Somewhere in Between (Madison Square #1) (29 page)

“I not going anywhere before I get to meet my grandson,” he said, smiling up at her.

“Well, you will be around a lot longer than that.”

“Yep, gotta stick around for the next one,” he said, winking at me.

My face flushed. Millie whipped her head around to face me, raising an eyebrow in my direction.

I shot to my feet and held out my hands in protest. “I’m not pregnant!”

Drew pulled me back against his chest and wrapped his arms around me. “Not yet,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the sweet spot behind my ear.

I thought Millie’s eyes would pop out of her head. David just smiled and shook his head while Papa Jack laughed.

“Aren’t you skipping a few steps there, buddy,” I said, pulling away from him. He laughed and pulled me back into his arms.

“Maybe so, but practice makes perfect, right?” Drew leaned in and kissed me, almost bringing me to my knees. There I go again with the swooning.

“Well, it’s about damn time!” Sean said from the doorway. We hadn’t seen him come in, but I guess he witnessed everything.

After a while, David told Drew and me to head home to rest, which he said with a wink. Millie slapped his arm for that one. We said our goodbyes and turned to leave.

“Son,” Papa Jack called to Drew as we headed to the door. We both turned to face him. “You don’t deserve her,” he said with a smile.

Drew nodded. “I know, Pop. I know.”

Epilogue

Alex

A year later…

“Babe, check this out!”

I looked up from wrapping my gift to see Drew digging through a bag with childlike excitement. He pulled a ninja turtle action figure out, waving it at me. “I got him all four of them.”

“Oh God.” I sighed and shook my head with a smile. “There is no need to transfer your sickness to your nephew, Drew.”

“Every kid needs a hobby. I’m just helping to push him in the right direction.”

He dropped his bag on the table next to me and peeked over my shoulder. “What did you get?”

“A ride on Thomas the Tank Engine,” I said, fixing the bow, knowing I had won.

“Oh man. Why didn’t I think of that?” he whined. “I wanted to get him something really cool for his first birthday.” He sunk down into the chair next to me with a pout.

“I know. That’s why I already signed your name on the card.”

He reached up, a smile stretching across his beautiful face as he pulled me down into his lap. “You’re amazing,” he said against my lips.

The kiss started out slow but intensified quickly as he ran a hand up my back, pulling me closer. His tongue pushed into my mouth. I got lost in the feel of his hands on my body as his lips traveled to my favorite spot behind my ear.

“Drew,” I moaned.

“Hmmm?” He started kissing his way further south.

“If we don’t stop,” I paused, moaning as his thumb grazed my nipple through my shirt. “We…we will be late to the party.”

He stilled and leaned back. He met my eyes and smiled, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “No one will notice if we’re a little late.”

He lifted me into his arms and I squealed as he carried me to the bedroom.

***

We pulled up to Millie and David’s about twenty minutes late and trust me, it was well worth it. Drew popped the trunk to remove our gift and we headed around back to join the party hand in hand.

“‘Bout time you guys showed up,” David said as we rounded the corner. Drew’s face lit up when he saw his nephew, Jackson. He went right over and plucked him from David’s arms, holding him high above his head. Jackson squealed with delight.

Drew was an amazing uncle. He doted on Jackson and that little boy loved him. It warmed my heart to see the two of them together. Drew was really going to be an excellent father someday.

I left Drew and Jackson to play and went to see if Millie needed any help. “Happy Jackson’s birthday!” I said when I walked in the back door.

“Hey, Alex,” she said as she bustled around the kitchen. Millie had gone all out. Balloons filled the back yard and the house. She had a huge food spread even though it was really only just us. I was sure little Jackson wasn’t into the roast beef pinwheels and stuffed mushroom caps, but it smelled delicious.

“Do you need anything?”

“No. I got everything done, but you can start taking some of the platters outside.”

I did as I was told. When all the food was out, I went to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of wine. “You want one, Millie?” I said, gesturing to my glass.

She smiled. “No thanks. I’m not drinking.”

I laughed. “Seriously? With all of this party stuff going on, you would have to pry the bottle from my cold, dead fingers.”

She just smiled to herself. Something was up. I studied her carefully for a few minutes.

“Oh my God!” I shouted, startling her. “You’re knocked up again, aren’t you?”

She waved her delicate little hand at me. “Shh, we were going to announce it after the cake.”

I jumped up and down. “Millie, that’s amazing. I’m so happy for you.” I wrapped her into a hug. “Jackson needs a little sister!”

“Maybe,” she said, “but I would be happy with another boy.” She smiled and laid a hand gently on her stomach.

“This is so exciting!” I beamed up at her.

We joined the boys outside just in time to see Papa Jack come around the corner. He was doing so much better since his heart attack. He was still taking it easy, though. He hired a fulltime bartender for The Den, a guy name Liam who was straight off the bus from somewhere down south.

Papa Jack had a hard time letting go of the reins, but after spending the first few weeks sitting at the end of the bar, barking at the poor guy, he eventually eased up a bit and only went in to harass Liam two or three times a week.

Papa Jack picked up Jackson. “Happy birthday, little man!” Jackson smiled, grabbing a fistful of Papa Jack’s beard.

Sean rounded the corner and shouted, “Ain’t no party like a one-year-old party!” He waved his arms above his head. Papa Jack shot him a look and he awkwardly lowered his arms. Papa Jack shook his head, looking down to hide his smile. He had forgiven Sean for the thing with Bridget, but Papa Jack had fun messing with him anyway.

