Just One Kiss: A Black Alcove Novel (The Black Alcove Series Book 1) (21 page)

* * *

I never thought I’d be so excited for a
doctor’s appointment. Today I find out if my baby is a boy or girl.
My fingers are crossed as I wait not so patiently, hoping he or she
is in a position to know for sure. I want to call Ethan to tell him
about it and invite him to join me, but I’m scared.

My mind is still going haywire since my
brother left. I’m excited for him and his new son. And I hope
things work out for him. What he said to me, about not being in his
son’s life made sense, but I just don’t know if I have in me to
risk being hurt again.

“It’s a girl,” the doctor’s voice distracts
me as he runs the tools over my belly and watches the screen. “See
right there, she’s bending over for us. No mistaking this one.
You’re definitely having a girl.”

Tears form in my eyes. My baby is now my
little girl, and there isn’t anyone here to share this moment
with.

That’s your own fault, Kelsey.

“We’ll get you a copy so you can share it
with your friends and family,” he says, leaving the room. I adjust
my shirt over my round belly that’s now extremely noticeable to
everyone. I was never hiding it, but there was a time where you
couldn’t tell whether I was pregnant or putting on some extra
weight.

I walk down the short hallway back to the
waiting room to make my next appointment. There’s a man and a woman
sitting together, both bent over with their attention on the baby
carrier in front of them. The woman laughs and the man kisses her
temple. I’ll never have that. I’ll never get to experience what
it’s like to be a happy family. I sit down as I wait my turn, but I
can’t take my eyes away from this new family.

Ethan hasn’t given up on us. God, he told me
he loved me. I know he didn’t say it just because I’m pregnant. The
emotion that comes with it went straight to my heart. I was mad
then, but right now, I’m thinking clearer.

I shouldn’t have just walked away. I should
have given him a chance to explain himself. Just because we can’t
get a relationship right the first time, or second, or even third
doesn’t mean we can’t make one work in the end.

“Ms. Brian,” the nurse behind the counter
calls my name. The new mother gives me a small, sad smile. She must
have noticed me watching her and how alone I am.

I give my paper to the nurse, she types a
few buttons, and we schedule my next appointment. Another nurse
hands me the picture of my baby girl. At the door, I take a final
look back at the family. I could have that. I could be happy. It’s
clear what I need to do.

I close myself inside my car and pull out my
phone. I need to call Sara and find out where Ethan is. I’ve been
wrong this whole time and hope it’s not too late for him to take me
back.

“Hi, how was it?” Sara answers.

“Do you know where Ethan is?” I ask her
instead of answering her question.

“What?”

“Ethan, Sara…where is he?”

I hear her whispering—to who I don’t know,
but I have a pretty good guess. She giggles and tells whoever she’s
with to stop what they’re doing.

“He’s at home,” she says into the phone with
a laugh. “Why do you ask?”

“I need to talk to him. I need to fix
everything,” I say and hang up, tossing the phone onto the
passenger’s seat as I drive straight for Ethan’s house.

I stand outside his door
waiting as patiently as I can. He has to be home. He has to answer
this door right now. I’ve made countless mistakes in my life, but
having a life without Ethan isn’t even an option anymore. I want it
all. And I want it all with him.
Please.
Please answer the
door.

Ethan

I really hope Logan isn’t messing with me.
On cue, Kelsey’s car pulls into my driveway. I don’t take my eyes
off her as she runs to the door, bundled in a winter coat and pair
of jeans. Logan warned me, but Kelsey coming here doesn’t really
sink in until I see her.

I stand with my hand over the knob, giving
myself a quick pep talk before I open the door. I’m finally coming
to terms with the way she wants things. She and I won’t be together
and our baby will grow up in separate homes. I remind myself how
hard it’s going to be when I see her, when I look into her eyes,
and she doesn’t want me back. She doesn’t want us. And I need to
stop convincing myself she’ll change her mind.

