After We Met, page 15
“Seriously?” I gave him a look I hope conveyed the layoff vibe.
After she yelled at me for hurting her daughter Lisa told me that Lani, Molly, and Sophie were at a cookout and that she’d take us there. I attempted to ignore the fireworks that were happening between my best friend and the love of my life’s mother.
Once we started turning down neighborhood streets, I knew we were getting close and my heart started to race. When we got there, for a moment I almost chickened out getting out of the car.
The moment we hit the side of the house I heard Sophie yell for me and I swear my heart exploded in my chest. Her little legs worked so hard to get to me fast. While I hugged her tight my eyes went right to Lani. From where I stood I could see her chin quiver before she took off into the house.
Lisa went after her, and Molly came over with her boyfriend. It was a little awkward at first, but then Molly came and wrapped her arms around me. “I’m glad you’re here,” she’d whispered in my ear. “Dad this is Colton. Colton, my dad Damon Monroe.”
I shook his hand and we talked for a few minutes until the back door opened and there she was.
Focusing back on driving, Lani’s light warm citrusy scent wraps around me, relaxing me. We reach their place and I pull into the driveway. I climb out and come around to her side, but she doesn’t wait for me and climbs out.
I follow behind Lani as she heads to their front door, pulling out her key to unlock it. I grab the door and hold it open so she can pass through it first. The moment I shut the door she whips around to face me. “Well, let’s hear it.”
“Will you come sit with me?” I ask as I take a seat on her couch, but she shakes her head. “Okay, fair enough.”
I open and close my mouth a few times. “Ahem…I wanted to tell you for a long time about the voicemail, but there never seemed to be a good time—wait, let me start at the beginning.” I rub my sweaty palms on my jeans. “I got your message, but it was at least two weeks before I actually listened to it. Molly was barely talking to me and I had to deal with her mom a lot because I hurt our daughter.”
“Anyway, I heard your message and I was honestly terrified. What was I going to do? I wanted to call you right away, but I kept chickening out. Then it was because I figured you were better off without me. You scare me Lani, and you always have. I didn’t expect to have such strong feelings for you, but after we met that all changed. Time kept passing and when you never tried to contact me I thought maybe you had not gone through with the pregnancy or that maybe you lost her…Then I was scared what it would do to the shaky relationship that Molly and I had, which is all on me, not her.”
“I told you that it was going to be the last time I would bother you. What did you expect me to do? Beg you to be there? I did not want you to be in her life as some sort of obligation, but I wanted you to be her dad.” Her eyes turn glassy. “You don’t know how hard it was to do it alone. I wanted you there so badly, but I wasn’t going to beg.”
“I know you think that the whole trip was about me making myself feel less guilty, but I swear to you it wasn’t. All I wanted was to get to know our daughter and to reconnect with you.” I get up from the couch and stop in front of her. “When I told you I loved you I meant it. I would never say something like that if I didn’t mean it.” I get down on my knees in front of her, pulling her down in front of me.
“The thought of you and Sophie not being in my life kills me.” I grab her face in my hands. “I will regret my decision for the rest of my life.” Lani opens her mouth, but I stop her. “It’s not because of my regret that I’m here. I love you and my life is not complete without you.”
Lani’s tears slide down her cheeks and her lip quivers. “W-Why did it take you so long to get here?”
“A lot of that first week I was drinking and kicking my ass for hurting you. Then I remembered what Molly had said. She’d said that nothing I said would get through until you were ready to listen. She’d texted me earlier this week that she thought you might be ready to listen.”
She shakes her head. “She never told me that.” Lani surprises me by grabbing my face the way I am hers. “I was so mad and so hurt, but I missed you so freaking much. Every night Sophie asked for her daddy and I didn’t know what to t-tell her.”
“If you forgive me, I’ll never leave you again and I’ll spend the rest of our lives making my girls happy.”
Lani leans forward, pressing her lips against mine. The moment I deepen the kiss Lani begins to cry against my lips. Her salty tears mix with her sweet flavor on my tongue. I maneuver until I’m on my ass and she’s straddling my lap and we kiss for a long time.
I manage to get us off the floor and with her wrapped around me I carry her down the hall to her bedroom. In front of her bed, I place her down on her feet. We quickly strip off our clothes and then our lips are back on each other. I sit down on the bed and pull her down until I impale her on my cock. She cries out against my mouth and I feel her channel ripple around me.
She rocks in my lap as I lift her up and down on my cock. I grab her hair at the base of her neck and pull her head back, attacking her neck, and nipping her sensitive skin.
“I love you so much, baby,” I say against her lips. Her pussy clenches around me as she begins to come hard. I hold her down as I thrust up, coming so hard my eyes roll back in my head. She wraps her arms around me and rests her head on my shoulder.
Hugging her close for the first time in two weeks I feel like I’m on top of the world, I kiss her lips one more time before pulling back and smiling up at Lani. “Fuck, I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
I pull my softening cock from her and lay back on her bed, taking her with me. We lay in her bed and I softly rub small circles on her back as she kisses me right over the heart. “What happens now?” Lani says quietly.
