Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
When we walk into the room, my emotions flood me. “Em.” My voice cracks as I place my hand over my mouth. “She’s beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Roman says, and everyone laughs.
“Can I hold her?” I can’t take my eyes off the tiny bundle wrapped in pink in Forrest’s arms. He carefully hands her over to me, and my heart melts. “You precious thing,” I whisper. I look up and meet my best friend's eyes, which are also filled with tears. “What’s her name? I can’t keep calling her ‘thing.’ It’s creepy.” I laugh as I wipe at my tears with one hand, holding on tightly to this tiny baby girl with my other.
“Her name is Lilly Monroe Bailey,” Emerson tells me. She’s smiling and crying at the same time.
My heart hammers so hard, I’m afraid I might be having a heart attack as I try to process her words. My best friend named her baby girl after me. This tiny, precious human has my name, and I’m so honored and touched and full of love for this little girl, my best friend, and her husband that I’m overcome with emotion.
“What?” I finally whisper. “You named her after me?” Even I can hear the awe in my voice. If it weren’t for the hammering beat of my heart in my chest, I might think I was dreaming, but the overwhelming feeling tells me I’m wide awake.
“You’re my best friend.” Roman clears his throat. “My best girl friend,” Emerson amends, and the room laughs. “I love you. You’ve been there for me through so many struggles and were my biggest supporter when me and Rome first got together.”
I look down at the slumbering baby in my arms. “Hi, Lilly. I’m your aunt Monroe, and I love you so much.”
Eventually, Lachlan pries Lilly from my arms, taking his turn. All of the guys, even Drake, take turns holding her while Lisa and Lyra have to beg for their turns.
“She’s already spoiled,” Roman says, kissing the top of Emerson’s head. He rests back against the bed, wrapping his arms around her. He’s wearing a silly, happy smile.
Glancing across the room, I lock eyes with Legend. I can’t quite describe the look on his face.
He mouths, “Are you okay?” and I nod. His answering smile is comforting.
In my head, I’m trying not to imagine this moment as if it were he and I who just had our first baby. I can see it all as clearly as this moment.
Suddenly, it’s all I want.
I wonder if I can convince my fake husband to be mine forever so we can share moments like these together.
If only I was brave enough to tell him that I’m in love with him.
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
Legend
I can’t stop staring at her with baby Lilly in her arms. She’s smiling through her tears. She glances over at me and playfully rolls her eyes when I wink at her. She’s a fucking vision. So much so that I can see this as my future. My future with her. Today, this moment brings a clarity I didn’t realize I needed. I take that back. I knew I needed it. I’ve been hiding from it, hoping that I could control it.
I can’t control it.
I don’t want to control it.
I want her.
Just her.
My wife.
I want this moment for her.
For us.
I just fell in love with my wife.
CHAPTER
TWENTY
Monroe
“Look at that smile. You love your aunt Monroe, don’t you?” I ask baby Lilly.
“That’s gas,” Forrest replies.
“He’s right,” Lachlan agrees. “I was holding her the other day, and she was laughing and smiling. Then the worst smell came out of her. How can something so damn cute reek that bad?”
“She’s a baby, not a thing.”
Lachlan waves me off. “You know what I mean.”
“At least she didn’t shit on you,” Maddox tells him.
“Watch your mouth around my daughter,” Roman tells him.
“She’s too little to understand.”
“My little ladybug is a genius,” Roman says.
“A little genius who loves her aunt Mo.”
“Are you corrupting my daughter?” Emerson asks, joining us. She places a big bowl of potato salad on the food table. “Are we ready to eat?” she asks Roman.
We’re all at their place, celebrating Memorial Day. As soon as I walked through the door, I made a beeline for baby Lilly, and I’ve been holding her hostage ever since.
“Your wife is a baby hog,” Forrest grumbles.
“You should have one of your own,” Legend tells him.
“I’d need a wife, hell, a girlfriend, even, for that to happen. You have one. Why don’t you have your own so your wife will let me have my niece?”
I still, waiting to see what Legend will say. I keep my eyes on Lilly while I’m mentally saying, Yes, Legend Raines, I’ll have your babies.
I’m losing it.
Legend looks over at me with a smirk on his face. “What do you think, wife?”
That thing my belly does, you know, like there’s a swarm of butterflies flapping their wings a million miles a second, appears. Just like it seems to do most days in the presence of my husband. “I think Forrest needs to chill. He lives next door. He gets to have her all the time.”