Restoration (29 page)

Epilogue

Grace sat in the sunlight that streamed through the window of the sunroom. Her feet were propped up on a plush ottoman while she took in the beautiful English garden outside her window. An intense tickling sensation took her by surprise as her swollen belly danced under her hand.

“Restless are we?” she asked, laughing and rubbing the hard bulge that pressed outward on her right side.

She stretched her toes and sat up a little straighter. Breathing while sitting was challenging at thirty-six weeks. She pulled up her shirt and examined the skin on her belly. It was stretched so tightly that it itched and felt like it would burst at times. Long purple marks streaked across her skin where it couldn’t hold her belly any longer. She ran her fingers over the marks, feeling self-conscious about their ugliness and frowned.

“You’re beautiful, love. Stop it.” Drew’s voice came from behind her and she turned to face him.

He was standing in the doorway, freshly dressed and showered, his thick hair still wet. He smelled of soap and clean linen, making her wish for the days when she could run and crush herself to him without knocking him over.

He sauntered over to her, taking in her enormous form as he approached. He always said she was beautiful, but at this point, she just felt like a blimp. His palm ran along the tightly stretched skin over her womb and he smiled.

“How are they today?”

She sighed. “Running out of room and just about ready to meet us.”

“And you, love? How are you feeling?” His eyes were full of concern.

Twin pregnancies were high risk, in general, but her elevated blood pressure was cause for concern. She’d been on bed rest since twenty weeks, only able to get up to go to the bathroom and shower. Her doctor gave her the go-ahead for sitting as long as her feet remained elevated.

“Huge. I’m feeling huge.”

He smirked and knelt next to her. “Not for much longer.”

Butterflies beat against her chest when she thought of the upcoming induction. She and her doctor had been at odds about the birth. She wanted to labor naturally and try to bring their babies into the world on her own; he wanted to do a C-section. They compromised with an induction that would be closely monitored for any complications.

“I feel like we aren’t ready. How are we going to do this?”

He looked at her then, his face full of determination and resolve. “Grace, love. We’ll do it the same way we’ve done everything. We’ll make mistakes and have hard times, but we’ll love each other and we’ll love these two miracles. That’s the best part. We’ll learn as we go.”

She pulled him to her, and pressed a fierce kiss on his lips. “If I didn’t know better, Mr. Tensley, I’d say you fancy me.”

“Quite right, Mrs. Tensley. Quite right.”

Renovation

A Golden Beach Novel, Book #2

Valerie Peters stood on the familiar shore of her hometown; Golden Beach, a safe place, a soft landing. Home. She kicked off her sandals and dug her toes into the sand, feeling the warmth of the sunbaked grains radiate into her feet. She’d been back less than twenty-four hours after a tearful goodbye to Grace and Drew and a promise to return for their wedding. Already, the weight of her fear—her anxiety—had begun to lessen. This had been the right decision.

A good-looking, shirtless guy, with tanned skin and sexy stubble ran past her and grinned. Six months ago, she’d have followed his form with her eyes. Now, she dropped her gaze as a thin coating of panic covered her. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, working to push away the icy cold tendrils of fear that crept back.

“Mick isn’t here. He can’t hurt me.” She repeated the words, fighting away the memory. No one else knew the real reason she’d left Braley. No one needed to. This was where she belonged; home, family, and no more bad boys. Bad boys hurt you. And all boys could be bad.

Coming Fall 2015