I turn the knob slowly and open the door.
Kelsey looks just as beautiful as any other day I see her. Only
this time, her coat is hanging loose at her sides and her belly is
poking out toward me.

I swallow hard. Forget what I just said. I’m
not giving up.

“Did you mean it?” she asks, not missing a
beat.

“Mean what?” I gesture for her to come
inside.

“That you loved me.”

I hold her hand before she can walk inside
any farther, turning her to face me until her eyes line up with
mine.

“Yes.”

“Then how could you hurt me like that?” A
tear slips down her check and I brush it away with my thumb.

“I’ve asked myself that question every day
since we’ve been apart, and I can’t come up with any other
explanation other than I spent so much time willing you to trust me
that I failed to trust myself or to trust that you would
understand. I feared your reaction. Losing you terrified me, and in
the end, no matter what choice I made, I was wrong.”

More tears drip off her cheek as she
sniffles.

“But you trust me now?”

I nod.

“I was wrong, too, about everything,” she
says as she steps forward and reaches for my hand. “I love you and
I want this. I want us.”

“I want us, too,” I say, kissing her
forehead and wrapping my arms around her. “Promise me that next
time something bad happens— even though I hope it never does, but
just in case— promise me we talk, we tell each other everything. No
secrets and no lies. It’s us, all in or nothing.”

“I promise,” she says without hesitation
before kissing me. I pull her close and feel a flutter against my
stomach. She giggles, breaking the kiss, looking down to her
stomach.

“She must be as excited as I am right
now.”

She.

She grabs my hand, pushing my fingers
against the side of her belly. The flutter happens again, and I
swallow back the tear working its way out. Kelsey swings her purse
around and pulls out a small photo in front of me.

“Is this our—?”

“Daughter, yes, it is,” she finishes.

Her eyes are bright and watering as they
look into mine. Everything that’s happened leading to this moment
doesn’t matter anymore. Everything I want is standing right in
front of me. This time, it’s going to be forever.

Six Months Later…

Kelsey

I sit in one of chairs at the patio table in
Sara’s parents’ backyard. It’s her twenty-third birthday and her
parents invited everyone they know to her party, everyone except
Ethan’s father. No one has made amends with him, not even Ethan. I
don’t think anyone cares. The only thing Ethan is still trying to
mend is his relationship with his brothers. They’ve promised to
visit soon, but I’m okay with waiting a few years.

Laugher surrounds me and I take it all in. I
have a feeling they’re celebrating something besides Sara’s
birthday and are going to announce something big since they also
invited their own friends, but it’s yet to happen. My money is on
the new bar her father bought in Colorado. I’m not supposed to know
about it, but I bet anything that’s his gift to her.

Sara is patiently getting her picture taken
over and over, giving her best smile each time. “You’d think she is
some kind of celebrity,” Ethan chuckles next to me as Clara coos in
my arms. I smile as he leans over to kiss my cheek. It still amazes
me how lucky I am to have someone like him in my life.

We eloped the week before Clara was born
because I wanted to have the same last name as all my children, but
we still plan on having a big wedding. Ethan’s just as excited as I
am for the future. I couldn’t ask for a better husband or father
for our daughter.

“She wasn’t gone that long. It’s not like
she’s some world traveler now. Mrs. Mulligan has been following her
all afternoon asking questions. Doesn’t she know other people
missed her, too?” Logan says, taking another pull off his beer.

After Ethan and I got back together, Sara
left for another trip and Logan has been the most upset over it. I
give Ethan a quick glance and try to hide my smile before he sits
foreword, resting his elbows on his knees.

“She’s been back for weeks. Three actually,
since she came back the day Clara was born.” Logan points to the
small blessing in my arms then glances back to Sara.

“She probably hasn’t seen Mrs. Mulligan, or
Mrs. Mulligan assumes she’s already shared these stories with
everyone else,” I say.

Logan lets out a frustrated growl and gets
up. “Or Mrs. Mulligan is still just a nosey neighbor. I’m getting
another beer—do you want one?” he asks, looking at Ethan.

