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  She shook her head. “They have concluded their terror reign in my life. They are married and as far as I am concerned no longer an issue. I have no reason to speak to Anthony other than in passing when I’m at an event with you.”

  “We have to make it through the wedding with Ant being there. He’ll probably bring Melanie along.”

  “Do you think he would be that stupid?”

  He shrugged his shoulder. “Yeah. The way he’s been acting, I don’t put anything past him. Speaking of the wedding, I thought that we should have your mom and sister over for dinner before they return to Chicago. I’ll do the cooking. You just have to make the table pretty.”

  “Oh, boy. That should be an entertaining evening.”

  He tightened his hands on the steering wheel. Granted he hadn’t had the pleasure of entertaining the parents of the women he’d dated in the past. Only Linda tried to make more out of the one night stand than he wanted. “Have they said something about me, Lincoln?”

  “Regan adores you. Carter and my mom don’t know you.”

  “So what’s the problem? I got one foot in the door with Regan and you on my side. I’m telling you, I’m a charmer. I’ll win them over.” He took a deep breath feeling confident and concentrating on the long isolated stretch of road. They should arrive at their destination in about an hour tops.

  “Nick, pull over to the side of the road.”

  “Why? Are you okay?”

  “I have to tell you something and I don’t want you driving when I tell you.”

  “What the hell is wrong, Lincoln?”

  She twisted the water bottle in her hand. “Just pull over, please.”

  Nick pulled the truck over on the dusty shoulder and put it in park. “I knew there was something hiding in those baby brown eyes of yours. Whatever problem you have with me, I know I can fix. Just don’t tell me you want out.”

  She dropped her head. “Nick, I don’t have a problem with you and I don’t want out because I love you.”

  As much as Nick wanted to make all her problems go away, he knew he couldn’t banish them with a wish, but he would do whatever he had to do to make her happy. “Then what is it? Who is bothering you now?”

  She snorted before taking a sip of her lukewarm water. “You got me pregnant.”

  Nick’s breath caught silently in his chest, and his heart began to race. He watched her face as he looked for her reaction to being pregnant by him. Was she happy about it or disgusted? She showed no signs other than the hesitation to tell him about it. Her other emotions were well hidden.

  “Will you say something and stop staring at me. If you’re wondering, I took a pregnancy test yesterday morning. Carter can confirm it if you don’t believe me.”

  Suddenly, he broke into a grin. He jumped out of the truck and was at her side, lifting her into his arms. Her arms went around his neck as she clung to him. He could feel her body quivering as her form pressed against him.

  “Dammit, baby, I’m fucking ecstatic! I’m gonna take care of you and our baby. I will take care of everything. All you’ll have to do is take it easy and not worry about a damn thing.” He ran his hand down her silky black hair, knowing he meant every word. It wasn’t something he was saying just to calm her fears. He wanted to take care of the woman who had seen more than her share of heartache lately. The woman he loved and now the mother of his child.

  She pulled away from him once her feet were on the ground again. “Really? You’re happy about this?”

  “Hell, yeah! I won’t be like I was with my step son. I’m going to be there for my kid. I will encourage him to do whatever he wants in life. Most of all, I’m going to love and respect the woman who carried him for nine months.” He cupped Lincoln’s face. Her eyes were sparkling under the sunlight. “I love you, Lincoln. You are my heart, my soul and my world. You’d better believe I have never said those words to any woman. If I have lived in a lifetime before now, I’ve probably never said them then.”

  “Stop before you make me start crying. This is going to be a test for us. Oh my God, we are just getting to where we’re comfortable with each other and soon there will be a crying, demanding baby on our hands.”

  He held her by the shoulders. “Marry me, Lincoln. I know its sudden and nothing how you expected a proposal to be.”

  “Nick, I don’t expect you to marry me because I’m pregnant. We can share the parenting duties.”

  “Screw that! I want you and the baby under my roof and in my care. I know there has to be a justice of the peace in this backwoods county.”