“Who wants cake?” Millie asked and headed inside to get the cake. I followed to help with the plates and stuff. She brought out a beautiful, two-tiered masterpiece that had train tracks with a Thomas the Tank Engine running along the top. It was so adorable. Then she brought out a small round cake with white icing.

“What’s that one for?” I asked, pointing to the smaller one.

“It’s a smash cake. This one is just for Jackson. He gets to dig in on his own.”

Her eyes shined with excitement. I considered getting a tarp. This was going to be a mess, but as usual, Millie was a step ahead. She had Jackson’s high chair set up out back on the patio, where it could be easily hosed down. David put Jackson in his seat and strapped him in as Millie put the smash cake down in front of him.

The kid went at it like a champ. I was impressed. He grabbed a tiny fistful of cake and shoved the whole thing, fist and all, into his mouth. We cheered and he clapped as he demolished the little cake. Jackson grabbed another fistful and offered it to Papa Jack, who happily took it from the baby’s slimy hand.

Drew came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me as we watched Jackson rip into his cake. David and Millie looked so happy. They were the perfect little family. I found myself wishing that I would have this one day with Drew. I thought about what it would be like at my son’s first birthday with all of our family around, Drew laughing as our son or daughter smeared icing in his hair.

As if reading my mind, Drew softly whispered into my ear, “We will have this one day.”

I leaned back into him and smiled. “I hope so, but there are still a few things we need to do before we can even think of having a baby.”

“Like what?”

“Like move in together, get married. There is a natural progression, Drew.”

“Okay, so move in,” he said, sounding so matter of fact.

“What?” I looked up at him in shock.

“Move in with me. We have practically lived together for months now. You have officially taken over my closet and my bathroom is littered with your products. I went looking for toilet paper the other day and found a jumbo box of tampons. Let’s face it. We live together already, just in two apartments, so let’s just consolidate.”

“You’re serious?”

“Yes, I am,” he said with a smile.

I considered this for a minute. We were becoming rather domesticated. Hell, this morning he came in the bathroom to pee while I was shaving my legs. Nothing says love like peeing in front of each other.

“Why do I have to move in to your place? Why can’t you move into mine?”

He softly kissed my lips. “Because I have the good bathroom.”

I smiled. He made a very good point.

“Okay,” I said. “I’m moving in, but not for you, for the tub.”

Drew smiled and kissed my cheek, pulling me tighter against him.

“Good. Married couples should live together,” he said. My body tensed. Did he just say married?

I turned my body slowly and faced him. A huge grin spread across his face. My eyebrows shot up. What the hell was he talking about? He gripped my hips and pulled me tightly against his chest.

“Marry me, Red?”

I searched his face. He was joking. He had to be. We had just agreed to move in together and now he wanted to marry me. I was speechless.

Drew smiled. “I can see the wheels turning in your head. I know you think it’s too soon, but we were best friends for years. You know everything about me and I know you. That was all before we even got together. I wanted to propose when we were standing in that hospital room, but I knew you would need time. I love you and I want a life with you, so why not start now?”

I just stared at him.

“I…I don’t know what to say.”

“How about yes?”

He looked down at me with so much hope in those beautiful blue eyes. I couldn’t help myself. I nodded. He broke into an iridescent smile.

“Now I can give you this. I’ve been carrying it around for weeks, waiting for the right moment.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black velvet box. Then he opened the lid and showed me the most beautiful engagement ring I had ever seen. It was a platinum band with a large diamond in the center and smaller diamonds lining the sides. The setting was simple, but it had a bit of an art deco feel. It was perfect.

He took it out of the box and slipped it onto my left hand as tears filled my eyes. He wiped a tear from my cheek.

“I love it when you’re speechless,” he said with a smile.

I laughed and kissed him hard, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. I had never been so happy in my entire life.

“Get a room!” Sean called. We snickered but kept kissing anyway. Drew and I would have our chance at forever and it would start now.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the amazing people in my life who encouraged me through this entire process. Writing this book was not easy and without the support of my amazing friends and family, I never would have done it.

First, I would like to thank my husband, David, for his support and patience with me while he attempted to sleep in the ambient glow of my laptop.

Thank you to my daughter for her snuggle time and encouragement. Mommy loves you, boog!

A big thank you to my mother for always believing I am far more talented than I actually am.

Thank you to my dear friend, Ely, for reading each chapter and calling me fifteen minutes after I sent them to her, demanding to read more.

Thank you to Adam for telling me that, in an earlier draft, he would rather hang out with Gwen. Thanks for forcing me to shape Alex into someone you would sit next to at the bar.

Thank you to John for making sure I didn’t miss the little details that bring Alex and Drew’s world to life.

Thank you to Tyler who helped me give Drew a voice. You didn’t have to read the book, but your input helped shape entire the story. For that, I am grateful.

Thank you to Alan and Jen, my critique partners. Well, Alan’s wife, Karla, and Jen. All of your input helped more than you know.

Thank you to Sharon, who has known me since birth, for making it through the “sexy” parts with only mild embarrassment.

Thank you to Sounding Sea, Tracy, Kate, and everyone in my fiction writing workshop for all of your help and support. I have learned so much from all of you. You are all amazing people and phenomenal writers. I am blessed to have known you all.

Thank you to all the wonderful people on Twitter who continue to offer support, answer questions, and host contests. Without all of you, there is no way I would’ve been able to publish this book.

Thank you to my editor, Tiffany. God bless you for your patience and honesty throughout this process and for making Alex and Drew’s story shine.

Last but far from least, thank you to all the Limitless staff and authors for taking a chance on my story and supporting my dream. Limitless really is like a family and it is a family I am proud to be a part of.