“No thanks. As long as Kelsey isn’t
drinking, I’m not drinking,” he says, reaching his arms around me
and Clara, kissing my shoulder.

Logan watches us a moment.
He takes a breath, swallows, and nods his head. He gives us a
half-smile that quickly fades at the sound of Sara’s laughter, and
he storms into the house.
That man has got
it bad.

My mother takes Clara from me, covering her
in grandma kisses. Surprisingly, both she and my father have made
the effort to see Clara every day. It helps that I now live across
the street from them. My father has also been acting the most
fatherly to me in the last few months that he ever has. Mom’s
convinced it’s because he finally accepts that I’m a grown woman
now. She’s probably right. I’ve let it go because I don’t want
Clara to grow up without her grandfather just because of our
past.

I take this opportunity of my mother
watching Clara to get some alone time with Ethan. I lace my fingers
with his as I pull him toward the side of the house. We don’t need
to hide our affection anymore, but being sneaky is much more
fun.

We quickly make our way around the house,
Ethan unwinds his hands from mine, moving them to my waist as he
walks behind me. I can feel the warmth of his breath as he’s about
to say something into my ear, only he doesn’t. We’re too distracted
by the laughter we hear coming from the trees. Ethan pulls me close
to the corner of the house as we check to see who it is.

Logan steps around a tree
with a wide grin and scans the area before he reaches his arm
behind him.
I thought he went
inside.
Small fingers latch onto his and
Sara steps into view. She looks at Logan, happier than I have ever
seen her, and she kisses him.

I open my mouth to confront them, but
nothing comes out because Ethan quickly covers my lips with his and
pulls me against his body. We hold on tightly to each other as we
kiss passionately on the side of the house—in the same exact spot
where our story started.

Life will never turn out the way we plan for
it. You never expect that a moment you once thought ruined
everything is only the beginning or that the worst moments are
actually the best. I’ve shared both the good and bad with Ethan and
never once did I think I would stand in this spot with him
again.

But it’s true: Our happily ever after story
started with just one kiss.

THANK YOU for
reading
Just One Kiss
, the first in my new Black Alcove series. I hope you enjoyed
it. Keep an eye out for the second in the series, the story of Sara
and Logan.

I want to thank everyone who has supported
me on this new journey. You’ve all been there for me in ways I will
never be able to repay you.

It’s hard to believe that this story is
actually out in the world for everyone to read. I’ve spent a lot of
time working on it and I’m beyond happy to finally share it.

Holly, Mom, and Dad – I love you. You are
the best family a girl could ask for. Every phase of writing a book
is stressful and none of you ever stopped believing in me.

Dana Volney – You have listened to me day
after day. You let me vent to you when I was stressed. You
motivated me when I felt lost. You’ve read my work and you never
gave up on me. Thank you for being a truly amazing friend.

Mary Billiter – The day I stepped into your
class was the best decision I’ve ever made. You taught me
everything and more. Without you and your support, I would not be
reaching my goals. You are an amazing person who I am honored to
call my friend.

To the ladies in my Wednesday night writing
class – You all rock! Your feedback and advice has been wonderful,
and I will never forget any of you. See you soon.

Mallori Roth and Shira Ferwerda – Thank you
for being my beta readers on this novel and for helping me make
this book stronger. You’re awesome.

Grant Rogers – I can’t thank you enough for
being in my life. You understand how much this means to me, and
your support never goes unnoticed.

Julie Sturgeon – Holy freaking amazing
editing. You took the stress off and wanted nothing more than to
help me develop this story into something I could be proud of. You
did it and I couldn’t be more thankful.

Christa at Paper and Sage Design – Your
covers are amazing and your talent is beautiful. Thank you for
making this easy and enjoyable for me.

Allison Linhart, Alyssa Navarro, Kate
Maxwell, Megan Phillips, and Trisha Butcher – Thank you for being
there and for letting me go on and on about the books I write and
the books I read. I love that you all have taken such an interest
in this part of my life and I love having you to share these
moments with.