“I want to rent us a place here while you finish out the school year. Your mom can either stay with us or I’ll help cover her rent until she decides what she wants to do.”
“What about your bar and your house?” She rests her head on her hand.
I lean up and kiss her. “I’ll have to fly home every couple of weeks to do whatever I can’t do online and to just make sure that everything is running smoothly. Tony already said he’d keep an eye on my place.”
“You’d do that for us? Uproot your life temporarily?” She straddles me, smiling down at me.
Grabbing her face, I pull her down until her lips are touching mine. “Baby, I’d do anything for you.”
Lani hugs me to her and we stay like that for a long time—only getting dressed when we get a text from Tony that they’re coming back to the house.
I open my eyes and see it’s still dark out and then look down, smiling. Sophie is asleep on my chest and Lani is snuggled up next to me with her arm around my waist. I’m not sure how the three of us fit on this twin-sized mattress, but there is no place I’d rather be.
Closing my eyes I say a quick word of thanks because my girl forgave me and together we’re going to be a family. I find Lani’s stomach in the dark, resting my hand on top of the place that I hope I’ve planted our next child. I’m hopeful that our future baby will be as perfect as their big sisters are.
Yes, maybe I’m rushing things, but when you know, you know. Lani’s it for me and now that she’s back in my life I don’t plan on wasting a single second.
Epilogue
Lani
Eight months later
I slip Sophie’s dress on over her head, being mindful of the bun her big sister put her hair in. My daughter looks like an angel in her little white dress. “Baby, you look beautiful.”
“I’m a princess, Mommy.” She smiles up at me and I bend forward kissing her sweet cherub face. I stand upright after zipping her up and rub a hand over my stomach while my son practices Kung Fu inside me.
These past eight months have been a whirlwind. True to his word, Damon got us an apartment to stay in until I finished out the year and immediately moved us down to Florida once school ended. It was very hard leaving Andi, Dante, and their kids, even though Damon told them they have a free place to stay if they ever want to come for a visit. I hope they take him up on that offer. It was hard to leave Molly, but she couldn’t leave Colton and I couldn’t blame her.
I’m glad my friend has found and fell in love with a great guy because he’s truly a good person who is so in love with Molly it warms my heart.
By our calculations, Damon got me pregnant the night we got back together and the moment the test came back positive we had a small intimate wedding at the country club that Colton and his family belong to. I would’ve settled for the courthouse, but Damon wouldn’t hear of it.
When it was time to move, my mom decided there was nothing keeping her in Iowa City so she moved down to Florida with us and began working at the restaurant that Damon took me to our last date before we came home.
Frankie loved her so much that he made her a manager within a month of her working there. With the pay increase, she was able to move into a little apartment by the beach.
My thoughts are interrupted when the dressing room door opens and my mom steps out. “Wow. Mom, you look so beautiful.” Her white dress skims her body and shows off the amazing figure she has. Molly put her hair up in a loose chignon and tucked white flowers into it. Mom’s skin has a sun-kissed glow so we kept her makeup light. “Tony is going to flip.”
Yes, today my mom is marrying Damon’s best friend. Apparently it was love at first sight and they saw a lot of each other before Tony had to head back down to Florida. Sparks flew and one thing led to another.
I won’t lie, I had my reservations, especially since I know about Molly and Tony, but that was four years ago and he’s shown me time and again how much he loves my mom. Sophie has even started calling him Papa and he loves it and her, spoiling her so much already.
When it’s time to start Damon comes to me, taking me in his arms. “You look so beautiful, baby.”
The man never stops making me blush. “Thank you.”
Our daughter walks ahead of us, sprinkling rose petals in the sand. When Damon leads me to my side he kisses me softly before standing beside Tony. The wedding march begins and tears fill my eyes as I watch my beautiful Momma walk down the aisle toward the man who I know will treat her and love her the way she deserves.
I look at Tony to see his reaction to my mom and his whole face lights up the closer she gets to him. When she reaches him, he pulls her in for a long heated kiss that has my daughter squealing “Awww…” very loudly, causing everyone to laugh.
The ceremony is short and sweet and the reception, which is more like a small gathering takes place at Moonlight. Frankie took care of everything for his favorite employee. For their honeymoon Tony is taking my mom to Italy, somewhere she’s always wanted to go, but never thought she’d get the chance. There isn’t much that he won’t do for her and I love him for it.
It feels good to see my mom get her own happily ever after because I don’t know anyone who deserves it more than she does.
Once we get home, Damon takes our sleeping princess up to bed and I head into our bedroom. I slip my dress over my ample belly. I’ve been lucky with both my babies and I’m all belly. I look like I swallowed a very large basketball.
In my bra and panties, I head into the bathroom to brush my teeth, wash my face, and then brush out my hair. Damon comes in and his eyes devour me. I don’t move from my spot in front of the bathroom mirror. “Did she wake at all?”
He shakes his head as he moves toward me, stopping when his front hits my back. Damon reaches around and places both hands on my belly. “Fuck, you’re so sexy like this.” I swear since I started to show he’s turned into a horny bastard. We have sex all of the time because he can’t seem to get enough.
