Second Chance Baby (Crescent Cove #18)

Bridget

brIDGET

We’d been enjoying decorating as a family for months. We had gone full bore for spooky season, including my Wonder Woman costume and Travis’s vampire one so we could hand out candy on Halloween. Carrington had rocked her beautiful witch costume, and Amerie and Lacey had come over to join us too. They’d been the cutest mouse and a very non-frightening ghost, which had been the quickest costume my older sister could come up with while working a lot of overtime at the Saving Hearts’ foundation’s office.

But now I was studying a brand-new holiday display.

Bright red and white striped candy canes lined the walkway to the front porch, interspersed with twinkling red and green bulbs. I’d done my best to arrange things just so, but even I couldn’t have planned this perfectly Christmassy snowfall to coincide with my display unveiling. The fine dusting layered over all of the decorations, adding just the right touch of holiday goodness. I pulled my Santa jacket into place, adjusting the padding under my coat. Soon, I’d have my very own padding and wouldn’t need any help.

Would I ever.

I tipped back my head as John and Murphy clambered down off the roof after setting into place the sleigh they’d put together, complete with not eight, but nine reindeer, the first of course with a glowing red nose for Rudolph. The extra reindeer was a creative way to announce my fun news, but then, I’d needed a tenth one. Believe me, finding a single reindeer to match had been a merry chase around all the stores in the surrounding area.

Not that I was even the first among the Masterson kids’ spouses to be in this situation,but I could guarantee Travis would be shocked as hell after he touched down from his recent modeling trip.

Quite possibly one of his last ones, considering our news.

We’d already been booked for nearly a dozen shoots during the last two months. That hotel scene had definitely changed our lives in more than one way. Our personal stock had skyrocketed, and so many places had wanted to capitalize on our second chance love affair energy. At least that was what one couples’ resort had called it after hiring us.

They loved us so much they’d offered us an all inclusive honeymoon to Bali as a bonus. We hadn’t found time to take it just yet, but I’d be pushing for that very soon. I only had so long to get my delicious husband naked on a beach before our lives changed again.

We even had a bonus honeymoon I’d already paid for. I was pretty sure we’d definitely need that getaway.

A sweet baby moon perhaps.

Once Travis officially proposed, we’d practically raced to get married. At Cove Falls, no less, the very place Travis had originally wanted to propose to me. But November gifted us with a stretch of surprisingly warm, idyllic weather. And because the Masterson clan was well-versed in weddings at this point, we had even gotten the priest who had married Christian and Honey. It seemed like five minutes later, we were Mr. and Mrs. Masterson.

Unfortunately, our hotel hookup hadn’t ended in a pregnancy. That first negative test had rocked me a little. I’d been so sure I was pregnant.

Then lo and behold, here we were. I cupped my mostly still unchanged belly.

“It looks so festive,” I said mistily as Moose ducked into the garage to flick a switch. It wasn’t quite to the Griswolds’ Christmas madness in scope, and thankfully, there were no mishaps with the wires here. It was simply perfect.

A row of white lights framed the roof and began to blink in time with Frank Sinatra’s “White Christmas,” one of my personal favorite holiday songs currently playing from unseen speakers.

At the same moment, a train that could be a replica of the one from Polar Express chugged around the perimeter of the lawn on a track—also put together by John and Moose—and apparently, my husband too.

He’d started all these decorations weeks ago as part of his new sideline business with John and Murphy before taking off for one of his final modeling gigs—Dad Bod Decorations was officially their new super high-end decorating and design company.

From the way Moose’s lips had twitched the whole time he’d spilled the beans about it, I still half believed he was pulling my leg. The echo of a long ago joke from Travis about loving him even with a dad bod had left me giggling as John assured me that it was a real business, incorporated and all.

What a life we were going to have.

Imagining Travis’s expression as he took in all of this made me bury my face in my hands, but I wasn’t crying. I was too overjoyed to cry.

That would probably happen when my daughter, elf-in-training, arrived home from her best friend’s house. She was my partner in crime for this crazy caper.

A few minutes later, Missy’s mom dropped off Carrington. She was already wearing her very festive elf outfit to match my Santa Claus. I hugged her so hard that she started squirming.

“Mom.”

“Sorry, baby. I just missed you.” Travis had been gone for three nights too, and I’d missed my family hardcore.

How I had ever lived without them for those intervening years?

“It looks incredible! Are you sure our roof isn’t going to cave in with all of those reindeer?”

I laughed. “If it can hold Santa, it can hold the reindeer.”

Carrington rolled her eyes. “Sure, Mom.”

