As I quietly padded into our bedroom, I found Hunter snoring softly with Iris lying across his chest and a hand protectively holding her in place. I could see her eyes fluttering beneath her lids, deep within a dream, and I hoped it was filled with love and happiness, because that was exactly what she had given us over the last twelve months.
Iris was the light of my life, and watching her grow, day after day… I couldn’t even begin to explain what an amazing experience it was. I loved being a mother, especially hers, but sometimes I wished she would stop growing up so quickly. Every time I blinked it seemed like she was learning something new. She had already taken her first steps and spoken her first word, which of course was “Da-da” because she had him wrapped so tight around her tiny finger he would do anything just to bring a smile to her face. And just as I suspected, those beady blue eyes had turned a beautiful shade of gray, just like her daddy’s. Minus my blonde hair and stubborn attitude, which she definitely got from me, she was the spitting image of her father.
I looked down at the rings on my left hand, and smiled as I thought back to the second best day of my life: the day I became Hunter’s wife. It wasn’t long after Hunter placed the rock on my finger that we were saying “I do” in a small ceremony on the beach with just close family and friends in attendance. We weren’t concerned with having a big wedding because, in our eyes, we already belonged to one another in every way a man and woman could… we just had to make it official.
I climbed up onto the bed next to my sleeping husband and carefully picked Iris up off of his chest. She wiggled in my arms until her eyes slowly peeled open, and then grinned excitedly when she saw that it was me. “Ma! Ma!”
“Good morning, my little princess.” I peppered kisses over every inch of her sweet little face, and she giggled, trying to squirm free. “Think we should wake daddy up so we can get ready for your party?” She bobbed her head enthusiastically and jumped up and down on the bed.
Hunter rolled over, wiping the sleep from his eyes, and grinned up at the two of us waiting patiently for him. “Now what do we have here?” He swept Iris up and playfully tackled her into bed like he did every morning, tickling her until she was giggling so hard she was out of breath. I loved watching them together like this, and their laughter warmed my heart. “Looks like somebody let a little monkey into our bed.”
“Da-da!”
He picked her up and plopped her in his lap. “Come here and give daddy a kiss.” She grabbed his cheeks and puckered up, planting a big, wet kiss on his lips that left a trail of drool down his chin. Those were by far the best kisses. “A little birdy told me it’s someone’s birthday.” She bounced in his lap, chewing on her hand. “Can you tell me how old you are today?”
“Wun!” She waved a drooly finger in his face.
“That’s right! You’re one! And we’re gonna have a party to celebrate what a big girl you are now.”
Iris crawled back in my lap and Hunter leaned over to kiss me. “Mornin’, sexy momma.”
“Mornin’ to you, too.” I smiled against his lips. “Or should I say afternoon? You guys slept in pretty late.”
“Sorry about that.” He rustled his fingers through his hair and slipped his glasses on. “I just gotta hop in the shower, and then I’ll start getting everything set up for the party.”
“I got it all taken care of. There isn’t much left to do other than grill up the food, and everyone won’t be here for at least another three hours.”
He shook his head, smiling. “Woman, you never cease to amaze me. Sometimes, I wonder if you have a cape hidden under your clothes, but I have yet to find it.”
“Hmm, I guess we all have our secrets, huh, Clark?” I tapped his glasses and carried Iris back to her room to get her party dress on.
Everyone arrived a few hours later, with presents in hand and plenty of hugs to go around. Iris loved all of the attention, especially from Hunter’s parents who we didn’t get to see very often, but they managed to come up to visit at least every other month. I felt bad that we didn’t live closer to them, but we had developed a pretty strong relationship regardless, and they got along wonderfully with the rest of my family.
“Hey, there’s my favorite niece!” Brett scooped Iris up and spun her around. He propped her on his hip and kissed my cheek. “How’s it going, sis?”
“What are you doing here? I thought you had to work today.”
“I did, but then I realized there was no way I was missing out on this little trouble maker’s first birthday.” He tickled her sides, and she giggled, burrowing her face into his chest. “Besides, what fun is it being the boss if I can’t take advantage of the perks every now and again?”
