Strictly Business [Stud Service 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) (21 page)

In the bathroom, she didn’t have to wait the full five minutes before she saw the extra line. She felt her pulse jump in her throat as she leaped to her feet.

“Oh, my God! Oh, my God!” She was jumping up and down, waving the little pregnancy test kit in the air as she ran to the bed where her husband lay sleeping.

He looked mildly amused at her enthusiasm.

“What’s wrong?” he asked groggily.

She danced around in a circle and then sat next to him and shared the pregnancy test with him to see. “Nothing is wrong. It’s what’s right! I’m pregnant!”

“Congratulations, Mrs. Vance. Looks like you are going to be a mommy.” He kissed her.

“And you are going to be a daddy.”

“I can hardly wait,” he said before pulling her down on the bed next to him.

* * * *

Nine months later…

“Push!” Colt held her hand as she used all her energy to push the baby. It hurt, and yet she knew this had to happen. She squeezed his hand as the contraction made her stomach tighten.

“Eeek!” She gritted her teeth and shoved her feet against the stirrups. The doctor and her husband urged her to push harder. She gave it everything she had until she heard the doctor say its head was out and felt the contraction ease. Some of the pain was gone, but she wanted to keep pushing.

“Its head is out. Just stop pushing for a moment.” The doctor efficiently cleaned out the nasal passages with a syringe, and then she felt another contraction begin.

She tried to hold back until the doctor said so. “It’s okay, and push the last time!”

He pulled out the baby and wrapped it in a blanket to set on her stomach. Susannah held it in place while they cut the umbilical cord. It was still slightly bloody but screaming loudly. She was definitely healthy. “Congratulations, Mommy! You have a new baby girl.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m so happy right now.”

“I’ve never been prouder of you.” Colt bent down and kissed her on the forehead. His eyes glittered in wonder as he touched the baby’s tiny fingers, and they wrapped themselves around his much larger one. “She’s…amazing.”

“We made her together. I wasn’t the only one responsible for her coming into this world, you know.”

“What do you think we should name her?”

“Angelica. I think she’s a gift from heaven, and her name should reflect that.”

* * * *

“Hello? Everybody awake and decent?” Her youngest sister, Serena, popped her head inside Susannah’s hospital room. She held a tiny, pink stuffed bear in her hands.

“Oh, Serena! You came! I’m so happy to see you. Come here and give me a hug!” Susannah was elated to see her sister come visit. Most of her family had come over the last day or so, and it was busy, so she was tired, but this may be the last time she saw anyone for a long while. Her home was in the Caribbean now with Colt and their child.

Serena bent down and gave her a brief hug before looking at the sleeping baby in her arms.

“She’s adorable! She looks just like your baby pictures.”

“Do you want to hold her?” Susannah recognized a tender look in Serena’s eyes and a longing for a child of her own. It was a feeling they had once shared.

“Of course!” Serena reached out took the baby in her arms cradling it against her chest. “She’s so precious.”

“Her name’s Angelica.”

“How sweet,” Serena crooned.

Susannah knew she would make a great mother, and she wanted to see her happy in life. Just like her well-meaning but overbearing parents. She had to know what’s coming. Now that all her sisters had gotten pregnant, she was the only one left that still needed to make a family. “I think now that everyone else had a baby, Mom and Dad are fixing to put pressure on you to make a family, too.”

“I know.” Serena looked down, her face got a little sadder as she admired the baby.

“Is there anyone special in your life yet that you could see as a daddy?”

“Not really. I wish I could end up as happy as you two are, but realistically I think I would lucky to find a guy just willing to be a sperm donor.” Serena looked nervous, but she didn’t disclose anything. Her eyes said differently.

Susannah took the baby back from Serena and held Angelica tightly to her chest. “Maybe you will get lucky.”

“Luck is a loaded word. I am going to see if I can’t even the odds before I try to make a baby happen. I don’t want to be tied down to a guy that I may not love.”

“None of us do.” Susannah looked up at her husband adoringly. Time had not changed her mind. She didn’t want to be forced to find love or make a baby, but life somehow worked out. Now she wouldn’t have it any other way. She couldn’t imagine not having Colt Vance in her life or raising a baby solo. She needed his love to feel complete. “Just remember if you need help in anything, we’ll be there for you.”

“I know. I love you so much. I’m not going to ask you guys to get involved. I’m just happy to be an auntie and spoil my nieces and nephews.” Serena handed the little, pink bear over to her sister Susannah.

“Thank you. I’m sure Angelica will love it when she gets big enough to play with it.” She wanted to protect her baby sister, but she knew with the other three of her sisters finally breaking down to have a family, the pressure would all be on Serena now. There was no way she was getting out of this without having a baby, too. Mom and Dad would ensure it. “I love you more than you know. Just don’t forget we’ll be there for you if you need it.”

She nodded, but Susannah could tell she was a little nervous at the idea of finding a stud of her own. “I can handle it. I put my big-girl panties on this morning.”

Everybody laughed, but Susannah was glad she was putting on a strong front. She was going to need every ounce of strength she had, and with only one shot of getting it right, Serena deserved to find love along the way, too.

THE END

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Missy Lyons is a wife, mother, and just recently has added erotic romance author to her resume. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to write satisfying sexual fantasies for men and women across the world, and if you want to read another one you can check out more details about her stories on her website,
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Heart of a Cowboy

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