Getting the Goods Read online

  “Alright, Casanova. That’s enough. If you keep taking breaks like this, you’re never going to get all of your stuff moved in, and we have an appointment in an hour.”

  “She’s also a slave driver,” he whispers to our baby before rising to his feet.

  “I love her anyways.” This time, he’s speaking to me.

  I have to admit, that hearing him speak to our baby makes me a bit weak in the knees. Having him profess his love for me also makes me weak in the knees.

  Basically, Conner Andrews makes me melt for him, again and again.

  It took a few months for me to get pregnant, and honestly, I was about to lose faith. But then, finally, it happened.

  I was on cloud nine, and Conner seemed a bit afraid, even though we were both trying for it. He seemed to get over it pretty quickly though, and soon dove right into getting ready for this baby.

  We started out taking things slow. I mean, we both knew that we were in love, but I was hesitant at first, knowing just how different we are.

  Our worlds, and where we each came from are so different, that they might as well be on different planets. But, Conner has proved to me over and over again that he isn’t trying to force me to fit into his world.

  In fact, he wants out of his world, and is perfectly content to live in mine.

  We’ve been dating and planning our future now for the last five months. Three of those months have now included planning a future with our unborn child, and even though we may be moving a bit fast, as of today, he is moving in with me.

  He was able to break the lease on his skyrise apartment downtown. We spend most of our time in the suburbs at my place anyhow, so it just seemed to make sense.

  He’d offered to buy us a larger home here, but I happen to adore my tiny house, and have no intention of trying to move while being pregnant. He completely agreed, but then again, he’s always quick to agree on anything if he knows that it will make me happy.

  Have I mentioned just how much I love this man?

  Seven months ago, I was determined to go it alone. I was willing to do just about anything in the world to have a baby, with the full intention of doing it by myself.

  Oh, how things have changed.

  I’m now looking forward to a future with a man that I’m crazy in love with, and I’m carrying the product of that love inside of me.

  Life is so damn good right now, that it almost seems too good to be true.

  “Alright, this is the last of my stuff.” Conner kicks the door shut behind him and sets the last of his boxes against the wall in the living room. “I’m going to take a shower before our appointment, unless you have anything else in mind for me to do?”

  I shake my head, and he plants a kiss on my cheek, before jogging up the stairs to the bathroom.

  I pause for just a moment, watching his movements, and then, checking the time.

  We have at least an hour before we have to leave, and before I can even realize what I’m doing, I’m following along after him, up the stairs and towards the shower.

  There may not be anything else that needs to be done around the house right now, but I certainly could use a bit of his time.

  “I really hope that we didn’t scare the baby today.” Conner’s sweaty hand wraps around mine, as he chews hard on his bottom lip.

  “We really shouldn’t have done all of that right before coming here, babes. Now the baby is probably curled into a little ball, scarred for life. I bet that he’s not going to show us his winkie today.”

  “It could be a she.” I lean my head against his chest and listen to the sound of his heart beat as it thunders in his chest.

  “It’s not. There’s no way that God is going to give me a little girl. He knows that I’m not built for all of that.”

  I roll my eyes.

  I have no doubt that Conner is going to be a fantastic dad, regardless of whether or not we have a little boy or a little girl.

  He sighs, and plants a kiss on my forehead before leaning back in his chair. His one hand is still gripped around mine, and his other hand clutches the pregnancy book that he always has his nose in lately.

  Maria walks into the room and smiles at the both of us.

  “Are you guys as excited as I am to find out the sex?”

  “Yes,” Conner blurts out, “But if we can’t see the baby’s sex today, it’s her fault. She made me do it. She seduced me in the shower. She is very persuasive.”

  “I’m going to totally ignore that, since I’m about to stick a probe into the very same vagina that you were apparently just in.” She fights to hide her smile, and I burst out laughing as Conner pales.

  “Oh, wow. This is awkward.”

  “Only because you opened up your yapper,” I tease him, and he just frowns.

  “I was just being honest.”

  “I appreciate the honesty, Conner,” Maria just laughs, before sitting down in front of me. “I’m just messing with you, anyhow. I know that Gabs is a little slut. I’m sure you can’t keep her off of you.”

  “Well, I mean, can you blame her?” he jokes, and we both groan.

  “Too far, hot shot,” I snicker, making him frown. “Too far.”

  “I’m never going to win with you two,” he mutters as Maria places the probe on my stomach. “Never fucking ever. You two are something else. Two women are too much for any man to handle, and the both of you are always ganging up on me. It’s not even fair.”

  Maria pauses and stares at the screen for a moment, before blinking back to me with wide eyes.

  “What? What’s wrong?” My heart races as I watch her eyes dart between us, before settling back on the monitor.