He winked, nudging me in the ribs. It still blew my mind that my brother was now the sole owner of AJ’s Oceanside Restaurant. Bob had approached him six months earlier to inform him that he was retiring and planned on selling the restaurant, and Brett jumped at the opportunity before anyone else could. I had no idea he was even remotely interested in running a restaurant, but with his background in business and experience as assistant manager for the past two years, it was a no brainer; he was practically running the damn place as it was!
“So wait, if you’re not there, who’s running the restaurant right now?”
“Brittany,” he smirked, telling me he didn’t have much faith in her managerial abilities. “Told her if she didn’t burn the place down, I’d give her a raise.”
“Either way, I’m glad you could make it.” I pulled him in for a hug and chewed my bottom lip, wondering if I should tell him they were going to be here. “Um… you know Liberty and Shayne are going to be here, right?”
He pursed his lips and dipped his head down, nodding. “I assumed they would be.”
“Are you going to be okay with that? I mean, I know things have been strained between you and Liberty since they got married…”
“Maddie, it’s fine. Really,” he said as he pulled me in for a side hug. “In fact, I just had lunch with her last week, and I think things are finally getting back to the way they used to be between us.”
“Good.” He released his arm, and I punched his shoulder playfully. “But so help me God, if you start any shit with them today, I will go Rambo on your ass.”
Brett threw his head back, laughing heartily. “Still think you can kick my ass after all these years, lil’ sis?”
“Well, Hunter did teach me a couple of new moves…”
Brett held his hand up, silencing me. “Please stop, I really don’t want to hear about shit that goes down in the bedroom.”
“Oh, shut up. You know what I meant.” I rolled my eyes. “Just behave.”
“Aye aye, captain.” Brett mock saluted me, making a funny face at my daughter, and she fell into a fit of giggles. “C’mon squirt, let’s go see if we can play some pranks on your Unkie Robbie and Unkie Lance.”
I shook my head, laughing as I watched my little girl and her partner in crime plotting to wreak havoc on her unsuspecting uncles.
Just before I moseyed over to join the rest of the party, I caught Liberty and Shayne out of the corner of my eye, and they appeared in the middle of a heated argument. How could that be? They just got here.
“Hey guys, is everything all right?”
Shayne swept his thumbs beneath her eyes and gave her a sad smile before she turned to face me. “Everything’s perfect. I’m just feeling a little emotional, that’s all.”
“Funny, I remember saying the same thing not too long ago.” I laughed, pulling her in for a tight hug. “You guys made it just in time, too. I think Hunter is almost finished grilling up the hot dogs and burgers.”
“Good, ‘cause I’m starving.” Liberty patted her flat tummy, and for once, I was jealous of her. I had lost most of the baby weight since Iris was born, but with finishing up school and raising a baby, it didn’t leave much time to squeeze in a workout. So instead, I wore my little belly pooch and stretch marks with pride as a reminder of my precious miracle, who was currently running around the backyard and giggling with her uncles in tow.
Hunter came up behind me with his arms encircling my waist. “Looks like someone is having a good time.”
I smiled and leaned back against his firm chest. “I don’t know where she gets all of her energy from, because it’s certainly not me. I’m getting tired just watching her.”
Hunter chuckled, his warm breath tickling me as his lips brushed against the shell of my ear. “Just wait until she has a piece of her birthday cake. All of that sugar will have her spinning in circles, and then she’ll crash hard.” His voice deepened low and seductive, and he nibbled on the soft flesh of my earlobe. “Maybe then we can finally get some mommy and daddy time.”
“Mmm, I like the sound of that, Mr. Bryant.” I spun around in his arms and leaned up to kiss him. “I really, really like the sound of that.”
“Well, Mrs. Bryant, let’s get all of these people fed and out of here so we can make that happen before we pass out ourselves.” Hunter spanked me, and I bit back a huge f*cking grin. I couldn’t wait.