  “Baby, slow down,” she said calmly. If we rush into a marriage, it will fail. I’m practically a stranger to you. You don’t know my habits or my moody periods.”

  “You have never been a stranger to me. I’ve always had a thing for you, but Anthony was your dude. I couldn’t make a move on you. Think about it, baby. Wouldn’t it be special to have a simple ceremony with just you, me, and our unborn child? No headaches planning a big ass wedding or dealing with relatives in our business. We do it and it’s a done deal…fuck whatever they have to say about it later.”

  She smiled. “We’re going to have to work on your swearing. We can’t have a baby growing up saying those words to people.”

  Nick tilted her chin up to him. “Are you saying yes, Lincoln?”

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this. We are crazy to go out on a whim like this, Nick. But, yeah…what the hell, I’ll marry you.”

  Nick kissed her passionately there on the side of the road with no one around to witness their happiness.

  He helped her back in the truck. “Put your seatbelt on. I don’t want anything to happen to my family.”

  “I’m not helpless and I don’t you to treat me that way. I’m going to work until my due date and then go back to work after my maternity leave. Will you be okay with that?”

  “Whatever you want to do is fine with me. Until then, I’ll take on extra shifts to earn more money. We’re going to need to buy a house and stuff for the baby.”

  Lincoln caressed his face. “Anthony is going to wonder if I did this to get back at him. I want you to know I didn’t do that, Nick. I wouldn’t put you or myself in that position and definitely not a baby. I did not plan on getting pregnant.”

  He kept his emotions in check. He was a firefighter, not a crybaby. “I wanted it, Lincoln. The first time we made love I knew that you would get pregnant. I think I’ve been searching for a family to love for so long that I wished that upon you. I might not be the religious man that I’m supposed to be, but I prayed for you.”

  The waterworks was on for Lincoln as she cried. “I can’t even talk. I need a minute.”

  “Take all the time you need, baby. I’m not going anywhere, ever.”

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Lincoln raised her glass pretending to drink the champagne as Sergio finished the after dinner toast to the bride and groom. The wedding was fabulous and went off without a hitch. Regan made a beautiful bride wearing an off-white elegant gown and Orlando was equally handsome in his white tuxedo.

  She would have loved to have had a fairytale wedding like this, however working with Regan, a wedding coordinator, and dealing with vendors was a pain in the butt. Plus, she and Nick didn’t have the deep pockets her sister had. There was no way they would be able to afford a wedding of this caliber without advanced planning and saving every spare penny they had.

  Lincoln eyed Nick sitting two seats over from her at the bridal party table. Since she was the maid of honor she didn’t have an escort. Nick escorted Carter down the aisle. He winked at her and raised his glass of champagne to take a sip. She bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling back. People would get suspicious on what private secret they were sharing.

  She burned inside to tell her mom and sisters about her weekend wedding in the country three weeks ago. She pinched herself often to make sure it was real. She and Nick had been married three weeks and not a soul knew.

&nb
sp; They returned from their weekend getaway to go on with life as normal. Nick returned to the firehouse and she returned to work and resumed her position as Regan’s slave for her wedding.

  Only when they were alone together could they enjoy their status as newlyweds.

  She stared at the mirrored ball swirling on the ceiling as she reminisced. What she thought would be impossible, Nick didn’t. He’d found a retired judge that agreed to marry them on short notice. He even arranged to get the paperwork since this wasn’t his first spontaneous wedding ceremony.

  The owners of the B&B did a wonderful job of decorating the patio with beautiful flowers and streamers where the wedding was held. They even had a musician play the piano at no extra charge to them. Nick didn’t get the intimacy he wanted though. There were two other couples staying at the B&B that attended the nuptials and the special dinner the owners had prepared in their honor. It wasn’t a spectacular wedding like Regan’s but it was just as beautiful and Lincoln would not exchange it for anything.

  She was snapped from her bliss by Carter whispering in her ear. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m a little tired but no nausea. That cracker trick you told me about works.”

