The Grand Pact (The Grand Men #1)(139)

“Hard day, Mr Montgomery?” she asks as I near.

I smile down at her, her stomach swollen with my babies.

“Is that a new dress?” I remark, already knowing it is.

“I couldn’t fit into the others.” She stands, spinning around to show me. “Do you like it?”

My fingers catch her waist, and I pull her to me. “I love it.”

“And your day? It was a good one?”

“Long one,” I mutter, sliding my hands over her body.

She looks at me through heavy-lidded eyes. “Hmmm, what do you need?”

“You.”

I kiss her despite her wide smile, and she reciprocates, twisting her lips with mine.

I back her into the house, spinning her, so she walks in front of me.

The house is bigger than anything she wanted or would have asked for, but I know she loves it here. When I found it, I was driving home from my parents’ estate. It’s strange how I must have driven past the house hundreds of times over the years, yet on this particular night, it caught my eye.

Stone Castle.

It’s not officially a castle but lit up that night as I passed by, I’d have believed it was.

It has two wings, with a small tower in the centre which opens up the grand entrance.

“Can I take you out for dinner?” I ask her. “I don’t feel like cooking.”

“Hmm, I suppose I could show off my new dress before it doesn’t fit me tomorrow.”

“Let me go and get dressed.” I take off up the left staircase. “I’ll call and book a table. Anywhere in particular you want to go?”

I look over the bannister at her, the crystal chandelier slightly swaying just in front of me.

“Anywhere is fine,” she mutters, waving me off.

“No, no, no. I’m not playing that game.”

She frowns and snakes a hand over her stomach.

“You’ll tell me you don’t mind, but you’re wild when you’re hungry, baby. I’m not sure I can handle getting it wrong tonight.” I smile. “You pick. Tell me what you fancy, and I’ll call ahead.” I disappear into our bedroom, quickly showering before changing into a black shirt and trousers.

I find Lucy in the kitchen when I get downstairs. She’s on the other side of the island.

“Where are we going?” I ask, pulling out my phone as I scroll through my contacts, already searching for her favourite.

“The hospital seems like a safe bet at this point.”

I shift my gaze up.

“I wrecked my pretty dress.” She looks down at her feet, and it has me rushing around the kitchen.

She’s standing on a towel, her dress wet and clutched in her hands. “I think our babies are coming.”

Fuck.

“Now?”

“I’ve had twinges all day. But now….” She blows out a deep breath, her knuckles turning white against the blue on her dress. “I’d say it’s getting a little more intense.”

I go to her, sliding to my knees and holding her stomach. “They said to come in if your waters break. The fuck are we going to do?”

She sucks in her lips, but not in pain. “Are you laughing at me? This isn’t funny, Luce!”

“I know, I’m sorry. Stop panicking.” She winces, and my heart jolts. “You need to drive me to the hospital, okay? I’m okay.”

“Do you need some paracetamol?”

She shakes her head no, slipping her hand through my stubble and into my hair. “I love you. I can’t wait to officially make you a daddy.”

I blow out an unsteady breath. “Are you not scared?”

She shakes her head no. “Not even a little. Are you?”

“You’re in pain.” My brows crease. “I don’t like it.”

She looks down at me, a soft look settling across her delicate features. “You want this to be easy?” She smiles. “Epic isn’t easy.”

She throws my words back at me, and I stand.

“I’ll get the bags. Don’t move.”





Lucy





I had a birth plan. Every detail was set in stone. Elliot knew. My midwives knew. Everything I thought I wanted.

The pain medication.

The birth partners.

The outfit I’d come home in.

We arrived at the hospital, and within minutes of being assessed, chaos ensued. The birth plan went out the window, and I was rushed straight to surgery.

The epidural I swore I wouldn’t have made me numb from the waist down, rendering me temporarily bedbound.

And my birth partner? Well, he dropped like a sack of shit when the surgeon informed the room he was making an incision.

I once said that once you get the ick, you’re done—there’s no coming back from the ick. But as Elliot Montgomery lay on the ground with a flannel on his head, two nurses crouched around him, I knew I’d been telling myself a lie and that I would, in fact, love him for a lifetime.

Our beautiful daughter, Elsie Montgomery, was born via C-section at 8:34 p.m., on the 12th of November 2023, showcasing an impressive set of lungs and weighing five pounds, three ounces.

Her brother came four minutes later, challenging his sister’s cries as he screamed and flailed his arms until he was by her side again—Mr Ralph Montgomery, weighing a respectable six pounds, ten ounces.