I announced dinner was ready, and we ate to our hearts’ content until it was time to open presents. Hunter sat down in the grass and Iris crawled into his lap, eager to open all of her presents. The way her face lit up, even before tearing off the paper, brought a smile to my face. She was always such a happy girl, and I simply adored her.
Even better than watching her open presents was watching her dig into her first piece of cake… and face first no less! She was too f*cking much, but what could I say? It was her first birthday, and I was going to let Mommy’s little piggy enjoy it however she wanted to… even if that meant we would be scrubbing pink and yellow frosting out of her hair for the rest of the night.
Just as we were finishing up with dessert, Liberty cleared her throat, grabbing everyone’s attention, and soon all eyes were on her. She looked to Shayne, and he smiled, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Um… Shayne and I were going to wait a few months to share this, but since you’re all here, we thought it would be a nice surprise for everyone.” Shayne rubbed her hand and brought it to his lips. “As you all know, we’ve been trying to get pregnant for some time now, and I’m happy to announce that we’re expecting. Twins!”
Shayne placed his hand over her stomach, unabashedly kissing his wife and the soon-to-be mother of his children.
Brett huffed out a sardonic laugh as he kicked his chair back, scraping it against the cement patio, and he stormed off toward his car.
“Shit, I better go talk to him.” Liberty raced after him, and Shayne sat there shaking his head as he slowly got to his feet.
I reached for his hand, hoping to give Liberty and my brother a moment to hash things out before Shayne got caught in the crossfire. “Don’t worry about him. He’ll get over it. He always does.” I smiled warmly.
“Yeah. Well, he should’ve gotten over it the day I slipped my mother’s ring on her finger. This shit needs to end now.” He shot me a weak smile and headed off in the direction of Liberty and Brett’s raised voices.
The party died down soon after that, and once we got Iris washed up and ready for bed, we crashed on the couch, leaving everything to be cleaned up the next day. Hunter stretched his arm across the top of the couch, and I leaned my head on his shoulder. “So… today was an eventful day.”
I snorted, curling my feet under me and leaning my head against his chest. “Yeah, definitely could have done without the added drama. I just hope Iris had a good time, and that it didn’t take away from her big day.”
“Are you kidding me?” He kissed the top of my head. “She had a blast! You know how much she loves running around and driving her uncles crazy.”
“That she does. But I love our little trouble maker, and I wouldn’t have her any other way.”
Hunter chuckled under his breath and pulled me into his lap. His fingers weaved through my hair, and I leaned further into him as he massaged my scalp, releasing all of tension. “You know, I wouldn’t mind having another little one running around. A brother or sister for her.”
I climbed off of his lap and padded down the hallway to our bedroom. Earlier this morning, before Hunter woke up, I hid a surprise in my underwear drawer. It was just as much of a surprise for me, and I couldn’t wait to share it with him.
“What do you have there?” He eyed me warily. I straddled his lap and took his hands, facing them palm-side up.
“It looks like you’re going to get your wish, daddy.” I placed the plastic white stick in his hand and chewed my lip as I gauged his reaction. He sat there for a moment with his lips parted and his eyes glued to the little pink plus sign. The corners of his mouth slowly turned up, and his eyes filled with unashamed tears as he cradled my face.
“Really?”
“Unless all five were false-positives, then yes, we’re having another baby.” I laughed through the happy tears spilling down my cheeks and over his hands.
Hunter captured my mouth, the salty droplets coalescing as they trickled across our lips and our tongues. “I love you so much, baby. So f*cking much.” He rained kisses over every inch of my face, making me cry even harder, and my heart threatened to burst with all of the love I held inside for him.
I never imagined, at twenty-two years old, that I would be married to such a wonderful man with a beautiful daughter and another baby on the way. But to say that I regretted any of decisions I’ve made that led me to this point in my life would be a bold-faced lie. I didn’t regret a single one of them.