  “Maria…”

  “Two.” She blinks again, and then, adjusts the probe.

  “There’s two.”

  “Two what?” Conner hops to his feet, and his face pales, as Maria points out two little beating hearts.

  “Two babies! Oh, my gosh, this is amazing!”

  Conner gets even whiter.

  “Wait, you mean, like twins?”

  “Yes!” she exclaims and moves the probe again. “It makes perfect sense, after all. Conner is an identical twin, so of course he has a huge probability of fathering twins. You, my friend, are going to be having not one, but two, eh…” she squints her eyes, before pointing to a spot on the screen. “Two little girls. I can’t be certain on the sex until we do the vaginal probe, but from the looks of things, you’re having girls. Definitely two of them, though.”

  A sound that I’ve never heard before leaves Conner’s mouth. His eyes are wild as he stares at me, blankly, before breaking out into a cold sweat.

  “Conner? Hey, honey, are you…”

  I don’t even get to ask him if he’s alright. He’s obviously not, because in the next second, he hits the ground.

  Conner

  A wail wakes me out of my sleep, if I was even sleeping at all, that is. I swear, that since Gabriella gave birth to our daughters last week, I haven’t fallen in to a deep sleep.

  I’m too afraid that I’m not going to hear them cry, and that I’m going to cause them to have trust issues at a week old.

  Gabs of course, thinks that I’m crazy, but I can’t help myself. I’m terrified of screwing this dad thing up.

  I sit up quickly in bed and toss the covers off of me. I’m on my feet before Gabriella even stirs. She blinks her eyes and moves in the bed, but I immediately stop her.

  “No, baby. I’ll get her, and get her diaper changed. You stay in bed, I’ll bring her to you.”

  “Ok.”

  She doesn’t try to fight me on it, because it’s really no use. We’ve already gone through this a hundred times.

  I pause at the bassinet of Scarlet, who was the first child to make me a father. She came first, with her identical twin sister, Harper following just a few seconds later.

  Scarlett has a serious face, and a strong cry. Even at just a week old, I already know that she takes after me, while Harper
smiles more often and doesn’t cry quite as much. She is more like her Momma, that’s for sure.

  I pick Scarlett up, and as soon as she’s in my arms, she immediately stops crying. Her sweet little face relaxes, and my heart soars.

  “Sounds like all that she wanted was Daddy,” Gabriella murmurs, as I bring her back to the bed. I quickly change her diaper, making her cry again, before swaddling her back into her blanket and holding her tightly. Her cry stops again.

  “She knows that I’m going to get her, right? Is that why she stops crying?”

  “Of course she knows that, sweetheart. You’re an excellent father. You are doing a great job.”

  “I got to her quickly.” I nod, as I stare into the sweet face of my daughter. “I don’t ever want to make her wait, or to question if I’m going to be there.”

  “Conner.” Gabriella leans her head against my shoulder. “Baby, she knows. They both know. You are not your parents, you are a good man, and these girls are lucky to have you as their daddy.”

  “I hope their mommy feels the same way.”

  She shakes her head before reaching for Scarlett.

  “Here, give her to me, and go and get Harper. She will be waking any…”

  Harper’s cry rings out, so I quickly hand Gabs Scarlett and hop to my feet. I dart to the side of Harper’s bassinet and reach inside for her.

  Yet again, the second that she hits my arms, she stops crying.

  My girls love me.

  I plant kisses all over Harper’s cheeks before bringing her back to the bed like I did Scarlett.

  Scarlett is busy sucking the life out of one of the two breasts that I adore, so I change Harper’s diaper and swaddle her back into her blanket, before rocking her in my arms.

  As I stare between Gabriella, and my daughters, the three girls who have made me the man that I am today, I smile.

  “You never did answer my question, babes.” I lean down and kiss Harper again, and then kiss Scarlett. I kiss Gabriella’s boob, which makes her laugh, before pressing my lips against hers.

  “You ask so many questions, honey. I’m not sure which one you’re talking about.”

  “Last night, I asked you when you were going to finally agree to marry me.”

  “You really want to do this right now? Conner, it’s two AM.”

  “I know, but, I’m starting to get a complex. I’ve asked you about a hundred times.”

  That’s not even an exaggeration.

  Right after we found out that we were expecting, I got down on one knee and professed my undying love for her.

  I held out a ring, and she had accepted it, promising to marry me.

  Someday.

  I’ve been patiently waiting for someday…alright, maybe not so patiently waiting, but either way, I have been waiting for her to agree to set a date.

  She keeps putting it off.

  “Are you unsure of marrying me?” I stare into her eyes, and she rolls hers.

  “Conner, no. I’ve told you this already. I am madly in love with you. I adore you, and I adore our family.”

