A Perfect Love
Authors: Becca Lee,Hot Tree Editing,Lm Creations
A PERFECT LOVE
By
BECCA LEE
A PERFECT LOVE
Copyright © 2015 by BECCA LEE
All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of Becca Lee, except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Cover design by Louisa Maggio @
LM Creations
Editing & Interior Design by
Hot Tree Editing
ISBN-13:
978-1511826709
ISBN-10:
1511826703
Contents
Epilogue from A Perfect Moment
Dedication
Sometimes perfect can seem like a million miles away. Don’t lose faith. Don’t give up. Be sure to reach out for it, grab it with both hands and never let go.
I have my own version of Jo’s Liam, my amazing husband. You drive me to distraction, and I love you even more for it. This one is for you – my perfect love.
Acknowledgements
This book seems like forever in the making. I would not have pushed through and re-found my groove without the support of the many beautiful souls around me.
My girl Josie, without your sanity, I would have lost it many moons ago. You keep me grounded. Thank you, beautiful. Please tell Donna she’s bloody amazing, too!
My sexy book babes, your constant pimping and unrelenting support is freaking awesome. Your ability to find super-hot pics of firefighters and surfers is like no other. Christina, my awesome admin, you rock! A special thanks to the beautiful members of my team who took a chance on APL and read APL as an ARC. Your support is amazing.
The amazing team at Hot Tree Editing, you are such an amazing group of women. Justine, beta-reader extraordinaire, your astuteness blows me away. Thank you! Kristin, I loved your edits and supporting comments. Thank you for being wonderful. My awesome betas over at HTE, thank you for every comment and correction! You guys rock!
Thank you to Hot Tree Promotions for the killer release support, and for all of the amazing bloggers and readers who have given my work a chance.
Finally, my beautiful family, none of this would have happened without your support. You’ve given me your ears when I’ve vented, as well as your shoulders to help carry the weight, and most importantly, your unwavering belief I can achieve anything I set my mind to. I’m truly blessed.
Epilogue from A Perfect Moment
Jo
The last few weeks since my wedding had been beyond crazy. Ella and Preston getting together, both of them nearly being killed, and me nearly destroying my husband’s penis was taking its toll. I felt like shit. My head felt like it was being used as a punching bag; it was pounding so much, and I felt like curling up in bed, giving the world my middle fingers and telling it to ‘screw you’.
After Ella had been released from the hospital, my parents and Ella’s parents had fought over care rights. No word of a lie. Both Kate and Mum had organised an honest-to-God schedule for cooking, cleaning, and who’d be wiping her goddamn arse. It was crazy, but damn hilarious at the same time.
Preston was still staying around Ella’s since he’d half-moved his crap in after her surfing catastrophe, and since they were both injured, Preston was still off from work while Ella was on school break.
Damn that lucky bitch and her school holidays.
I’d tried to stay away as much as possible during her recovery. One reason was that I was still getting used to the fact that Preston was humping Ella, and the second was because I continued to look and feel like shit.
After the stress of the whole Ella kidnapping and attempted murder horror, I naturally assumed I’d no longer need to be lying in a foetal position, terrified I was going to lose my best friend. Instead, I felt like shit.
I presumed it was a stupid bug or maybe a random parasite from my honeymoon, but the fifteen positive tests surrounding me on my bed would be a pretty solid argument against that
. Fuck.
I had no goddamn idea what to do, how I felt, or how in hell’s name I was going to tell Liam.
It wasn’t like I was fifteen and knocked-up. I was married to an unbelievably gorgeous and infuriating guy, who I loved the arse off. It was just that me and the whole
kids
thing just didn’t make sense. Okay, so the idea made me want to vomit even more.
I knew in my heart that I wouldn’t be giving this baby up, though. This baby, no doubt made during one superhot sex session, was made out of a whole heap of love and lust. But the thought of being responsible for another human life instinctively had me wanting to flee.
Stupid, I know.
There was no chance of fleeing from this.
I was twenty-eight years old. I was sure that was supposed to be some sort of ‘ripe old age’ shit right there for being knocked up. Damn stupid statistics and their perfectly crappy timing. I heard the front door open and close.
I knew I should do something. Burying my head under the cover seemed like a grand idea. I even considered climbing out the window and hiding for a little while; instead, I lay on my bed, surrounded by pee.
Note to self: wash sheets on hot wash.
“Jo?” I heard Liam’s footsteps getting closer. The door then opened and I was greeted with silence.
I didn’t look, too afraid of what I may see. “Holy shit, Jo! Why the hell are there pee sticks everywhere?”
For a virtual goddamn genius, I was sure my husband was a walking penis in a former life. He still said dumb shit sometimes, which included asking obvious bloody questions.
I heard him step into the room and felt his legs touch the bed. “Jo?” His voice was soft. Too soft. “Are you…are we…shit…we’re having a baby.”
A fraction of a second later, I heard a thud. I looked up to find empty space. Pulling myself toward the edge of the bed, I found Liam on the floor. My hard-arse man had fainted. Proof and point: walking penis.
Chapter One
Jo
I rolled my eyes as I threw the bag of frozen peas at Liam’s head.
“Ouch, watch it,” he complained. He was lucky I hadn’t grabbed the steak from the fridge and bitch-slapped him a few times for being a goddamned pussy. Fainting. Seriously, who did crap like that!
“Stop complaining,” I grumbled. “Just put the bloody peas on your head. There’s a mammoth bump forming from where you hit your big noggin.” I turned away from him and reached for the bottle of vodka. “Shit,” I cursed. All I wanted to do was knock back a few shots to forget the madness of finding out I was pregnant, and that I had a dick of a husband who passed out on me.
It was obvious I was not the maternal type. After all, I did step over Liam’s unconscious body on the floor and waited in the kitchen until he got up off his arse and followed me in. Although getting him frozen peas was sort of maternal, right? And to top things off with a bright red cherry on top, I couldn’t even drown out the voices in my head. I was freaking the crap out.
I heard the stool scrape across the floor and immediately felt Liam’s presence. I leaned into him, knowing he was behind me to support me. That was what he did. He was my rock, through and through, and I knew, despite the fainting incident, he would be there to catch me no matter what life threw our way.
From the moment I’d met him at uni, he’d been my constant. Sometimes, admittedly, a constant pain in my arse, but generally the other half of my soul. Knowing he was near and knowing, without a doubt, he loved my crazy arse immediately calmed me, even in this situation.
The dripping bag of peas was set on the countertop I was standing in front of and his strong arms wrapped around my waist. He placed a light spread of kisses against my head, and then my neck, before he rested his chin on my shoulder.
“We’re okay.” It wasn’t a question. This was one of a million reasons I loved my man so fiercely. He never made promises he couldn’t keep. He rarely doubted us, or himself, and he knew without hesitation, we would handle every bump—in this case, quite literally—that we would come across.
“I know.” I sighed. “It’s just…I wasn’t ready.
We
weren’t ready.” I turned in his arms and raised my face to receive a light kiss on my lips. “And you passed out, you idiot man.”