  “It will help for a while. As you get further along, it might not work anymore. Your doctor should be able to prescribe you something if the morning sickness gets worse. So, have you told Nick the good news yet? I must say he looks yummy in that black tux with his hair all shiny and his body all buffed.”

  Lincoln looked at her sister with a curious eye. “Um, are you hitting on my man,” she giggled.

  “I just see what you see in him. I’ve had a chance to talk with him before I started drinking and I like the vibes I get from him.”

  The reception was getting underway and they were no longer confined to the table. Lincoln took her sister by the elbow. “Come with me for a minute.”

  “Lincoln, I have on a long dress, slow down.”

  She ignored her sister as she dragged her down the row grabbing Nick in the process.

  “Whoa,” he said balancing his drink so not to spill it.

  Outside she took a deep breath. The night air was chilly for June but otherwise a beautiful night for a wedding reception. “Okay, I’m busting to tell somebody. Carter, I trust you to keep your big mouth shut! I know you are a reporter and that will be hard, but you have kind of forced this.”

  “Oh, you want me to be here when you tell Nick the news?”

  Nick took Lincoln aside. “Babe, are you sure you want to do this. Once you tell her, you can’t take it back.”

  “I have to tell it, Nick. I cannot keep it to myself anymore.”

  He smiled mischievously. “Alright, I’ve been ready to tell it, especially, to my asshole father.”

  “Tell me what?” Carter asked holding up her dress so it wouldn’t drag on the ground.

  Lincoln slipped her arm through Nick’s for support. “I told Nick about the baby, Carter. He wants the baby as much as I do.”

  Carter’s shoulders relaxed. “That’s a load off my mind. With you both agreeing you want the baby, you will be able to work out a schedule to care for the baby.”

  Lincoln shook her head. “We won’t need a schedule. Nick and I are married.”

  She closed her eyes waiting for Carter to blow her top. When she heard nothing, she opened them slowly to see Carter’s mouth wide open. “I have not had enough to drink. What did you just say? No, I heard what you said, when did this happen?”

  Nick smoothed down his goatee. “Uh, three weeks ago. Hey sister-in-law,” he said easing the moment with a joke.

  Carter leaned against the building. ”Your mother is going to flip! Lincoln, three weeks…really! Girl, you didn’t think to invite me? I would have kept your secret.”

  “It was spur of the moment, Carter. Nick asked me to marry him on our weekend away together. The ceremony was beautiful. I haven’t said anything because I didn’t want to spoil Regan’s day.”

  “I don’t know what to say. I want to be upset with the both of you but I can’t. Well, are there any pictures or a ring at least?”

  Lincoln rolled her eyes. “We can’t wear our rings or that would be a dead giveaway.”

  Nick spoke up. We have it all on video. We are going to show it to you and Ms. Hathaway at the dinner we plan to have before you all leave town.”

  Carter shook her head. “You do look good together. Nick, I’m counting on you to hold to your vows. Both of you took a risky leap to get married so fast. Your family knows nothing about us and we know nothing about them. How do they feel about you marrying Lincoln?”

  “How they feel doesn’t concern me. I married the woman I love. As long as Lincoln loves me and she knows that I love her, everyone else can go to…”

  Lincoln patted him on the arm. “Remember, baby, we’re working on using better language.”

  Carter blew out a breath. “I see the holidays are going to be interesting.”

  Nick put his arm around Lincoln’s bare shoulder. Her gown was off the shoulder and form-fitting. “Seriously, Carter, my family will have a problem with Lincoln. They most likely won’t acknowledge my kid either. And I’m cool with that. I don’t want my baby or Lincoln subjected to their narrow-minded views.”

  “What about your mother, Nick. Mothers always have a soft spot for their sons.”

  “If my mother was not under my father’s control, she probably would come around and accept my family into the fold. Until he drops dead, I don’t see it happening.”