  “So, then what’s stopping you?”

  She pauses, as Scarlett stops suckling. She gently removes Scarlett from her breast and trades me babies. Harper immediately latches on to the other side.

  “Nothing’s stopping me; it’s just been crazy with the girls. And, well, everything is just so perfect right now. I’m afraid to invite anyone into this. I don’t want to wreck it.”

  “Baby.” I brush her hair off of her face, before holding her chin in my hand. “We don’t have to invite anyone in. I just want it to be official. I want you to have the same last name as the girls and I. I want everything to be traditional here, even if it didn’t start that way. I want the whole package, baby, including the white picket fence.”

  “We already have the whole package,” she argues, but I disagree.

  “The whole package includes a wife. It includes vows, and rings, and sharing the same last name. That’s what I want, baby. That’s what I need.”

  “I’m not ready to face your parents.”

  “My parents?” I snort. “Is that what the hold up is? Oh, babes. No worries there. I had no intention of inviting them. Honestly, if Carter is the only one on my side who shows, I’m fine with that. I’d be happy with just you and I at the courthouse at this point. I just want it to be official.”

  “Actually, that sounds perfect. I’m good with all of that, I just don’t want any negativity involved.”

  “Perfect.” I brush my lips against hers. “Courthouse tomorrow it is.”

  “Conner…”

  “Nope, you agreed, and I’m good with that. Hell, if I knew of a priest right now who could marry us, I’d invite them here right now.”

  “You’d marry me in bed, with my daughters?” she laughs, but I’m totally serious.

  “Yes, of course I would. This is where is where it all started anyways, right? And had you not wanted them so badly, this would have never been. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like, if you wouldn’t have come into it, baby. You have made me happiest man in the whole damn world.”

  “Don’t even try to run. I’ll catch you, and I’m really damn fast,” I whisper into Gabriella’s ear, as she glances around the courtroom.

  “I’m not running anywhere, silly. I just birthed two babies a week ago. I’m not exactly quick on my feet these days.”

  “Were you ever very quick?” I joke, and she glares.

  “I haven’t said yes, yet, Andrews. Watch yourself.”

  I clamp my mouth shut.

  The notary signs some papers, before taking a step in front of us.

  He goes through his official speech, and dammit all, I wish that he could talk a bit faster.

  Finally, he looks at Gabriella.

  “Gabriella Martin, do you take Conner Andrews to be your husband?”

  My eyes widen as she tilts her head to the side, debating his question.

  “Gabs.” I nudge her, and she shrugs.

  “Well, it’s a big commitment, hot shot. I’m just making sure that I’m making the right decision.”

  “You can’t be serious right now.” My stomach drops.

  “I’m not. Of course, I do.” She smiles at the notary, who doesn’t look impressed at all.

  “Fine. Conner Andrews, do you…”

  “Yes,” I interrupt him. “You don’t even have to finish. Yes, yes, yes.”

  “Ok, then. Sign here.”

  I sign my life away, as does Gabriella. Maria and Carter sign as witnesses, and then, it’s a wrap.

  “I had you fooled there, for a second, didn’t I?” she giggles, as we head out of the courthouse.

  “Not cute, Gabs. I thought that you were going to bail on me.”

  “Oh, Conner,” she stops moving and turns towards me, placing her hand on my chest, “you know that I could never bail on you, right? I love you, so, so much, and I can’t imagine my future not having you in it.”

  “I love you, too, babes. More than anything in this whole damn world.”

  “I know.” She leans against me, and I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close.

  “I promise you that I’m going to give you everything that you’ve ever wanted. I will take care of you, and our girls, so that you can spend all of your time raising them right. I promise you that you will never question how much I love you. I will do everything in my power to show you that you are absolutely my everything.”

  “I love you, Conner Andrews.” She meets my mouth as I lean down towards her.

  “I love you too, Gabriella Andrews.”

  She sighs as she leans into me, and I wrap her tightly in my arms.

  She is my happy ending, the one that I never saw coming, but dammit all, I am so thankful for the day that she fell onto my lap.

  Literally.

  About the Author

  Elizabeth Perry is a Cleveland, Ohio native who has been transplanted to a small town, surrounded b
y the lake in Michigan.

  Her free time is taken up shuffling her children all over God’s green earth, which she complains about often, but would never change for a thing.

  She is a true romance addict, and a firm believer that every love story deserves a happy ending, even if it takes a lot of work to get there.

  She is addicted to coffee, and probably cusses too much. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, or mapping out her next story in her head!

  Also by Elizabeth Perry

  Full length, standalone romance books:

  One Little Word

  Sliding Home Series:

  #1

  Bet On It

  #2

  Whatever It Takes

  #3

  Hard to Fall

  #4

  Coming Soon