The Tycoon's Cupid Surprise (a Valentine's novella) (Holiday Babies) (8 page)

“S
o, will you be my girlfriend?” His grip tightened on her hips. “Wanna go on a date?”

She laughed.
“I would
love
to go on a date with you. We’ll need a sitter.”

“
I vote we bring Chance along. He likes to get out.”

As
Xander’s gaze roamed her face—her eyes, her lips—he cupped her cheek. “Whoever brought you to me…I wish I could thank them. Invite them to the wedding.” He rushed on, “
When
it happens. When you’re ready.” He groaned. “There I go, pushing again.”

“This once,
” she said, ready to kiss him some more, “I won’t complain.”

Tiffany was really feeling it today.

No matter how she
shifted or positioned herself, she couldn’t get comfortable with her baby bump—which, this minute, felt more like a mountain. Every now and then, her insides would twinge, press tight and hold in.

C
ontractions? There’d only been a few, spaced well apart and without any pattern... She didn’t want to panic. Besides, babies came at inconvenient times, like three in the morning, not two on a Monday afternoon. She simply needed to move around and shake this heavy feeling. Her due date was three weeks away, after all.

For the next hour,
Tiffany flipped through a magazine, and then toyed with a puzzle, the kind where numbers 1 through 9 needed to appear on every line. When she got stuck, she lumbered over to her desk and fired up the wi-fi. A story on the main feed caught her eye.

Every year
, a certain charity conducted their bachelor raffle. The promotion was open for eligible women from all over the country to toss their hats in the ring. The only stipulation: entrants must be single. This year’s bachelor was achingly handsome, totally built, with a genius brain and oodles of money. The smile flashing out from the image on her screen… Damn
,
that guy was
smoking
.

But
Tiffany wouldn’t enter herself. She wasn’t interested in romance. Right now, the only thing that mattered was her baby…knowing that he was healthy, cared for and, of course, unconditionally loved. Still, no reason she couldn’t nominate someone else. And she had the perfect someone in mind.

Br
ooke Hart had a boyfriend, but Jake Bentley was a selfish son-of-a-gun. It was clear to everyone around her...Brooke had outgrown Jake and needed to move on. Tiffany’s BFF since school deserved someone better. Someone amazing!

Someone like Alexander Drake
?

Tiffany
’s fingers tripped over the keyboard. Five minutes later, her friend’s deets were entered. She pressed “send” at the same moment another twinge gripped her belly. Different this time. The sensation stole her breath. Made her wince.

Groaning
—
smiling
—Tiffany pushed to her feet.

This was it.
Soon she would be holding this beautiful baby in her arms. Finally she would see his face. Know his warmth.

S
he fast dialled Brooke. When her friend didn’t pick up, Tiffany left a message.

“Hey, babe
,” Tiffany said, wincing again as another contraction squeezed. “I’m about to call a cab for the hospital. So, yeah. Guess I’ll see you there!” Her eyes filled with misty tears at the same time her throat clogged. “Seriously, I can’t tell you how much you being there means to us both.”

As
Tiffany grabbed her pre-packed bag and headed out, she paused as a sense of calm settled over her…a warm, soft cloak of faith bundling her close. Brooke was her very best buddy. A person who gave so much. Tiffany had never met anyone with a bigger heart.

She
only hoped that one day, somehow, she’d be able to pay her friend back.

# # #

Dear Reader
,

If you liked
The Tycoon’s Cupid Surprise
, you might also enjoy
The Billionaire’s Mistletoe Baby,
a short sweet holiday romance.

Watch out for
The Bachelor’s Cottontail Bundle
, an Easter Tale novella, my third offering in the
Holiday Babies
series, out in February 2014!

If you’re so inclined, please leave a review at your favorite retail site. Your opinion matters.

Hugs and happy holidays!

T
abitha  
(@tabbyrobbins )

So far in the

Holiday Babies Series

The Billionaire’s Mistletoe Baby
(A short Christmas story)

The Tycoon’s Cupid Surprise
(A Valentine’s novella)

The Bachelor’s Cottontail Baby

(An Easter tale
novella - Out February 2014)