Anonymous(57)

All the tables in the shop are filled with my favorite people. It brings tears to my eyes.

“Thank you, everyone, for flying out here. Tomorrow’s the big day, but today is even more special.” Jake grabs my hand and brings it to his lips. “It’s the day we find out what baby Kingston’s going to be.” I point toward the table at the tray of assorted cake truffles, all of them decorated in either milk, dark, or white chocolate, with a mix of blue and pink sugar sprinkles on top. “I want to thank Vikki for thinking up the idea, and for my two new bakers, Emily and Christine, for making them.”

Everyone claps and whistles. “Stop talk and eat up, buttercup,” my sister shouts. “I’m ready to find out!”

Grinning wide, Jake picks up the first truffle. “Who’s going first?”

I wave him on. “Go ahead.”

He bites into the dark chocolate truffle, and its regular yellow cake mix inside. Shrugging, he eats the rest and smiles. “I think I’m going to like this. These are amazing.”

I pick up a milk chocolate truffle and bite into it. Yellow cake mix. Everyone laughs, but I’m dying to find out. Jake grabs a white chocolate one. Yellow cake mix. I try one of the dark chocolate ones and, you guessed it, it’s yellow. There are ten total, and we go through each one, until we’re left with one last white chocolate truffle.

Jake and I both stare at it. “Who’s going to do it?” I ask.

He picks it up and holds it in front of my lips. “You do it. Take a bite.” Taking a deep breath, I bite into the yummy goodness and am greeted by bright blue cake. Jake turns it around to look, and his eyes widen as he jumps in the air. “Hell yeah! I knew it’d be a boy.”

He tosses the other half of the truffle in his mouth and picks me up, swinging me around in a circle. Everyone shouts for joy and congratulates us. Emily and Christine bring out the baby boy cake and everyone digs in. I can’t help but stare at them all, loving the fact that they all flew out here to share this moment with us.

Jake pulls me into his arms and kisses me, deep and slow. In that moment, no one else exists. “Thank you,” he murmurs.

“For what?”

He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ears. “For being my wife and giving me a child. You have no idea how much of a gift that is. Nothing can describe how much I love you right now.”

“I love you too.” I rest my head on his chest and breathe him in. “I’m lucky too.”

“Oh yeah, why is that?”

I pull back, so I can look in his eyes. “I’m lucky, because I have a husband who’d risk it all to keep me safe. One who loves me unconditionally. We’re in this together.”

He kisses me again. “Yes, we are.” My father hands him a glass of champagne, and me a glass of white grape juice. Jake taps his glass to mine. “To new beginnings.”

I hold up my glass. “To new beginnings.”



* * *



THE END





About the Author





New York Times and USA Today bestselling author L. P. Dover is a southern belle living in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she began her literary journey she worked in periodontics, enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.

She loves to write, but she also loves to play golf, go on mountain hikes and white water rafting, and has a passion for singing. Her two youngest fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime, usually Christmas carols.

Dover has written countless novels, including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, the Armed & Dangerous series, the Royal Shifters series, the Society X series, the Circle of Justice series, and her standalone novels It Must’ve Been the Mistletoe and Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense, but if she got to choose a setting in which to live, it would be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.

L.P. Dover is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency and Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management for dramatic rights.



* * *



Connect with L.P. Dover

[email protected]





Also by LP Dover





THE FOREVER FAE SERIES

Forever Fae

Betrayals of Spring Summer of Frost

Reign of Ice





* * *



SECOND CHANCES SERIES

Love’s Second Chance Trusting You

What He Wants Meant for Me

Fighting for Love Intercepting Love Catching Summer

Defending Hayden

Last Chance

Intended for Bristol





* * *



GLOVES OFF SERIES

A Fighter’s Desire: Part One A Fighter’s Desire: Part Two Tyler’s Undoing

Ryley’s Revenge

Winter Kiss: Ryley & Ashley [A Gloves Off Novella]

Paxton’s Promise Camden’s Redemption Kyle’s Return





* * *



ARMED & DANGEROUS SERIES

No Limit

Roped In

High-Sided





* * *