The Bachelor's Baby (Bachelor Auction Book 3) (17 page)

She stroked his spine, cheek nestled against his chest, heart so full she thought she’d burst. “I did hear it and I love you so much. I’m kind of in awe—” She pulled back a little, looking around. “This is where we met.”

He scanned the side of the road next to where they stood, glanced to where a widening in the road had allowed him to turn around and come back to attach his winch. With a smirk of self-deprecation, he said, “Chicago, huh?”

“Marietta,” she corrected without hesitation. “Never leaving.”

“Well, that keeps things simple, doesn’t it?” he said with approval, humor glinting from the look he slanted down at her.

She was still smiling by the time he’d kissed her and they’d got themselves buckled back into their seats.

“You know what I’m thinking?” he said as they got back on the road.

“What?”

“We’re going to be busy once the babies get here. If you still want lunch in Great Falls, we have to do it soon.”

‡

Fourth of July, the following year…

M
eg carried Robbie,
named for Linc’s father, on her hip. Linc had Will, named for hers, dozing on his shoulder. She kept thinking she should go back to their blanket where they’d left the stroller, but they were having too much fun, catching up with everyone here at the picnic. Linc, it turned out, was a sucker for community events. He was always insisting they make time for things like the Christmas Stroll and whatever parade or fair or rodeo was happening in town.

“There they are,” Linc said, nodding to where Liz and Blake were following Ethan and Petra from the BBQ area back toward their own blankets. Blake held their daughter, Lucy, and Liz carried two full plates of food.

Petra spied them and smiled, coming to eagerly claim the cousin that was awake. Robbie quickly cuddled into her with adoration.

“We’ll keep Rob while you guys get your food,” Liz offered.

Meg and Linc headed toward the smell of hamburgers and French fries. People immediately began asking why they only had one of the boys with them. Honestly, as notorious as their romance had been, seeded at the now infamous Bachelor Auction and culminating in a shotgun wedding, the twins were their real source of notoriety.

And Linc loved it. His pride in his family was a joy to behold, whether it was out like this in public, or caught in a private moment as he played with the boys on the floor of the living room. Their wedding had been a small, private thing at the ranch, but he’d been adamant that he wanted her to take his name and always introduced her as his wife, Meg Brady. If things got busy and they wound up not seeing Liz and Blake and the kids for over a week, he’d call them himself and make plans to get together.

“You’re such a lovely family,” the older lady talking to Linc said, patting the dangling leg of their sleeping son.

Linc was such a loving family man, Meg thought, and felt herself tearing up with happiness.

Linc gave her a puzzled frown. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just really happy.”

“Me, too,” he said, sincere, but his brow wrinkled. “But you haven’t been so quick to tear up since…” He sobered. “Meg.”

“What?
No
,” she said, shaking her head in denial. Sure a condom had broken a couple weeks ago. They’d run out of them and he’d found one stashed in his old travel bag. But seriously. Another accidental pregnancy was too much to believe. “No,” she insisted.

“Have I told you lately…” He drew her into his side so he could talk privately into her ear, “That I am the happiest I’ve ever been in my life and it’s all because of you?”

“You’re just saying that to see if you can make me cry,” she mumbled into his chest. And it was working. She was welling up, big time.

“No, I’m being sincere. Our lives are crazy. Sometimes I wonder what sleep is and the cost of diapers is like a second mortgage payment, but I feel so lucky every single day. I didn’t think I could get any happier, but ever since our little mishap a few weeks ago, I’ve been thinking that if you turned up pregnant, I would be ecstatic, especially because I know it would make
you
happy…”

She looked up at him, kind of admonishing, but incredibly touched and feeling so much love, she could hardly contain it.

“It would,” she agreed through tears. “I don’t want to be greedy, but I love having a family with you, Linc. I really do. I love you.”

“Tell you what,” he said, gently running a thumb under each of her eyes to dry her cheeks. “If you’re not pregnant, we’ll make a serious effort to get you that way. What do you say?”

“What do you think I’d say to you propositioning me?” she asked with a flirty smile. “
Heck yes
.”

The End

The Bachelor Auction Series

Bound to the Bachelor
by Sarah Mayberry

Buy now!

Bachelor at Her Bidding
by Kate Hardy

Buy now!

The Bachelor’s Baby
by Dani Collins

What a Bachelor Needs
by Kelly Hunter

Coming soon – March 2015

In Bed with a Bachelor
by Megan Crane

Coming soon – March 2015

One Night with Her Bachelor
by Kat Latham

Coming soon – March 2015

After twenty-five years of writing and submitting,
Dani Collins
won the 2013 Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best First In Series from Romantic Times Book Reviews. Known mostly for her emotional, passionate Harlequin Presents, she has also published a hilarious romantic comedy, an epic medieval fantasy romance, and a pair of extremely erotic erotic romances. Dani writes anything, so long as it’s romance.

Keep up with Dani on these links:
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*

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