“, there’s one more surprise, but this one is for you.” Moose grinned sheepishly. “I wanted to get you guys an awesome wedding present, and since family was such a theme this year, I did a deep dive to find one of your relatives. I guess you used to be close with one of your long-lost cousins? Trav mentioned it one day and I tucked it aside to see if I could find the dude.” He swallowed hard and ducked his head. “Oh, I tried to find your mom too, but I wasn’t as successful there, I’m afraid. I promise to keep looking though,” he added quickly, tipping back his head as the snow started falling faster.

I waved a hand, my eyes narrowing. “A long-lost cousin? Who?”

Moose stepped back, sweeping out his arm. “, your cousin Flynn wanted to add some holiday inspiration. He just was sorry he couldn’t make it to your wedding at the Falls last month.”

“Flynn!” I let out a squeal as the man in question stepped out of the shadows clad in his own wintry costume, though his was supposed to be Frosty the snowman. At least I thought it was.

Maybe.

I ran toward him, and he set aside his battered guitar to scoop me up in a giant hug. “Look at you, . How long has it been?”

“Many, many years.” I eased back, swiping snow off my face. And maybe a few tears too. Couldn’t help it. “I can’t believe you’re really here. How the hell are you?”

He grinned broadly, his smile barely visible through his dense beard. At least denser since the last time I’d seen him. “Damn good. Had some changes in recent years, but I’ve heard so have you. Hard to keep a career rolling on a steady path these days, right?”

“Oh, I know that one. Though I’m happy as hell since I’m going to start teaching again mid-year. And I have these to keep me busy.” I cupped my fake belly. “Won’t be fake much longer.” I extended an arm to Carrington, drawing her forward to meet my cousin. “And of course, my beautiful girl too though she’ll need me less and less as time goes on. She’s eleven now. Can you believe it?”

“Dream on, Mom.” Carrington smiled shyly at my cousin. “Hi.”

“I remember when she was the tiniest, pinkest little wrinkly baby. A few less wrinkles now,” he teased, stepping forward to give Care a hug of his own.

“I met you as a baby?” She threw a shocked look at me before Flynn let her go.

“You sure did, though your mom wasn’t much older than a baby herself back then. Or that was just how I felt as a grizzled country rock dude.”

I laughed softly. “You still aren’t grizzled. Still doing country rock, I hope? You were always so amazing. Mom loved your songs.”

“Did she now? Too bad your new brother-in-law couldn’t find her for this. But he has faith he will eventually, and his faith is actually pretty contagious. And hey, think your guy has arrived.” He gestured toward the curb where a black car had slid to a stop, letting out Travis and his single bag of luggage.

My guy was definitely a light packer.

Carrington and I jogged over to meet him, taking our turns hugging him. He took one look at my costume and started to laugh, although that didn’t stop him from dragging me in for a long, minty kiss, laced with the flurries now coming down at a steady clip. “I missed you,” I whispered, my eyes filling with happy tears.

So much for no tears. I was too overwhelmed from missing him.

“Ditto, Brig.”

“Hello, husband. I’m so glad you’re back.”

“I missed my girls,” he murmured, drawing me in for a second, even longer kiss while Carrington let out a playful moan of disgust.

“Did you even see my shirt? Jeez, Daddy!”

Laughing, Travis pulled back, his eyes zeroing in on her shirt. “Older sister-to-be? And is that—oh my God. Four footprints?” He swung his gaze to mine, clearly wonderstruck, as I tugged open my coat to reveal my own shirt with arrows aiming at either side of my belly. One side said planned and the other said not planned but loved just the same.

“Guess we forgot the Mastersons have a history of twins,” I whispered thickly, letting out a joyous squeal as he hauled me up in his arms and gave me about a million kisses.

“I fucking love you so much.”

“I fucking love you just as much back,” I told him, as he slid me down to the ground and Flynn strummed his way into one of his Christmas hits, “The Biggest Gift.”

He was absolutely right. It surely was.

“Nice song, but who’s he,” Travis asked out of the side of his mouth as we turned to watch Flynn’s mini concert of Christmas songs with our daughter and Moose and John all watching in rapt attention.

“Ever heard of Flynn Sheppard?” I asked in an undertone.

His still glistening eyes widened. “The country singer? No fucking way. That’s your cousin?”

“It sure is.”

“You may not have a ton of family, but you make up for it with awesomeness.” Travis tugged me against his side to kiss my forehead.

As I glimpsed my older sister and my niece crossing the lawn to join the festivities, I had to agree as I grinned broadly. “I gotta agree. And our family is expanding all the time.”

He cupped my barely visible belly before he dropped to his knees to kiss the slight swell beyond the padding. Then he dipped back his head and seemed to speak to the star-strewn sky. “Thank you.”

I pushed back his hair, and he met my gaze. “We are so lucky. I’m so grateful for you and for our second chance.”

I had to laugh. “Guess our second chance baby is actually two. You always were an overachiever.”

Check out the next book in our series…an artist turned fireman you met a few books ago.

And hey, did you catch all the cameos in this book? We got you…Turn the page for details.