For Nick (36 page)

“F-fine.”

Rebecca was always a little tongue-tied around Zach. Join the crowd. Andie knew exactly how she felt.

“Mom…Dad says we can wear our matching shirts for our Christmas card picture this year. Isn’t that a great idea?” Zane asked her.

Andie looked at Zach and he again shrugged, feigning innocence. “I bought one for you too,” he added as if that made things better.

Fabulous. She could hardly wait for that picture.

“And the new baby,” he said as an afterthought. “It’s a onesie.”

Andie simply shook her head at him. But she was warming up to the idea.

Zach observed Andie, her multi-tasking skills at their finest. She served dinner to their children, reminded Zoe to feed her goldfish, walked back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room while carrying on conversations with the kids and Rebecca, cleaning up as she worked, and yet looking like a model who had just stepped off the page of a glossy magazine. He loved the little black dress she was wearing. When he watched her from behind, he couldn’t even tell she was pregnant for goodness sake. Her calves were rock hard with the muscles well defined. Here she was, nine months pregnant and she still wasn’t slowing down. She was a health and fitness nut, making sure the children ate healthy meals at all times, and putting herself on a workout schedule that left her looking downright svelte even when fully pregnant. He found her even more beautiful today than when he’d met her. She must have felt his gaze, because she froze for a moment and returned his stare. Then she walked over to him and grabbed him by the lapels of his suit coat, pulling him close to her and kissing him fully on the mouth rather aggressively.

He loved it.

They turned to find their children and Rebecca watching them with wide eyes. “Scandalous, Mrs. Drake…positively scandalous,” he whispered in her ear.

“Is Grandpa Charles coming tonight?” Zoe asked.

“Yes, Zoe. He’ll be here later on this evening. He and Linda are at their scuba diving lessons.”

Charles had remarried and was recapturing his youth in his second wind. He and his new wife lived in a stylish condo Zach had insisted on purchasing for them, and they were quite the go-getters with all of their activities.

“He’ll be here around eight this evening to relieve you,” Andie informed Rebecca.

After hugs and kisses all around, Zach and Andie finally made it out the door at six PM on the dot. They pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and sat in the confines of the car for several minutes as Zach pulled her close and kissed her. “I love you,” he whispered.

And being the pregnant lady that she was, she responded with, “Feed me.”

He laughed at her and rolled his eyes saying, “So romantic.”

“It was romance that got me this way, buddy.”

“Don’t I know it,” he said as they made their way into the restaurant with their arms around each other. It had been eight years and their passion for one another had never waned.

They were quickly seated at their table. The restaurant was dark, with candles on every table and soft music playing in the background. It was beautiful. Zach clasped her hand in his as they sat across from each other.

“I love you, Andie.”

Her heart melted in her chest. “I love you, Zach.”

“I have something for you.”

Zach pulled a small box out from his pocket. Andie beamed with delight. Zach was someone who loved to give gifts, and she loved his presents. She opened it slowly and then let out a gasp as she held it in her hands and examined it. It was a silver charm bracelet. There were seven silver hearts attached to it. The first one said, ‘
Andie’s Alliterations
.’ She laughed at the sight, knowing what was coming next. The second one said, ‘
Zach
,’ and the rest followed with the names of each one of their children, to include the new baby.

Zach clasped it onto her wrist. “Zach…it’s so clever. I love it, I absolutely love it. You couldn’t have chosen anything better than this. Thank you.”

“I can add Nick to it, if you’d like. I wasn’t sure if I should. I don’t like to leave her out.”

“My ring is enough. That’s my memory of her. Thank you for thinking of that though.” Zach nodded. “I have something for you too.”

She’d carried in a gift bag and she knew that his curiosity was stoked. However, he was stunned when he pulled out an eight-by-ten frame with a picture of the two of them on their wedding day. It was a picture of them kissing after they’d been pronounced man and wife. “How’d you get this?” he asked completely floored.

“Robert took pictures for Mr. Chambers that day, remember? He still had them in a file at the office. I confiscated them.”

“Our first kiss,” he mumbled under his breath. “I love it, Andie, I’ll hang it on…”

Suddenly, Andie gasped. “Zach, I think my water just broke.”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yes. Positive.”

Zach immediately popped to his feet, pacing back and forth, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. “Hello, this is…uh…uh…uh…”

Here we go again.

other books by taylor dean
available at
www.taylordeanbooks.com

i have people

Holly Sinclair is happily married to the love of her life, Gabriel. Young and in love, Holly hopes to have their first child soon. Of course, Gabriel wants to wait till Holly’s health is restored, much to Holly’s dismay. She feels perfectly fine. So what if she just woke up from an eight-month coma? So what if some of her memories are missing? She remembers Gabe and that’s all that matters, right? That is, until HE enters her life again…she forgot about HIM.

joshua’s folly

After Marisa survives a traumatic experience in her youth, she finds comfort in the form of a photograph of Joshua, her foster mother’s nephew. She falls in love with him, creating and refining an image of the man of her dreams. When Marisa has the opportunity to visit Texas for the summer, staying at Joshua’s cattle ranch outside of Amarillo, she meets Joshua in person for the first time. She quickly realizes he is someone she could really fall in love with, not just a silly childhood crush. Life is seemingly perfect for Josh and Marisa, with endless possibilities before them. That is, until Josh’s reservations take a toll on their relationship and their summertime romance ends rather unexpectedly. Will Marisa be able to forgive Josh for his folly?

sierra

Alyssa Fontaine’s life, loved ones—everything familiar and dear—are brutally taken from her. Taken captive by two men, she endures a horrific nightmare. A new life is forced upon her and even a new name. Just when it appears that no hope is in sight, she is saved by an unlikely twist of fate. Trapped in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains, life will open its arms to her again and she will embrace it. She will find love such as she never knew existed. Sierra is a heart-wrenching story of the power of the human spirit to survive amidst impossible circumstance and severe losses. It is a story of survival…and hope.

lancaster house

Zoe Grayson needs a change. So, she moves to another state, purchases an old, dilapidated 1920s Victorian Mansion, and sets out to restore it to its former glory. As she begins the restoration, she finds herself falling in love with the old house…not to mention its illustrious builder, Mr. Lancaster. Zoe becomes obsessed with the house as she discovers its secrets; hidden rooms, secret passageways…and a mysterious man who seems to think the house is his. Who is he? More importantly, how does he live in her home unseen and unheard? The unexpected answers leave her reeling—and questioning everything she’s ever known. To her dismay, Zoe’s actions land her in the local psychiatric hospital, scheming for ways to return to Lancaster House…and the love of her life.

the middle aisle
a sequel to lancaster house

Zoe Grayson is back in Lancaster House, ordered to bed rest for the duration of her unexpected pregnancy. Doctor Wade Channing, her overzealous psychiatrist, is living in Lancaster House, taking care of her, waiting on her, and tending to her every need. It seems to be the perfect arrangement. There’s just one catch. She has to tell him her story—everything that has happened in her life since the moment she escaped from Serenity Hills. It’s been quite an adventure to include renovating another home and a walk down the middle aisle. But, that’s all over now. Nothing is real. It never was. How did she end up in this miserable situation?