  Carter hugged him. “You’re welcomed in this family. The Hathaway’s are your family now.” She patted Lincoln’s stomach. “My niece or nephew will be showered with love and affection by our extended family also.”

  Lincoln broke up the happy moment. “We should get inside before we’re missed.”

  Nick and Lincoln stayed together when they entered the reception area while Carter went to find her husband and kids to join them for the rest of the evening. Nick squeezed her hand. “If you’re getting too tired we can leave.”

  She leaned into him. “I’m fine, baby.” The music playing was a slow number sung by Brian McKnight. The song bought to memory their first date. She whispered in his ear. “Shall we dance?”

  He led her to the dance floor. “You read my mind.”

  As Nick pulled her close to his body to dance slowly, Lincoln closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of her new husband’s cologne. Husband. That word sounded funny in her head. She never figured Nick Barona would be her husband. That role was supposed to be filled by Anthony.

  Lincoln swayed to the music. It was Regan’s day but the euphoric energy seeping from every pore of her body was from her love for Nick. Her hands fanned across his broad shoulders. The material of the tuxedo was soft under her fingers. She turned her head to kiss the side of his neck. “I love you.”

  With his face close, she felt the rise from his cheeks against the side of her face as he smiled. “I love you too.”

  Lincoln opened her eyes and saw Anthony and Melanie dancing a few steps away from them. He was holding her tight with his hand resting firmly on her shapely butt. Her heart thumbed when she saw the silver band on his finger. He proudly wore his wedding band while she and Nick hid theirs.

  She loved the bridal set she and Nick purchased. Her engagement ring was a one-caret diamond set in gold and the wedding band was gold with three small diamonds embedded inside it. His ring matched her wedding band. Some would say the rings were simple but elegant.

  Lincoln continued to watch them as they interacted with each other. He was all smiles and dark gazes with his wife. There was also a truth in his eyes; a truth that he loved Melanie far more than ever loved her yet he refused to let her go on with her life. He was determined to make her miserable.

  Nick squeezed her gently around the waist. “Hey, you got tense on me. Loosen up.”

  “I’m sorry. My view just became unpleasant,” she said closing her arms around
his neck.

  Nick turned slowly until he saw what she was talking about. “We have managed to avoid them so far, we should be okay for the rest of the night.”

  “I just want to tell him we’re married. I want to capture his expression on film.”

  Nick chuckled. “That expression will be there when he eventually hears about us. My court date is next week.”

  “I plan to be there to support my husband. I’m telling my mother about us tomorrow, Nick. I don’t want to hide it from her. I’m proud to be your wife.”

  “Sweetheart, my shift starts at noon tomorrow. I won’t be able to be with you.”

  “I know. I don’t want to put it off any longer.” The song ended and they walked back to the table where Carter and her husband Thomas were seated. “I have to use the restroom.”

  Carter jumped up. “I’ll go with you. Thomas, get to know Nick. I think you’ll like him,” she said to her husband.

  Lincoln kissed Nick on the cheek. “Be strong, honey,” she said to him.

  In the lounge section of the bathroom, she fixed her dress in front of a large mirror. She was barely pregnant, but the dress felt tight around her middle. None of her habits had changed. She wasn’t eating more, but she had switched to a healthier diet. Maybe that was causing her to bloat.

  The door swung open that separated the bathroom from the lounge area. She looked at the two women talking and laughing. As their eyes met, Lincoln’s skin crawled. It was Gwen and Melanie. She couldn’t for the life of her understand why either of them attended her sister’s wedding. It would have been acceptable if she and Anthony had parted on friendly terms but for these women to be here was tacky.

  Gwen stepped over to her. “Lincoln, you look gorgeous in that gown. The whole wedding party was beautiful.”

  “Thanks,” she replied dryly.

  Gwen fixed a fake smile on her pretty face. “This is very awkward and I debated if I should even attend the wedding. Regan and Orlando have been supportive to the causes I chair and I felt I owed it to them to be here. I didn’t do it to cause you anguish.”