I tilt my head to the side and he begins kissing me along my neck. In the mirror, our eyes are locked as he licks, sucks, and bites my sensitive flesh. His hands slide up to my breasts, pinching my nipples. I moan and feel my panties dampen. “Fuck me, baby, please.” He moves my hair over my shoulder.
He disappears behind my back, kissing me all the way down to my ass. Damon pulls my panties down and helps me step out of them before he kisses and bites each ass cheek. He quickly peels off his t-shirt. I hear rustling and know he’s undoing his pants. “Spread your legs for me.”
Damon enters me in one swift motion and my head flies back, pressing against his shoulder. My hands curl around the basin as he begins to fuck me with hard, measured strokes. “You feel so good, baby. Your cunt feels like heaven.”
He pulls my head back, leans down, and attacks my mouth. I eagerly open to him and our tongues do that familiar dance. Damon hits my G-spot and I shudder around him. It takes no time at all before the beginnings of my orgasm hits. I reach behind me, gripping his hair in my fist as I grind down on his dick.
I moan as my orgasm goes on and on, followed shortly by his as he plants himself deep inside my channel. He pants against my back and kisses it before slowly pulling his softening cock from me. “Don’t move.” Damon grabs a washcloth and gently cleans me up and then throws it in the laundry basket. He turns me in his arms and tips my head back. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you too, honey.” Damon helps me put my panties back on and leads me to our bed. I get situated around my body pillow and he snuggles up against my back. His hand protectively cups my belly. It’s not long before my eyes drift shut and I do it smiling.
Damon
Two years later
“Daddy, watch me.” Sophie does a somersault in the water and then pops up. “Did you see me?”
Sophie is five now and she’s our little firecracker. She loves spending her days playing in the water. “I did baby. Good job. Are you ready to eat lunch?”
She climbs out of the pool and I just shake my head. Sophie is in the little purple ruffle bikini that Lani bought for her. I tried to put my foot down and tell her she couldn’t wear it but my daughter just flashed me those baby blues and I was putty in her hands.
I wrap her towel around her before picking her up and carrying her inside. Lani comes walking into the kitchen with our almost two-year-old son Simon in her arms. “Someone doesn’t want to nap today.”
I set Sophie down and take our son from my beautiful wife, but not before I kiss her. I pull back and she smiles up at me. “Molly called. Colton won that case so they’re going to take the earlier flight tomorrow.”
Molly and Colton got married last year. I couldn’t have picked a better partner for my daughter. They’re expecting their first baby later this year. “That’s great.” We’re having an end of summer bash before Sophie starts kindergarten and Molly and Lani both start their teaching jobs.
“Tony’s dropping off Riley and your mom tomorrow and then we’ll go pick up the booze and food.”
Right after Tony and Lisa got married, they decided they’d try for a baby for a year and if it didn’t happen they’d move on, but as luck would have it she got pregnant immediately.
My kids’ aunt is younger than Sophie and the same age as Simon. I know Lani worried about her mom a lot due to her being older and being high risk, but she was fine except for some high blood pressure at the very end.
Lani loves her baby sister so much and we even keep her overnight so they can have nights to themselves. In turn, they take our kids. “That sounds good. I’m so excited to have everyone here to celebrate the end of summer.”
“Me too, honey.” She takes our daughter upstairs and I hear the shower kick on. I look down at my son who looks like his momma except for his eyes that are identical to mine. “Hey bud, should we make lunch?”
“Wunch.” My boy loves to eat and throws his hands up in the air to show just how excited he is.
I’m not sure how I got so lucky to meet my soulmate who gave me two more beautiful children. Lani and the kids have added so much more to my life than I ever imagined. I honestly never thought I’d get married again or have more children, but fate had other plans—after all, life changed after we met.
The End!
Acknowledgments
As always first and foremost thank you to God for gifting me with the ability to tell stories because I have to do something with the movies constantly playing in my head.
Secondly to my family, thank you Jim, Ethan, and Evan for being understanding when the house is a mess and dinner is usually something frozen. You guys keep me going when I sometimes want to give up. Jim you’re my rock and biggest cheerleader when I need it.
To my amazing editor Ellie McLove thank you for making my words make more sense.
Mignon from Oh So Novel premades, thank you for making this beautiful cover because the moment I saw it I knew that was Lani and the perfect cover for this book.
Thank you to my Entourage, thank you for loving my books with an enthusiasm that still humbles and amazes me.
Lastly thank you to Give Me Books for helping me spread the word about Lani and Damon’s story.
Stay Connected with Me
Website: http://www.authorevangrace.com
Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/2nGpUfQ
Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2osdDbR
Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/2o07iYH
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2nGiBon
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2nusgxW
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/evan-grace
Sign up for my newsletter and get the latest news
Newsletter Sign-up: http://bit.ly/2ncb8dv
Author Bio:
A Midwesterner and self-proclaimed book nerd, Evan has been an avid reader most of her life, but one day an idea came into her head and a writing career was born. She's a sucker for happily ever afters and loves creating fictional worlds that others can get lost in. Evan loves putting her characters through the ringer, but loves when they get to that satisfying, swoony ending.
