They had also had their first ultrasound the previous day. The doctor had wanted to do it earlier than usual due to the spotting she’d had before her pregnancy had been confirmed. They were relieved to find out that everything was fine and she was measuring exactly where she should be. It had been emotional for them both. And whoever said that tough, military men didn’t cry, was wrong. Tears had trickled down Dominic’s face as they’d seen their little bean’s heartbeat flicking on the screen and his or her little hands and feet kicking and moving. It was still too early to know the sex, but Dominic was sure it was a boy. He swore he saw a penis on the screen although the doctor had assured him it was actually an arm. So, the jury was still out on that. Gwen secretly thought it was a boy, as well. It was just hard to imagine a macho man like her fiancé not having the dominant Y chromosome in his child. She knew that secretly, though, a little girl would own him; he’d never stand a chance.
“Ready, baby?” Dominic pulled her from her musings as he rubbed her stomach tenderly before dropping a kiss on her upturned lips. She was just beginning to get a very tiny baby bump, and he couldn’t keep his hands off it.
She had been resting as he’d insisted. Maddy was in her first school play, and they were meeting Gage, Shannon, and Megan at school to see it. Yawning as she stood from the chair she’d been curled up in, she answered, “I’m ready, babe.” He put a protective arm around her shoulders and led her out of the apartment. He had been pushing her to look at houses, but for now, she wanted to stay where she was comfortable. Frankly, she was just too tired at this point to tackle the big task of moving.
“Thank God they didn’t give Maddy a speaking part in this play, right?” he joked as they found a parking space at the school. “I can only imagine how epic that would be.”
Gwen laughed, agreeing. “I know. Poor Shannon would be terrified. I think the girls are even worse with Gage practically living there. You know, it seems that we were all wrong about him,” she admitted. “He is crazy about Shannon and a natural with the girls. I’ve never seen her happier than she is now.”
“Yeah.” Dominic nodded as they walked through the entrance to the auditorium. “I’m still surprised by that. The guy talks about her nonstop. He’s the last person I would have ever imagined in a serious relationship, much less with kids involved. He’s still a goof, but Shannon has grounded him. I don’t know, despite all his joking around, he always seemed like he was kind of lost. I thought it was because he never had much of a relationship with his family.”
“Maybe he was just waiting for her,” Gwen suggested softly as she curled her arm around Dominic’s waist.
“Maybe he was, baby,” Dominic agreed, looking at her with so much love in his eyes that she knew they were no longer talking about Gage.
Before she could reply, Shannon came rushing up. “Hey guys! We saved you a couple of seats beside us. Oh, my God, you aren’t going to believe it, but my brother Mason brought his boyfriend, Cash! I thought my father was going to swallow his tongue! My mother gave him a few digs in the side, and he actually stood up and shook Cash’s hand and was passably friendly. I left Megan to keep them distracted.”
“Good times,” Gage smirked as he clapped Dominic on the shoulder before hugging Gwen. “Hey, little mama, looking good.” Gwen laughed while Dominic removed his arms from around her.
Rolling his eyes, Dominic said, “Hands off, bro. I think we’ve discussed this.” Both Gwen and Shannon giggled because this conversation happened every time they were together. It was perfectly innocent, but Dominic was the ultimate alpha male where she was concerned and Gage loved to get under his skin.
Shannon took Gage’s hand, pulling him down the aisle, while Dominic and Gwen followed. “Come on, Romeo; let me get you in your seat before Dom takes you out.” Soon they were all settled in the four end seats with a few minutes to spare until curtain time.
Megan was already restless and fidgeting when a little girl about her age walked down the aisle. Megan burst out of her seat and ran to hug her. “Caroline!”
As the girls talked, Shannon leaned over telling Gwen, “Caroline has a sister in Maddy’s class. I think she has one of the speaking parts.”
Beside her, Dominic was saying to himself, “Caroline?” as if trying to figure something out. Gwen gave him a questioning look before a little boy walked up and pulled Megan’s hair, causing her to scream.
As Gage made to grab for Megan, who now looked completely pissed off, Shannon stiffened, saying, “Oh no,” under her breath. It hit Gwen at the same time that Dominic started chuckling under his breath.
It was as if everything suddenly went into slow motion. Megan, bent on revenge, grabbed the little boy’s arm and yelled loud enough to be heard in the next state, “I’m going to get you, Bastard!”
Shannon gasped in horror and every mouth around them dropped open in shock. Gage leaned around the women to give Dominic a high five. “That’s my girl.” He grinned proudly.
“Our kid cannot be friends with anyone named Baxter—are we in agreement?” Dominic smirked.
Gwen started giggling as she snuggled into his arms. “I agree,” she whispered against his neck, “but you’d better prepare yourself. With Megan and Maddy as honorary aunts, I’m scared to think of what our child will pick up along the way.”
She continued to laugh as her words turned him to stone. “Holy—” he began before she elbowed him in the side. He finally relaxed, dropping a kiss onto her head. “I’ve got this, babe. I’ll just run interference whenever they’re visiting. No problem.”
Gwen choked back a reply, not wanting to burst his bubble yet. The poor guy would find out soon enough that, in life, you had to pick your battles and she was sure that Megan and Maddy could get the best of him anytime they chose. But God, you had to love the man for trying.
Acknowledgments
As always, a special note of thanks to my agent, Jane Dystel, and my editor at Penguin, Kerry Donovan. None of this would ever be possible without you both and I appreciate all that you do.
Also, thanks to Jenny Sims for all your help.
To Tabitha and Kim, who help me get started each day with good coffee and great conversation!
A huge thanks to all the readers and bloggers who continue to embrace the Danvers series. It always touches my heart at how much you love the characters that I’ve created. Thank you for making them as much a part of your lives as I have.
To my special friends: Amanda Lanclos and Heather Waterman from Crazy Cajun Book Addicts, Catherine Crook from A Reader Lives A Thousand Lives, Shelly Lazar from Sexy Bibliophiles, Christine with Books and Beyond Fifty Shades, Marion Archer, Lorie Gullian, Stacia from Three Girls and a Book Obsession, Shannon with Cocktails and Books, Sarah from Smut and Bon Bons, Andrea from the Bookish Babe, Jennifer from Book Bitches Blog, Tracey Quintin, Melissa Lemons, Chantel Pentz McKinley, Nicole Tallman, Stefanie Eldrige-O’Toole, Tara Thomas, Lisa Salvary, Monique Harrell-Watford, and Jen Maxner.
Don’t miss the next book in the Danvers series!
Continue reading for a special preview of
THE ONE FOR ME
Available from Signet Eclipse in February.
There were some days that just sucked, Crystal Webber thought to herself as she used one hand to rub her aching head and the other clutched at her cramping stomach. Why in the world had she come to work this morning? True, she hadn’t felt quite this sick when she’d left home, but she had been nauseous. She’d attributed it to skipping dinner the night before since she had fallen asleep on the sofa hours before her usual bedtime.