All Good Things Absolved (20 page)

"You were." I set stern eyes on him. "You got me pregnant and now you have to live with the consequences." I turned to walk back out into the café, but he grabbed a fist full of my jacket, halting me mid-step. I could feel his lips against my ear as he spoke. His breath was warm.

"It takes two, Angel."

I walked into the café with burning ears and cherry red cheeks. Hopefully no one knew it was because of Jace's comment - it was chilly outside so I could only hope I could play off my rosy cheeks as a result of the cold air outside.

"You want anything?" Jace asked, his hand rubbing my lower back through the thick fabric of my jacket.

"I'd really like a white hot chocolate." I grinned. "Oh, and I'll take a creamy chicken soup - and a cinnamon bun."

Jace raised his brows. "Anything else?"

"Maybe a cookie?" I smiled as wide as I could and he shook his head in exasperation.

"Is this you or the little one talking?"

"I hope it's the little one." I rubbed my belly. "But it might be me."

Jace chuckled and I reveled in the peaceful sound. "Go sit down. I'll get your food."

I nodded, wandering to a table for two beside a fireplace. I slid from my jacket, placing it on the back of the chair before climbing onto the bar-height stool. I watched Jace order our food and when he carried it back to the table on a tray, I couldn't help but giggle.

"Don't you look domesticated?"

"It's what you do to me." He replied smartly.

I felt my heart flip. "You love it."

He sat down, shoving my soup across the table. "I do love it, Olivia. And I love you." His tone was filled with truth. "Eat."

I did. The soup was delicious and I enjoyed my time with Jace. I felt like we were new and yet so comfortable with one another. It was perfect. I was so deliriously happy it was unbelievable.

"What time do you think they'll be back from skiing?"

"I think the lifts close at four-thirty." I shrugged. "So around five."

He nodded. "I like her parents. They're nothing like Trisha."

I laughed. "Just wait. They're worse."

He shook his head, his blue eyes glimmering with mirth. "What did you want to do today?"

"I'd like to go shopping."

"For what?"

I shrugged. "A few things. Maybe something for he baby's room, a painting for the new house," I beamed. "I don't know."

"You want to shop for the baby?"

"I can't wait to decorate the nursery." I sighed in thought.

"What do you want?" Jace asked.

"I hope it's a boy and if it is I really want to do green and dark brown."

"What do you think it is?" Jace asked. "They say most women are right in their predictions."

"I think it's a boy." I took a sip of my hot chocolate. "But that might be because I don't want to deal with a teenage female."

Jace laughed. "I don't think boys are any better at that age. I know I wasn't."

I shrugged. "What do you think it is?"

He pondered the thought. "I really don't know."

"What do you want?"

"I want six kids." My eyes popped wide and he chuckled. "I mean three or four."

"Two max!" I stated matter of fact.

"We'll discuss this in depth later on."

"Oh no we won't." I shook my head adamantly. "I'm not having more than two!"

"Settle down, wife." Jace flashed his shit-grin. "Let's go shopping."

***

My feet were sore by the time we got back to the cabin just after two in the afternoon. I'd done more shopping than I ever intended to do, but once I got started on picking things for the baby's room, I just couldn't stop myself. I'd decided on doing a jungle theme because it could be for either a girl or a boy and Jace had just as much fun purchasing item after item as I did. If fact, he might have even been more excited than I was.

"What now?" He asked as I plopped down on the couch. He was standing in front of the large window where I could see plush flakes falling from the sky. His eyes were animated and his cheeks were red from the cold.

"I think my husband should make a fire." I stood, standing on my tip-toes to kiss his cheeks. "I'll make tea."

His hand brushed against my lower back and he moaned against my lips. "I'll do anything to relax here with you."

"I know." I giggled, pointing to the fire. "It's cold in here."

