaction in his job now as he did when we first met. He loves going to work each day. It's a big part of who he is.

  "You are the bravest man I've ever met. You are the most honest man I've ever known and you love me in ways I'm not sure I always deserve."

  "You deserve it." He nods. "I haven't even begun to show you how much I love you."

  I pull my hand to my mouth to try and quiet my emotions. "You have given me more than any girl could ever want. I feel loved every second of every day."

  He closes his eyes briefly and when he opens them I see the tears.

  "My heart is yours. Keep it forever. Never let it go."

  I let out a small sigh.

  "We’re going to exchange the rings now. I think a handsome young fellow is holding those for me."

  Seth's face brightens at the mention of the rings. He dips his small hand into the pocket of his pants and pulls out two rings. Just as he reaches to place them in the officiant's palm, Dane scoops him into his arm.

  "You're going to put mommy's ring on her finger, okay?" Dane kisses him softly on the cheek.

  "I can do it," he says happily.

  I hold out my left hand as my breath catches in my chest. I look at the face of my baby, asleep now in Landon's arms and at the face of my beautiful son who is holding my wedding ring in his small fingers.

  As I look down my eyes fill with tears again as I watch Dane guide Seth's hand as they both slide a simple silver band with four gemstones onto my finger. Each is a different color. Each one is a reflection of the month of my birth, Dane's and our two children.

  "I love the ring. I love you."

  "I love you, Mommy." Seth leans forward to kiss the top of my nose.

  I sob from sheer joy and as I slip the matching ring onto the finger of the man I love, I know that my life's path brought me here because this is my forever.

  This is where I've always been meant to be.

  Preview of HAZE

  Featuring Gabriel Foster

  "How long have you worked here?" His voice is cultured, deep and smooth. It's not uncommon to hear a voice like that in this boutique. I've worked here for six weeks now and at least twice a week a man with too much money and an insatiable need to see young women dressed in expensive lingerie will come waltzing through the doors.

  "Welcome to Liore," I say softly as I glance to my left to where he's standing.

  I have to look up. He's large, not just in height but in his shoulder's breadth. His eyes are a rich brown, his
hair just as dark. His nose is sculptured and his jaw has a definite curve to it. The suit he's wearing is dark blue, perhaps even black. It's hard to tell under the chandelier lights that decorate this opulent space.

  "Isla." His eyes hover over my chest before they settle on my nametag. "It's nice to meet you, Isla."

  "It's lovely to meet you..." I pause. It's not only because I've been instructed to grab the name of each customer to give them a personal shopping experience. I want to know his name.

  "Gabriel," he offers with a light touch of his hand on mine.

  The name is oddly familiar. As I work to place it, I see him peering across the boutique at my boss. "Is there something I can help you find, Gabriel? Are you purchasing something for a girlfriend, or perhaps, your wife?"

  His expression shifts slightly. "I have neither."

  That's a pity but it's not. This is exactly the type of man I envisioned in my mind's eye when I arrived in Manhattan. I graduated from high school less than two years ago and my dreams of attending Julliard on a scholarship had vanished as quickly as my clean record when I broke one too many rules in high school.

  "Is there something in particular that you're looking for?" I catch the faint wave of the hand of one of my co-workers across the aisle. I ignore it because when a customer is ready to buy, the store could be engulfed in flames, and I'm not moving an inch. The commissions here are the highest I've ever earned in retail and the secret to guarantee a big sale is to make the customer feel as though they're the only one in the boutique.

  His eyes scan the various bras we have displayed before they move to the lace panties and garters. "If I asked you to try something on for me, Isla, would you do that? Would you take me into one of the change rooms with you?"

  I've read the employee handbook. No, I skimmed it briefly while on my way to work that first day weeks ago. The number one rule is to never take a customer into the rooms. Men who lead you into those quiet spaces are craving more than a private fashion show. I know that. "I'm sorry, Gabriel. That's against company policy."