Copyright © 2013 by Kelly Elliott
All rights reserved.
Cover Designer: Angie Fields, i love it design studio, http://www.facebook.com/iloveitdesign
Editor: Tiffany Hamburger, http://www.tiffanyhamburger.com
Interior Designer: Jovana Shirley, Unforeseen Editing, http://www.unforeseenediting.com
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Visit my website at http://www.authorkellyelliott.com
ISBN-13: 978-0-9913096-2-7
Chapter 1: Amanda
Chapter 2: Brad
Chapter 3: Amanda
Chapter 4: Brad
Chapter 5: Amanda
Chapter 6: Brad
Chapter 7: Amanda
Chapter 8: Brad
Chapter 9: Amanda
Chapter 10: Brad
Chapter 11: Amanda
I stood at the sink, staring down at my hand that held the pregnancy test. I slowly smiled and felt my stomach do a few flip-flops.
Pregnant. I’m pregnant. I quickly wiped away the tear I felt rolling down my cheek as I closed my eyes and pictured Brad’s face when I told him. I knew I wasn’t very far along because I had just missed my period.
“Well?” Heather said on the other side of the door. “What does it say, Manda?”
I took a deep breath, turned and opened the door. When I opened it, there they were, Heather, Ellie and Ari, all standing with goofy-ass grins on their faces. I tried not to show it, but as soon as Ellie flashed me that smile of hers, I lost it and started crying.
“Oh no…oh God, please tell me those are happy tears!” Heather said as she pulled me into her arms.
I was so happy I couldn’t even talk. I pulled back and nodded my head and the three of them started screaming.
I started laughing as I watched them all jump up and down. “Congratulations sweets!” Ari said as she gave me a hug and whispered in my ear. “Brad’s gonna be over the moon.”
I smiled at her as she pulled away and winked at me. I had shared with Ari how much Brad had wanted another baby. He wanted so badly to be a part of our next pregnancy. I knew it was because of the guilt he lived with by missing so much of my pregnancy with Maegan. We had been trying for the last five months, and it was starting to take a toll on Brad.
“I guess that trip a few weeks back helped,” I said as I winked at her.
Ari and Jeff had arranged a cruise for Brad and I, and it took everything I had to leave Maegan with her.
“Hell yeah it did! I told you all you had to do was just relax,” Ari said.
As we all made our way onto Heather’s back porch deck, Ellie and Heather were going a mile a minute, talking about the two new additions to our little group. Ellie was due in May, and if my math in my head was right, I would be due mid to late August.
“Are you going to find out if it’s a boy or a girl?” Heather asked as she sat down and put her feet up. She looked so damn beautiful, and I … I’d never seen her so happy.
I shrugged my shoulders. I felt funny even talking about it, with Brad not knowing yet and with me only being about three weeks pregnant.
Ellie looked at me and tilted her head. “You want to tell Brad, don’t you? Before you talk too much about it, huh?”
Jesus, how does this girl do that? “Christ, Ells, you getting the gift of knowing all?” I said with a giggle.
Everyone let out a small laugh and Ellie rolled her eyes. “I just know if it was me, I wouldn’t want to really talk about it until I told Gunner.”
Ari nodded her head. “Shit, when I went with her to the doctor and she found out she was pregnant I wasn’t allowed to say a word about it until she told Gunner.”
Ellie shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her tea. I laughed as I placed my hand on my stomach.
Heather looked and me and said, “How is Brad doing, Manda? Have you heard from his parents?”
I shook my head and just the mention of his parents made my blood boil. “Nope, not a word. His mom tried to threaten us with legal action because they wanted to see Maegan, but Brad went to their house one night for dinner and that was the end of it. He came home and told me we wouldn’t have to worry about them doing it again. He seemed so sad, and when I asked him what had happened, he told me not to worry or ever think about his parents threatening us again.”
I looked down and away and felt the tears building in my eyes. I felt Ari put her hand on my leg. I looked at each of them and saw the love in their eyes.
I swallowed and cleared my throat. “I know it’s better this way, but I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault that Brad walked away from his own parents. His future was set, ya know? I mean he would have taken over his father’s business, had more money than we would have known what to do with it and…and Maegan would know both sets of her grandparents.”
“Manda, you can’t keep doing this,” Ellie said.
“I know. Believe me I know them being out of our lives has been the best thing for all three of us, but it still makes me sad. It’s his parents. I mean his dad was always okay, just his mother.”
Ari shook her head and said, “If they really cared, they would have never have done the things that they did, Amanda. I mean I know most of it was the evil bitch who shall not be named, but still, Brad’s father stood by and allowed her evil to take place.”
I let out a giggle and nodded in agreement.
“I know this. Really I do. I’m just glad I have such a close relationship with my own parents and that at least Maegan will have two grandparents that love her more than life itself.”
I sat back in my chair and thought about last night and how Brad had made such slow sweet love to me.
“Holy hell, Manda, what in the hell are you thinking about? Your face is red as your shirt!” Heather said.
I threw my hands up to my cheeks and busted out laughing. “Oh God…I was thinking about being with Brad last night.”
All three of them leaned forward with wide-ass grins on their face.
“Oh yeah? Tell us. I’ve always thought that boy was probably a good screw.”
Ellie, Heather and I all shouted, “Ari!”
“What? Don’t tell me the first time you saw that tall, dark-haired handsome man you didn’t think he would be good in bed!” Ari said as she looked at Ellie, and then Heather, and then looked at me and raised one eyebrow.
I shook my head and said, “Yes. Yes I did think that, but my God. What if I asked you if Jeff was good in bed? No wait!” I put my hands up and started shaking them. “Forget I even said that.”
Ellie and Heather started laughing.
Ari leaned back and smiled as she took a sip of tea and then said, “Hey, ask me anything you want. I have no problem bragging about how good of a fu—”
“Stop!” Ellie shouted. “Please just stop, Ari. I don’t need, nor do I want, to know what my brother is like in the sex department with you.”
I smiled as I shook my head. “No really though, Brad is doing so good. I’m so proud of how he is handling things now. I’ve asked him if he ever has the desire to take anything and he told me no. Just one look at Maegan and me and he knows what he would lose. I’m so happy y’all. I mean, it’s never been better.” I let my head drop back as I could almost feel his lips on my skin. “I mean…fuck…how does it keep getting better? Wouldn’t you think after a few years of marriage and a baby things would seem…normal?”