I blinked several times before my eyes adjusted to the light and when I realized what I was seeing, my knees went weak. Strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me against his strong body so that I wouldn’t fall. Happy tears fell freely from my eyes as I glanced around the finished nursery.
It hadn’t even been touched when I’d left that morning. I’d been procrastinating on setting everything up and had only picked out the paint I’d wanted for the baby’s room the week before. Now the walls were all painted along with the rock-n-roll bears in their leather jackets, guitars, and drumsticks border that I’d fallen in love with perfectly in place. A beautiful crib had been set up along with a changing table already fully equipped with everything we would need. A rocker sat by the crib and, in the corner, a toy chest already brimming with toys that were suitable for either a boy or a girl.
Wiping at my tears with the back of my hand, I turned my wet eyes on Liam. “How?”
He grinned down at me. “There was very little music-writing getting done in this house today, baby. Our friends helped me. Do you like it?”
I nodded my head joyfully. “Yes. I love it. It’s perfect. Thank you. This is what I was dreaming of for the baby. You did good, Daddy.”
As they always did when I called him that, Liam’s eyes brightened suspiciously and he swallowed hard a few times before speaking. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“You definitely did that.”
His grin returned and he released my waist, taking the hem of my shirt with him as he lifted his hands. In one smooth move, my shirt was over my head, leaving me standing there in my black maternity leggings and one of the new bras I’d had to buy recently because my breasts were already a cup-size bigger.
Liquid heat flooded my pussy at the look in Liam’s blue eyes as he stared down at me. One large, calloused hand cupped my breast through the material of my cotton bra. “You are the most beautiful thing I have ever set eyes on. How did I get so fucking lucky?”
I gasped as he rubbed his thumb over my already diamond-hard nipple. “You deserve this,” I assured him before moaning in pure pleasure as he pinched my nipple between his thumb and forefinger. My nipples had gotten so sensitive during this pregnancy that I knew he could make me come just by continuing what he was doing. He tugged on the nipple, making me pant with need. “I love you, Liam. We deserve this.”
He dropped to his knees in front of me. For a split second I worried about him aggravating his leg, but that was quickly thrown from my mind when he pressed his lips just under my belly button. “I love you, little Brie. More than anything in the world. You are my everything. Forever will never be long enough to be with you. I would walk through hell and back just to keep you beside me for eternity.”
I combed my fingers through his hair as tears once again poured from my eyes. “Stop making me cry,” I whispered.
His jaw tightened. “I swear to you that happy tears are all that you’ll ever cry again.”
A small smile teased at my lips. “You can’t promise that, Liam. There are going to be times when I get sad or lost and I’m going to cry. There will be times when I ugly-cry all over the place. And that’s okay, because I know you’ll always be right here to hold me and make it all better for me.”
“Damn straight I will be.”
I laughed at the stern expression on his face. “Dio, I love you.”
“I love you more,” he murmured.
“Not possible,” I teased, knowing exactly how he would react.
“Wanna bet?” He tugged me down onto the floor. “Let’s see, yeah?”
And like he knew I would, I let him try to prove he loved me more.
PLAYLIST
“The Ever” by Red
“Flashlight” by Jesse J
“Life is Beautiful” by Sixx A. M.
“Drunk Enough” by Angels Fall
“Girl With Gold Eyes” by Sixx A.M.
“The Past” by Sevendust (ft. Chris Daughtry)
“Love Me Til It Hurts” by Papa Roach
“Part That’s Holding On” by Red
“Bad Girls World” by Halestorm
“Let Your Tears Fall” by Kelly Clarkson
“My Heart Is Broken” by Evanescence
“Always” by Killswitch Engage
“The Last Goodbye” by David Cook
“The Humble River” by Puscifer
“Hit The Ground” by Hinder
Acknowledgements
From the beginning I’ve had a handful of people who wanted to know more about Gabriella Moreitti. They saw the good in her long before I ever could. They begged and pleaded for her story and after several books, she finally spoke to me. It wasn’t easy getting inside of her head so this book was definitely a difficult one for me to write. Still, I want to thank all of the fans who championed for Gabriella’s happily ever after. It took me a while, but I finally saw the light.
Special thanks to everyone who helped make this book beautiful for you: Shawna Kruse and her amazing talent behind a camera. Lance Jones and Jurnee Lane for gracing the cover. Rachel Mizer for her lovely touch to the cover itself. And especially to Lorelei Logsdon who makes sense of my ramblings and cleans it all up so you have an actual book to read.
As always I want to take a moment to thank my husband, Mike Browning, and our three demon spawn for putting up with me throughout the creation of all these books. Thank you for putting up with all my mood swings and craziness. I love you all to the moon and back. Always.