GladYouCame (25 page)
Authors: Sara Brookes
The realization hit Dade like a ton of bricks, nearly
arresting his heart. “Genie?”
Genevieve reached out, smoothing her hand over Mal’s dark
hair. “It’s all right, little man. You hung onto that secret for a long time. A
whole day in fact. That had to be tough.”
“Mama, can we eat now?”
“He’s been asking to get this meal since Tuesday. Like most
males, he has a one-track mind.” Beth wiggled her fingers toward Mal, taking
him from Dade who was lost in a daze. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas. If you’ll excuse us for a moment, I need a
second alone with my wife.” He pulled Genevieve behind one of the glass
partitions he’d installed three weeks ago. “Genie, are you going to have a baby?”
She nodded, offering him a half smile. “I just found out
yesterday. Allison was tied up at work, so I’d gone to watch Mal for Beth
during her OB appointment. When I mentioned I wasn’t feeling well, her doctor
started asking me all kinds of questions and it didn’t even dawn on me until he
asked if there was a possibility. Test came back positive. I was going to tell
you both later as an early Christmas present.” She barely finished the sentence
before he scooped her up.
“Holy shit.” Emotion like nothing he’d ever experienced
slammed into him as he held her close. His heart tripped a few times before
beating steady again. Just when he thought he’d known all the love he could
possibly experience. “Oh my god, baby. This is…I can’t even—”
“Beth said you needed to see me.” Tony slid to a stop, his
gaze darting between Dade and Genevieve. “What’s wrong? What happened?” She
turned, tears streaming down her face as she reached for him. Tony’s concern
visibly grew as he gathered her close, holding her tightly against his body. “Whatever
it is, the three of us can work through it.”
Dade watched as Genevieve lifted her head, pulled his mouth
to hers and whispered against his lips. His body froze. The only movement was
his eyes as they closed for a moment and then opened slowly. “Genevieve.” Tony
breathed her name, the whispered hush of gratitude caressing each syllable. The
quiet, loving sound raised the hair on Dade’s forearms. “We’re going to…mother
of god. The three of us are going to be parents.”
Dade wrapped them into his embrace, emotion shuddering
through him. “Better start praying for the kid now, Fitzgerald. Can you imagine
someone with our three tempers running around Gatlin Falls? If the town didn’t
know what hit it before…”
They laughed in unison, pulling each other close as Dade
basked in the knowledge that once again, his life had taken a turn for the
better. The magic this couple wove over him each and every day was a spell he
cherished more than his own existence. He wanted nothing more than to be with
them both right now. To share the love with these two people who had stolen his
heart.
“Hey, guys. I sorry to interrupt, but the natives are
getting restless.” Beth offered an apologetic smile as she shoved her hands
into her pockets.
“Be right there.” Dade tucked away his thoughts as Beth left
them alone again. He kissed the top of her head, catching the scent of warm
vanilla and honey in her hair. “Thank you both. For loving me. Marrying me.
Promising to be mine. Can’t say we have a normal family unit, but its works for
us, and that’s what counts. Most of all, thank you for giving me a family
again. With my brothers.” He curved his hand over Genevieve’s flat stomach.
“And with you.”
Genevieve tipped her face, standing on her toes to kiss
Dade, then Tony. “I should be the ones thanking you. Driving home from the
doctor’s office, I thought everything would be a jumbled mess. That I wouldn’t
know how to handle the stuff we have going in our lives with the businesses
expanding. But then I realized it doesn’t matter. Nothing does except you two,
and this baby. All I want to do is make you all happy.”
They walked hand in hand to the table, hoots and catcalls
filled the air. Beth had obviously spilled the beans when she’d realized
Genevieve had told the men her news.
As everyone started passing around plates piled high with
steaming hot food, conversations filled the air around Dade. He sat back,
enjoying the atmosphere. He didn’t try to listen to them all. Instead, he liked
the chaotic din the noise created against the high ceiling of the room. The
echoes of family and friends who had gathered in celebration.
This was as much their resurrection as Sanctuary’s.
He couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off his face.
“Want some potatoes?” Dade accepted the plate from Allison.
He passed on the food and dug into his plate, groaning loudly at the explosion
of tastes on his tongue. Genevieve had outdone herself again. Perfection. Just
like her.
He sat back sometime later, convinced he couldn’t possibly
eat anything else. Mal had curled up against Beth, his head resting on his
shoulder, thumb stuck in his mouth as he fought sleep. Allison was across the
room, draping a fuzzy blanket over Riley as she slept on the edge of the tree
skirt.
At the far end of the long banquet table, Patrick folded his
napkin on the plate in front of him and stood. He gestured to Dade, then Elena
and Ryan and pointed toward the wide front window.
Dade brushed a kiss against Genevieve’s cheek then Tony’s
before grabbing his champagne and standing. “Be back in five. Business
meeting.” He joined his tight knit group of friends. Their reflections stared
back at them, showing how much the quartet had changed, yet remained the same.
“Would you look at us?”
Patrick lifted his champagne flute to the window. “Never in
a million years would I have thought we’d be where we are now. Families and
all. With more on the way.”
“Funny how that worked out so differently from what this
place was started for.” Ryan tapped his glass against Patrick’s.
Dade wrapped his arm around Elena’s waist, pulling her
against his side as he lifted his glass. “Just a couple of horny friends who
were looking to add a little more excitement out of their lives.”
“Maybe you three,” Elena said. “I’ve got all the excitement
I can handle right over there.” She glanced over her shoulder to where Alex sat
at the end of the table, his feet moving two identical rockers. He sipped his
coffee, a slight smile turning up the corners of his mouth as he watched his
sons sleep.
“You did good, kid.” Dade leaned over and kissed Elena’s
cheek. “We all did.”
As his friends returned to their loved ones, Tony and
Genevieve met his gaze. Dade knew the best thing he’d ever done was fall in
love with the Fitzgeralds. And allowed them to love him in return. Maybe their
union was unconventional. But they’d accepted the gifts they’d given one
another, and forged a new life that would forever intertwine them.
As he made his way back to the table, Dade sent a silent
thanks toward Allison. For giving him everything he’d ever wanted. All because
of the fateful morning she’d braved the line at Perfect Shot and changed all of
their lives forever.
Sara Brookes is a multi-published author who has always been
fascinated by the strange, the unusual, the twisted and the lost (tortured
heroes are her personal favorite). She is an action movie junkie, addicted to
coffee and has been known to stay up until the wee hours of the morning playing
RPG video games. Despite all this, she is a romantic at heart and is always a
sucker for an excellent love story. Born and bred in Virginia, Sara still lives
there with her husband and daughter. The entire family is owned by two cats,
Galahad and Loki, who graciously allow the family to cater to their every
desire.
Sara welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author
bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.
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Sara
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Body
Masters 2: Reclaiming the Edge
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Glad You Came
ISBN 9781419992131
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Glad You Came Copyright © 2014 Sara Brookes
Edited by Briana St. James
Cover design by Dar Albert
Cover photography by Period Images
Electronic book publication September 2014
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