In Name Only (Pine Falls #2) - Jennifer Peel Page 0,108
came, I found myself being kissed awake. I burrowed my head into Brock’s chest hair. “What time is it?”
“Seven.”
“It’s too early. Let’s go back to sleep.” I snuggled my body closer, reveling in the feel of his bare skin against mine.
“But Santa came.”
“He did?” I giggled.
“Yes, he heard you’ve been a very good girl.” His sultry undertones were easily detected.
I kissed his chest. “Give me thirty more minutes,” I begged. I’d been running nonstop for a month, and I was exhausted. Especially since I wasn’t getting a lot of sleep lately. Not that I was complaining.
“Come on, honey. I promise it will be worth it.”
Brock had never used that term of endearment before; it must have really meant a lot to him.
“Okay,” I groaned.
He popped up so fast I was thrown to the side. “Wow, so is the honeymoon period over?” I teased.
“Not at all. I plan on unwrapping you after you see your gift.”
I rolled my eyes but smiled.
I slipped on Brock’s discarded dress shirt from the night before, and he threw on a pair of jeans. Shirtless with jeans was my favorite look. I wrapped my arms around him from behind and kissed all his raised scars. There were too many.
“Merry Christmas,” I whispered, so thankful we got another Christmas together. His scars reminded me how easily we could have been mourning his life today.
“Merry Christmas, Dani.” He pulled me around him. “Today, I don’t want to think about what might have been,” he said, as if he had read my mind. “I only want to focus on the here and now.”
“Good idea.”
“Now close your eyes.”
I did as he asked, and he scooped me up into his arms. I wrapped my own around his neck.
“Don’t peek,” he instructed me as he walked us carefully down the stairs.
“I’m not peeking.” Though I really wanted to.
I could tell when we landed downstairs, and Brock padded over to the tree near the unlit fireplace. My excitement was building.
“I’m going to set you down, but keep your eyes closed.” He gently placed me on my feet and turned me in the right direction. “Okay, open your eyes.”
My eyes popped open, and my vision was immediately consumed with the most beautiful Amish-style swinging cradle in dark mahogany I had ever seen. I dropped to my knees in front of it and touched all the handcrafted features, from the slats to the base. I lightly pushed it and let it swing back and forth. “You made this?” I was so overcome with emotion.
Brock sat next to me and pulled me onto his lap. “I began making it after I found out you were pregnant. I thought it could help me feel like the baby was mine.”
I was so overwhelmed by what a good man he was. “Did it?”
“Not at first,” he seemed ashamed to admit. “I resented the baby and hated myself for it. Little by little, though, as I fashioned the pieces, sanded the wood, and began to put it together, I started to see myself watching over the baby as she slept. I wanted to protect her. I know I did a terrible job of showing you how I really felt, as I was constantly warring between feelings of resentment and acceptance. There was no telling each day which side would win.”
I peered into his watery eyes, my own filling up with tears. “Oh, Brock. I’m so sorry—”
“Shh.” He placed his finger on my lips. “You don’t owe me an apology. I’m the sorry one. When you lost the baby, I thought I would feel relieved, but I felt as if I had lost something beautiful. Something I didn’t deserve to mourn, but I did. Then I almost lost you.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t.” He ran the back of his hand down my wet cheek. “You don’t know how grateful I am for that gift. It gave me a new purpose for finishing the cradle. I began to see it as a second chance. A new beginning.” His hand found its way under my shirt to my bare abdomen. “When you’re ready, I want to add to our family.”
I slid my hands up his chest and neck until they reached his cheeks. I pulled him down for a stirring kiss, feeling more in love than I ever imagined I could. When my lips glided off his, I whispered, “I’m ready.”
Epilogue
Eight Months Later
“Baby, hurry up, we’re going to be late to the courthouse,” Brock called through the bathroom door. Today our little girl was going to finally become permanently ours. Our Gemma girl.
“Say ‘Hurry up, Mommy,’” Brock coached Gemma.
“Hurry up, Mommy,” her precious voice came through loud and clear.
I don’t think she would ever know until she had a child of her own how much I loved to hear her call me that. How much I loved being her mommy. She was the best thing that had ever happened to us. She’d filled our days with giggles and hugs, light and love.
Mommy wanted to hurry, but Mommy wasn’t feeling all that well, and Mommy had taken a pregnancy test and was waiting to see the results. “I’ll be right there,” I promised. I stared at the test that was sitting on the bathroom counter amid my cosmetics, hoping and praying two lines would appear. I wanted to give Gemma a sibling. And this was perfect timing. The state would have been reluctant to let us adopt if we were already pregnant.
What seemed like eons later but had only been seconds, a second line appeared. I cried and smiled. “Brock, I think you should come in here.”
He immediately opened the door, holding our girl. She looked adorable in her yellow sundress, her hair french braided and tied off with a white bow.
“Are you okay?” He sounded concerned.
“Uh-huh.” I held up the stick.
He rushed toward me and traded me our daughter for the pregnancy test.
I held Gemma to me while I watched my husband’s wide eyes fill with tears. “Does this mean what I think it means?”
“Yep. We’re pregnant.”
He threw his arms around me, sandwiching Gemma between us.
“Daddy,” she squealed. “You’re squishing me.”
“That’s because Daddy is so happy.”
“I’m happy too,” she responded, even though she had no idea why.
Brock leaned away and met my gaze. “Is Mommy happy too?”
“Yes,” I replied, joy bursting across my face. “Mommy is very happy.”
Coming Soon (ish)
Silent Partner
Book Three in the Pine Falls Series
He must remain silent to protect her.
She can no longer hide her love for him.
If you enjoyed In Name Only, here are some other books by Jennifer Peel that you may enjoy:
Return to Sender
My Not So Wicked Stepbrother
My Not So Wicked Ex-Fiancé
The Sidelined Wife
How to Get Over Your Ex in Ninety Days
Narcissistic Tendencies
Honeymoon for One - A Christmas at the Falls Romance
Trouble in Loveland
Paige’s Turn
Best of My Love
Facial Recognition
For a complete list of all her books, click here.
About the Author
Jennifer Peel is a USA Today bestselling author who didn’t grow up wanting to be a writer—she was aiming for something more realistic, like being the first female president. When that didn’t work out, she started writing just before her fortieth birthday. Now, after publishing several award-winning and best-selling novels, she’s addicted to typing and chocolate. When she’s not glued to her laptop and a bag of Dove dark chocolates, she loves spending time with her family, making daily Target runs, reading, and pretending she can do Zumba.
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