Текст книги "Be My Temptation"

Автор книги: Rachel Brookes

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Текущая страница: 23 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

Seven months later

“I FEEL LIKE I’M about to explode.” Ashlyn groaned beside me. “I just want to meet our baby. Is that too much to ask?”

Sunday morning sunshine beamed through our bedroom, and I rolled to my side to find Ashlyn on her back with her stomach on full display. It was the sexiest sight in the world. Ashlyn had been glowing for months. Pregnancy looked amazing on her, and if she hadn’t threatened to cut my balls off, I’d make sure she was pregnant constantly.

The past seven months had been phenomenal. That was the only way to describe it. There was nothing in this world that could make me happier. I had Ashlyn—my girl, my lover, my best friend—and I had my little prince or princess due to join us any day now.

“I’ve read that sex brings on labor,” I said with a smirk. “I’m willing to help in any way I can.”

Her laughter sounded like music to my ears. “How about this? If there is no movement in the next twenty-four hours, you can have me anyway you want. Get your rest, though, because I’ll be fucking you until this baby comes out.”

“You really are my soulmate, aren’t you?” I laughed and moved in close. “You and me, Ashy.”

I leaned in and kissed her good morning, before moving down the bed until I could drop my lips to her belly. “Good morning, bubba.”

Ashlyn giggled and ran her hands through my hair. “I love how you do that.”

“I’ve got to give my baby a good morning kiss too.” I shot her a wink. “Do you want a hot chocolate?”

“Yes, please. With extra marshmallows.”

“Your wish is my command.” I smiled, then climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. “I’ll go see if Ben and Austin have any plans for today.”

Austin and Ben had flown in the night before, and were staying with us until the baby arrived. Having Ashlyn’s brother and his best friend—and practically her second brother—in the house was good.

I stumbled into the kitchen to find Austin standing by the sink, looking out the window at the view of the cove. My arrival grabbed his attention, so he swung around and offered me a chin lift in greeting.

“How’s Ducky this morning?” Austin asked, using Ashlyn’s childhood nickname.

I pulled out a mug and poured myself coffee. “She thinks she is going to explode,” I said with a smile. “But besides that, she is okay. We are both getting anxious and just want to meet our little boy or girl.”

“Thank you for giving her this. It is all she ever wanted. I tried to give her as much as I could when she lived in Monroe, but you are giving her everything. I appreciate it.”

“You never have to thank me for anything when it comes to your sister. She’s my life, it’s as simple as that.”

“Do we have a baby yet?” Ben’s deep voice rumbled as he stepped into the kitchen. “Seriously, a man is going to get fuckin’ old waiting.”

“Not yet,” I said.

The three of us stood in the kitchen, catching up and talking about random shit. Our conversation ceased when Ashlyn came walking in. The first thing I noticed was that she had dressed in a pair of my old sweats, and was wearing a tank top that covered her belly perfectly. She stopped just inside the door and, when her eyes met mine, something shifted within them.

“Sorry to break up the chat, boys, but Joshy, it’s started.” The smile that hit her lips was mind blowing. “While I was in the bathroom, my water broke.”

I froze. Water breaking meant the baby was coming. I had read enough baby books over the past seven months to know exactly what was happening. Fuck. It was happening. Now.

“Josh. Fucking come back to us.” Austin stood there, clicking his fingers in front of my face and pulling me back to reality. “Here he is. Josh, your baby is coming. Take my sister to the hospital. Now.”

After being at the hospital for fifteen hours, I stepped out of the delivery room to give everyone another update. The moment I appeared, Ky came straight up to me. Having him there provided me more comfort than I could have imagined.

“How are you doing?” Ky asked quietly, clearly reading my thoughts. “Any news?”

“Not yet. Soon though. Ky, I’m going to be a dad. Have I got everything we need? Does the baby need anything else? What if I fuck this up? You and I both know that I’ve fucked up a lot. I can’t fuck this up.” My insecurities were no longer hidden, and I couldn’t stop spilling my thoughts.

“You are a Crawford; we don’t do things half-assed. You are going to be a great dad, and Ash is going to be an incredible mom. Your little one is lucky to have parents like you. And come on, me as an uncle? That kid can’t do any better.”

“And everyone says I’m the cocky Crawford.” I laughed, and immediately a sense of calm swept through me. “Can you tell everyone that things are going okay? Ashlyn is absolutely amazing. I’ll be back out when the newest Crawford is unleashed into the world.”

“There you are.” A flustered nurse appeared and hurried toward me. “It’s time. We have to go now.”

The moment the nurse said those words, I increased my pace.

“I can’t. Josh isn’t back yet. I am not doing this without him.” Ashlyn’s panicked voice floated down the hall as I made my way back to her.