"I'm going." He gave me a playful slap on my rear and I squealed as I ran into the kitchen away from him. I listened at the doorway for a moment as he assembled the wood in the fireplace. It was old school and I highly doubted Jace had ever made a fire with anything other than a remote, but as the crackling of flames sounded, I knew he'd gotten it started.

I set about making tea. I was waiting for the kettle to finish boiling the water when I felt Jace step behind me. His arms wound around my waist to settle on my stomach and he kissed the crevice of my neck. "I love seeing you pregnant in the kitchen."

"You're an ogre." I joked. "Not to mention old school."

"There is nothing wrong with loving the sight of you."

"Barefoot and pregnant...in a kitchen?"

"You're wearing socks."

"You're ridiculous!"

"I love you." I wiggled in his arms until I was facing him.

"I love you."

"I know you do." He caressed my face gently before bringing his lips down to mine. He kissed me gently, lovingly as he rubbed his hands over my back. I moaned into his lips and wondered for the billionth time how it was I got so lucky.

The kettle chose that moment to scream and I pulled away from him. "I gotta get the tea. I'll meet you in the living room."

"I'll be waiting." He promised as I dropped two teabags into the mugs before adding water. The scent of peppermint wafted in the air around me and I sighed, ready to relax. My heart was warm and I felt ready for serious cozy-time as I wandered back into the living room.

My heart swelled as I stopped and Jace came to stand beside me. "It's beautiful." I breathed as I took in the sight. He'd closed the curtains to block out the sunlight and plugged in the Christmas tree. A box of chocolates sat open on the table that hadn't been there before and the fire cast warmth into the space. The couch was shifted to face the tree and fire and there was a sift blanket strewn haphazardly over the arm. On the cushion of the couch, there was a small box adorned in silver giftwrap.

"Open it." Jace gestured to the box, taking the mugs from my hand to set them on the table.

Slowly, I picked up the box. "What is it?"

He laughed. "Open it and see."

I tore the wrapping from the box and lifted the lid, my breath halting in my chest. I hooked my finger around a white gold bracelet. On the surface, there was a delicate but large infinity symbol woven into the gold. The entire symbol was encrusted with diamonds.

"It's beautiful."

"You said you loved Trisha's ring. I wanted you to have something you would love." He moved to sit beside me. "You can have all the diamonds replaced with our children's birthstones once they're born."

"And our birthstones?" I asked.

"Of course." He smiled as I slipped my wrist into the bracelet.

"I love it." I leaned in to kiss him and he pulled me into his chest, cuddling against him on the couch. "I love you."

"And I love you, Angel."

Jace snuggled into me and I settled into the silence, listening to his steady breathing, the crackling of the fire and his heartbeat. Never before had I felt so at peace with my surroundings and I knew for a fact it was because of Jace. He was the reason for my happiness, my peace of mind, my dreams come true. I was living in my paradise - my heaven. Jace had always believed from the very beginning that I was his angel, but I knew the truth - he was my angel. He'd saved me the day we met and he had been saving me every day since. He was my Seraph - my warrior angel and the man I knew would stand and fight at my side until the very end. He was my soul mate - and I'd found him.

Epilogue

I rested my hand against my swollen belly as I watched my amazing husband - the love of my life - sit on the floor of our living room with our son as he tried to read through the instructions for the train set he'd unwrapped early this morning. "Like this, Dad." Zander connected a stray piece of track to the mass and Jace chuckled. "See, it fits!"

"You have fun with it, buddy." Jace ruffled his hair as he stood.

Jace walked toward me, and like always my heart started racing. He still affected me six years later. "Where's Lily?" He nuzzled my neck as he wrapped his hands around my belly. I was due to pop in a week. This was going to be one busy Christmas.

"Trey and Trisha went to get her from the crib." I smiled, gesturing to the monitor on the table. "They offered to get her for me when she started crying."

"She's a good Aunty." Jace grinned.

"Trey's a good uncle too." I grinned, leaning my head back against his chest as I watched Zander playing with his toys. "I can't believe it took them so long to get married."