Life had a funny way of throwing obstacles at you when you least expected them. Sometimes you just had to roll with the punches and see where the path would take you. To break the rules and make mistakes. To learn and grow. And if you were lucky, you’d come out on the other side, better and stronger than ever. All it took was that one instance, that one moment of clarity… or, in my case that one person, to change everything. And Hunter Bryant did just that. He tore down my iron-clad walls and opened up my heart to a love that I never knew existed, and for the first time in my life, I understood what it meant to love and be loved by a man who wanted me for more than just my body and what it had to offer him in return. He wanted me. All of me. And as hard as I fought to let him in, I fought even harder to keep him there.
Because I was a fighter, baby, and I couldn’t fight loving him.
Look for Shayne’s Novella, Bittersweet Catastrophe, coming summer 2014!
Rape Crisis/Sexual Assault Services
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. Among its programs, RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. This nationwide partnership of more than 1,100 local rape treatment hotlines provides victims of sexual violence with free, confidential services around the clock.
RAINN: https://www.rainn.org
National Sexual Assault Hotline: https://ohl.rainn.org/online/
Planned Parenthood offers free and confidential help for sexual assault victims and their families. They can give you support at the hospital and through police and court proceedings. Please call 1-800-230-PLAN to find the Planned Parenthood health center nearest you.
Planned Parenthood: http://www.plannedparenthood.org
Stalking Resources
If you or someone you know is being stalked, call The Stalking Resource Center National Center for Victims of Crime Helpline. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Phone: 800-FYI-CALL (800-394-2255)
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.victimsofcrime.org
So Happy I Could Die – Lady Gaga
Should Have Known Better – Hinder
Demons – Imagine Dragons
Don’t be Afraid – Green River Ordinance
Let Love In – The Goo Goo Dolls
Ready To Love Again – Lady Antebellum
The Only Exception – Paramore
Only You’re The One – Lifehouse
Changed By You – Between The Trees
Bloodstream – Stateless
Every Night – Imagine Dragons
Dick in a Box – The Lonely Island Ft. Justine Timberlake
The Other Side – Jason Derulo
She Will Be Loved – Maroon 5
Perfect – Burn Season
Wanted – Hunter Hayes
Unconditionally – Katy Perry
Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning) – Vertical Horizon
Hesitate – Stone Sour
Take Your Time – Cary Brothers
What If – SafetySuit
Daylight – Maroon 5
Can’t Forget You – My Darkest Days
Small Bump – Ed Sheeran
Iris – The Goo Goo Dolls
Everything Has Changed – Taylor Swift Ft. Ed Sheeran
Makes Me Hold On To You – Griffin Peterson
Love Song - 311
As always, I have to thank my boyfriend, Michael, for your unconditional love and support, and for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Thank you pushing me to never give up on my dreams. I love you more than you will ever know!
My family and friends, your support and encouragement mean the world to me. I don’t know where I would be without you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
My amazing editor, Kendra, I cannot thank you enough for editing my book at the last minute. You are a Godsend!
To my official beta bitches: Tabby Coots, Dawn Martens, Emily Minton, R.J. Greer, S. Moose, Emma Rider, and Tyeesha Webb. I am so grateful for you taking the time to read Unforeseen Heartbeat and giving me honest feedback. You guys are seriously the best!
To Robin Harper of Wicked By Design, thank you for designing another beautiful cover! You continue to blow me away with your designs!
To Angela McLaurin of Fictional Formats, thank you so much for flawlessly formatting my book!
A huge thank you goes out to all of the incredible authors who continue to inspire me and offer valuable advice as I continue my journey through self-publishing, especially my 101 ladies… whenever I’m feeling down, you girls know just how to bring a smile to my face!
To Kindle Alexander, thank you for allowing me to reference your characters, Colt and Jace, from Double Full. I’m not sure who’s a bigger fan of your books… me or Robbie!
All of the blogs and bloggers who have shown me support from the very beginning, I will never be able to thank you enough for all that you do for us indie authors!
Last but not least, I have to thank all of my readers. Your reviews and kind words mean so much to me, and I thank you for giving me a chance and purchasing my books. I hope you enjoyed Unforeseen Heartbeat, and don’t worry… there’s plenty more to come!