I burst through the door, and rushed back to her bedside. Relief immediately spread across her face, and I encased her hand with mine, kissing her forehead tenderly.

“I can’t do this, Josh. It hurts too much,” she whimpered in a voice that broke my heart. Seeing my girl hurt or in pain was something I didn’t deal well with.

“We just need one big push, Ashlyn, and your baby will be here,” the nurse said in encouragement. “I can see the head,”

She could see my baby’s head.

“Let’s become a family, Ashy. Our little one wants to meet us,” I said through a thick voice, as the thought of our duo about to become a trio slammed into my heart.

Her grip on my hand intensified, and she nodded in silent acknowledgment. Ashlyn was my past, my present, and my future, and seeing her once again about to give me another life-changing gift was indescribable. I couldn’t put into words what this moment felt like. No words would ever be enough. I would show her what this meant to me by giving her endless love, forever devotion, and a life where she never doubted her worthiness again.

“Team Joslyn,” she whispered and offered a sweet smile.

The sound of her inhaling sharply sounded, and her eyes slammed shut. I watched in complete fascination as a strength I’d never witnessed before washed over her. After what seemed like forever, everything around me went silent, like the world had stopped spinning. It was that split second before new life was brought into the world that things decided to change. Ashlyn’s grip on my hand lessened, and her eyes shot open. Our gaze locked fiercely on one another, before we both looked at the nurse.

Then we heard it.

The sound of life.

The sound of forever.

The cries of our baby.

“Congratulations, you have a healthy baby girl,” the nurse announced with a congratulatory smile, then turned her attention to me. “Would you like to cut the cord?”

Holy shit. We were parents. We had a baby girl. We had a little Princess Crawford.

Ashlyn’s loud sob of happiness echoed through the room and she squeezed my hand tenderly. I leaned down and kissed her hard. I fed her my love, devotion, and happiness in that one kiss. “I love you so much, Ashlyn,” I whispered against her lips.

I freely allowed my emotions to bubble over as my eyes first connected with our baby girl. With a head full of hair, the poutiest lips I’d ever seen, and a tiny button nose, she was beyond perfect.

I wasn’t a man that often showed his emotions, but as I cut the cord, and then when our baby was placed on Ashlyn’s chest, I let my tears freely fall. Suddenly, I was invaded with an overwhelming sense of reason and meaning.

This was what it truly felt like to be a man.

Aria Joslyn Crawford was born to an ecstatic father and an exhausted mother at just after one P.M. on a sunny Monday afternoon. From her very first breath, she took complete ownership of my heart.

Our little princess.

Our miracle.

Our forever.

After both of us were cleaned up and Aria had been checked over, she was placed on my chest and was now fast asleep. It was Josh, me, and Aria in the silence of the room; my beautiful little family. Contentment flooded me. Happiness engulfed me. Peace owned me.

“I never would have believed that this type of love could exist,” Josh whispered from the chair beside the bed. His gaze was locked with mine, and the devotion he showed me was heart stopping. “Ashy, I’ve never been as in love with you as I am right now. You were incredible.”

“You constantly make me swoon, Josh Crawford.”

“I can’t believe she is ours,” he said with worship and admiration caressing his words. Shifting in his seat, he ran his finger over our daughter’s delicate features and leaned in to place a gentle kiss on the top of her head. “We did good, Ashy.”

“We did,” I replied through a voice that was cracking with emotion.

“You should get some rest. I’ll spend some daddy time with my little princess, because we have a lot to discuss.”

“Josh,” I said softly, and his eyes left Aria to meet mine. “I’m crazy in love with you.”

He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on my lips, then let his mouth hover over mine. “Let’s be crazy in love together.”

An hour later, I fluttered to consciousness at the sound of Josh’s soft voice beside me. I rolled my head to the side to see Josh curled up in the visitor’s seat, with Aria snuggled against his chest and his hand protectively resting on her back. A grown man with a tiny baby in his arms was the most exquisite sight in the world.

“I’ve loved your mommy since we were in college, but you have to wait till you’re at least thirty to even think of boys. I know for a fact that your uncles and I won’t let them near you. Did you know that your Uncle Austin is a police officer, and Uncle Ky is the coolest guy I know? I’m going to take such good care of you, my little princess. I love you and your mommy so much, and I can’t wait till we get to take you home to the beach.”

During my fifth month of pregnancy, I fulfilled one of my biggest dreams. We moved to Lilac Cove. We left New York behind us, and moved to the one place that made me feel alive, the only place I envisioned raising a family. Our house was near the beach, allowing views of the cove, and was the perfect place to spend the last few months of my pregnancy getting ready for this exact moment.

“I don’t know how I’m going to handle not having sex with you for six weeks. Seeing you being all cute with her isn’t going to do my lady parts any favors.”