"I know." He shook his head. "Trey's a slow mover."

I nodded and the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Zander jumped up from his spot on the floor to run to the door. "It's uncle Caleb!" He yelled loudly.

Jace chuckled. "It's uncle Caleb," he repeated in a high-pitched voice.

"Everyone's arriving for dinner." I gave him a gentle jab in the stomach with my elbow as he nibbled my ear lobe when Caleb entered the room.

He walked right over to us and kissed me on the cheek as though oblivious to the fact that Jace was holding me tight against him. "You're looking good, Liv."

I snorted. "I'm bigger than a horse! Go flatter someone who might believe you."

Caleb feigned a wide-eyed wounded look. "I was being honest," he looked at Jace for backup. "Pregnancy looks good on her."

Jace nodded. "You hear that, Angel? Pregnancy looks goon on you so I guess we'll have to have another,"

I interrupted him. "Three's enough, Jace!"

"Come on," he teased. "We're going to have a awkward middle child."

"No we won't." I shook my head, wiggling from his hold. "And I'm not having another after this. Forget it."

"Holy Jesus!" Caleb bellowed loudly, halting our never-ending argument. "Lily's in leather!"

Jace's eyes looked ready to fall from his head as Trisha bounced our little eighteen-month baby girl on her hip. Her shit-grin rivaled the king of shit-grins and I couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you doing?" Jace barked as the front door opened and John and Karen walked in.

"I told you I'd get your daughter in leather." Trisha grinned like the Cheshire cat and I laughed so hard, my belly ached.

"I had no part in this!" Trey held his hands up, but there was mirth in his eyes.

"Oh, Lily's in leather already?" John asked with a 'you're in trouble' smile.

I pointed to Trisha. "It's all her."

Jace threaded a hand through his hair. "The thing's studded." He looked to the ceiling before shooting daggers at me from his eyes. "Aren't you going to take it off?"

"It's a jacket, Jace." I laughed. "And I think it's kinda cute."

His eyes widened and his mouth dropped. "What's wrong with you?"

I hummed for a moment. "Oh, I don't know." I shrugged mischievously. "It must be all the talk of having more kids that's messing with me."

He glared. "You'll pay for this."

"I know." I nodded. "In the delivery room, I'm sure."

There comment induced loud bursts of laughter from everyone but Jace. Even Zander was staring at Lily. "I don't think it looks that bad, Dad."

Jace shook his head. "Believe me, Kiddo." he knelt down. "If you see Lily in leather, you know she's going to get in trouble. You're the big brother and you've got to protect her from trouble right?"

Zander nodded determinedly, his blue eyes bright. "That's right."

"So that means what?" Jace asked.

Zander looked to Trisha. "Aunty, you need to take the leather off Lily. She can't get into trouble."

The entire room erupted in laughter at his little commanding voice and Trisha nodded. "All right," she shook her head. "I can do it for you, little man."

Trisha pulled Lily from the leather jacket only seconds before Jace scooped the laughing baby into his arms. I watched in harmony as my entire family laughed and conversed as we always did on the holidays. It was peace and love and light. It was exactly the way life was always meant to be lived - and it all started with two broken souls connecting.

About the Author

Completing this book was difficult. I didn't want my story to drag on and on the way I find some romance sequences to do...so I tried to keep this book, the final book in the All Good Things series short and sweet and fast-paced. I wanted to hold the readers attention and their love for Jace and Olivia while I wrote, so I wrote from my heart. I tried to give you everything I would want from the final novel in a series. That being said; thank you for your support! If it weren't for you reading this series and falling in love...well, it wouldn't have been worth nearly as much. Despite the cliffhangers - this one is for everyone who read All Good Things and loved it! Thank you!

Other Books by the Author

All Good Things

All Good Things Exposed

The Curse of Bound Blood

Blood Red Roses

The Gateway Sin

For a sneak peak into the next romance I'll be releasing - Enraptured - visit my blog at
www.alannahcarbonneau.com