Josh looked up with a smirk, and gently covered Aria’s ears before he said, “I don’t know how I’m going to stop myself from fucking you right now. Ashy, you were beyond incredible. I am in complete awe of you. Look at what you . . . we, created.”

Josh climbed up onto the bed beside me. Then, with Aria lying on his chest, he took out his phone, and we took our first photos as a family together. An hour later, a soft knock on the closed door shunted me out of my happy place, and the nurse popped her head into the room.

“We have a lot of visitors out here wanting to come meet her and give her cuddles.”

“Send them in,” Josh replied with a smile, and gently placed Aria in my arms before standing from the bed.

With a smile and quick nod, the nurse closed the door. Within seconds, it reopened, and Ky, Eden, Austin, Ben, and Josh’s parents stepped into the room. All eyes fell on the sleeping baby in my arms, and a loud sob from Eden filled the room. Austin, Ky, Ben, and Josh’s dad all stood with Josh, while Eden made the first move to the bed. Our eyes met, and the first tear rolled over my cheek as I witnessed my best friend fall in love with my daughter.

“Would you like to hold her?” I whispered as emotion strangled my voice.

She simply nodded, and her eyes welled up as I placed Aria in her arms. I looked around the room, and immediately my eyes trained onto Ky, who was looking at Eden adoringly while she held his niece.

“I promise I will protect you from absolutely everything, baby girl. Your Aunt Eden will never let anything bad happen to you,” Eden whispered with a shaky voice.

I looked at my best friend, and the pride and love I had for her was unexplainable. This girl had faced hell, yet she was the happiest person I’d ever met. Her promise to my daughter had so many meanings, and every one of them made me proud to call Eden my family.

“She is absolutely stunning, Ash,” Eden said.

Ky made a move to the bed, then stood behind Eden and looked down at Aria. “So damn proud of you, Ash,” he whispered in a voice echoing with emotion.

“Aria will need a cousin to play with,” I said with a suggestive wiggle of my brow.

“We are working on it,” Ky replied firmly. “Hopefully sooner rather than later.

The beginnings of another beautiful sunset filled the bedroom, and I stretched as I woke refreshed and ready for another night with our little party animal. Aria was six months old, and had a newfound love for the night life, which meant that mommy and daddy had become well acquainted with late night infomercials and coffee.

There was no sign of Josh or Aria in the silence of the bedroom. Josh had come home from work early and crawled into bed beside Aria and I, just as we were getting ready for our usual afternoon nap. As soon as Aria heard Josh’s voice, her sleepy eyes shot open and she held her arms out for her Daddy. The love those two had for each other was phenomenal.

The past six months had been an incredible journey. Aria was becoming more beautiful by the day, and watching her learn and experience new things was amazing. It was an honor being her mom. Josh never ceased to amaze me. He was born to be a father, and his devotion to Aria was like nothing I had ever witnessed. He was absolutely wrapped around her tiny little finger and, wherever Aria was, Josh wouldn’t be too far away. Every morning he would get up and get her bottle ready, then bring her into bed with us so we could have family cuddles before he went to work. Seriously, it’s shocking I never died from swoon overload. During the day, he would regularly call to check in, and he wanted at least two photos of her a day sent to him. When he got home from work, she was in his arms, and they would more often than not fall asleep on the couch together.

It had taken us six weeks before we even considered being away from her. Ky and Eden offered to watch her for three hours, after Josh decided to take me out for our six-week anniversary of being parents; in other words, the time we could finally have sex again.

Now the sex. Holy fuck, Josh and I always had an amazing sex life, but now he was insatiable. Whenever we could, we would, and just about anywhere. The bathroom, the couch, the car, and the garage had all witnessed intense fucking over the past six months. The only place off-limits was Aria’s nursery. He couldn’t get enough of my new curves, and I couldn’t get enough of him. It was like my hormones were in overdrive, and every day I was either walking around in a haze brought on by being over fucked by Josh, or lack of sleep from Aria. It was the greatest haze I’d ever encountered.

Life was amazing.

After climbing out of bed, I walked through the house in search of my boyfriend and daughter. The low rumblings of Josh’s voice floated down the hall, coming from the direction of my office. I pushed opened the half-closed door, and smiled at the sight before me. Josh was sitting at my large oak desk with a wide-awake Aria on his lap. He was having a video chat with Savannah and her son, Max.

“What’s happening here?” I asked softly, causing Josh to spin around and greet me with a million-dollar smile. I leaned down and kissed him, and was greeted by the cutest little smile from Aria, before I turned to the computer screen and waved at Savannah.

“She is like sleeping beauty. She is so pretty. Can she come and play with me? I can show her my Thomas train, she can take Thomas home,” Max said in awe while his gaze didn’t budge from Aria. “I want to play with her.”

“Baby, she doesn’t live here,” Savannah said softly.

Max’s little face scrunched into a scowl. “I’m not a baby. I’m a big boy.”

“I bet he learned that from Tate. I’ve heard him declaring himself a big boy more times than I care to remember.” Josh snickered beside me.

“Jealousy doesn’t become you, Josh,” Savannah shot.

“I have absolutely nothing to be jealous of. Ask Ashy, I am a very big boy.”

“Are we really talking about the size of C.O.C.K.S in front of the children?” I asked with a laugh.

Savannah’s soft laughter filled the office, while Max’s eyes went back to Aria. Aria was completely oblivious, and was too concerned with a pencil that was on my desk.

“Maxey, maybe you and your mommy and daddy can come visit one day. You’ll have to bring Aria a girl train to play with. You can have a sleep over. Would you like that?”

“YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!” he squealed excitedly, and starting talking a million miles an hour to Savannah. His accent was adorable. He had a unique blend of American and Australian. He was going to have the girls falling at his feet if he still had it when he was older.

“I’m going to set Maxey up with Aria when they are older,” Savannah said with a hoot, and the excitement was evident in her voice. “How adorable would that be?”

“No fu . . . way. There is no way in hell a Connors kid is coming near my princess. I know who his parents are,” Josh said sternly.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Savannah shot in dismay.

“Do you remember the stories of you and Tate that you’ve shared with me over the years? Both of your blood runs through his body. Jesus, your kid is going to be a lady killer by age ten.”

“He doesn’t just offer to share his trains with anyone . . . especially Thomas. I think it’s love already,” she said.

I chuckled beside Josh, who shot me a look that told me not to encourage her. Aria became unsettled on Josh’s lap, so he immediately stood from the chair and tucked her into his chest, then began rocking her softly. Ovary explosion commenced.

“And just so you know, when a man with the Connors name wants something, he gets it. Just like you Crawford boys. I’m signing off to do some wedding planning for Max and Aria. Ash, call me next week for a virtual play date for the young love birds.” Savannah smirked and, just as Josh was about to complain, she logged off.

“I need to get that shotgun. She is barely six-months old, and look what is happening already. He might be four-years old, but I know that look. Christ,” Josh mumbled as we left the office and moved through the house. “Princess, you are being locked away till you are thirty-five now. Thirty is too young.”

I burst out laughing, and he shot me a look. “This is not a laughing matter, Ashy.”

We headed straight for the sliding glass door that led to the balcony, which provided us with perfect views of the cove. I couldn’t believe that this was my life. I had the man of my dreams, my precious daughter, and my dream house in my favorite place in the world. I swear I asked Josh to pinch me every second day so I could convince myself I wasn’t dreaming, but he’d just look at me and shake his head in amusement.

“You’re the best dad,” I said, taking a seat next to him on our outdoor couch and curling into his body.

“Why, because I’m going to lock up our daughter and ban her from dating? I’m not above banning the Connors’ clan from visiting.”

“You are hilarious.” I chuckled and buried my face into his chest, then got lost in the scent of our daughter. She had snuggled so closely into him, and his hand was protectively resting on her back.

“Protecting you and Aria is what I live for now. No one is getting to either of you without going through me first.”

“Righto, Tarzan,” I said softly, while my heart kicked into overdrive at the love I had for this man. I don’t think he could ever truly comprehend what he meant to me. There wasn’t enough ways in the world to show or tell him how in love I was with him, but I’d spend every living day trying.

“I don’t care what god damn trains he offers her. Thomas isn’t even the best train. Henry all the way,” he said with a smirk, and I fell into a fit of giggles.

“Oh yeah, I am a huge fan of Henry.”

As the sky turned into splashes of purple and orange and another day came to a close, I felt my body once again engulfed with the one thing I’d always craved: worth.

Every day, I was writing a new chapter in the book of my life. The chapters were filled with the love of a man that made me feel like I was the closest thing to a goddess, a beautiful daughter who made my heart stammer with emotion when she gave me the tiniest of smiles, and a new belief that I was worth every amazing thing I had been given.

My life, the reality I was living, was beyond any romance novel I had gotten lost in over the years. Josh Crawford was my real-life romance story. He was the fantasy of true love I’d always craved, and he was all mine. Mine.

Tilting my head to look up at Josh, I found him with his eyes shut and a placid look sweeping across his face. In that moment, as peace caressed our home, I realized all of my dreams had come true.

Josh was always my perfect cliffhanger, and now my perfect cliffhanger had given me the best happily-ever-after I could have imagined.

Josh and Ashlyn, and now princess Aria.

We were and forever would be, team Joslyn.

The end.