Wedding the Bad Boy: A Bedding the Bachelors Novella Page 3

  Max couldn’t wait to get Grace pregnant. He wanted to start their family, like, yesterday. He considered their upcoming wedding a huge step in the right direction. He was just glad that she’d been so psyched about it.

  “Any pre-wedding jitters?” Jamie asked Max.

  “Not a single one.” Max shook his head. “I’d do it tomorrow if all the fancy planning stuff wasn’t making Grace so happy.”

  “So I’m not going to have to threaten you down the aisle with a shotgun?” Rhys asked, innocently taking a swig of beer.

  “Why the hell would you have to do that?” Max asked. “I’m your own brother. You know how I feel.”

  “That may be. But our wives are your fiancée’s best friends,” said Rhys, gesturing at Jamie. “And women are pack animals. If one gets upset, so do the others. And me and Jamie don’t wanna get the deep freeze from our girls if you happen to get cold feet.”

  “Yeah,” Jamie agreed. “My sex life needs you to have your shit together.”

  “Sex life,” Tabitha called out from where she trotted a stuffed dog through the grass.

  “What did she just say?” Rhys chuckled, sitting up straight, completely white-faced.

  Max and Jamie clamped their hands over their mouths, doing everything they could to swallow down the laughter shaking their shoulders.

  “Sex life,” Tabby said again, this time to her stuffed dog.

  “Shit.” Rhys covered his face with one hand. “Melina’s gonna have our balls.”

  “Balls,” Charlie repeated, from where he sat, trying to shove the legs of an action figure into a toy truck. “Daddy balls.”

  Laughter exploded out of Max loud enough to have birds rocketing up out of the surrounding trees.

  “Laugh it up, dipshit.” Rhys half-growled, half-laughed. “Just wait until it happens to you. Payback’s a bitch.”

  Max was still chuckling when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Crap. It was Becky, one of the dancers from his magic show. She was probably calling to cancel on one of the performances.

  Max set his beer on the picnic table and wandered to the other side of the yard to take the call. “Hey, Becky. What’s going on?”

  “Max! How are you?” Her perky voice had him holding the phone an inch or two away from his ear. Becky was a nice girl, and one hell of a dancer. But Max was glad that Grace didn’t have a voice like that. His Dixie was all slow, southern drawl.

  “Can’t complain,” he said. “What’s up?”

  “Good, good. Look, I’m sorry to bother you on a day off, but I messed up.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, I’m supposed to have lunch with Grace after her doctor’s appointment today, but I have to cancel and her number is in my cell, which I forgot. I’m worried she’s waiting at the lunch spot for me. You think I could get her number?”

  Max’s brain was still stuck on Becky’s reference to a doctor’s appointment and dread instantly sprouted in his belly. What was Grace going to the doctor for? And why hadn’t she told him about it unless something was seriously wrong? He searched his brain trying to figure out if Grace had acted at all strange in recent days, but couldn’t recall anything out of the ordinary. Max eased himself down onto a tree stump.

  “Max? Are you there?” Becky’s voice in his ear brought him back to earth. Max mentally slapped himself back to reality. Odds were that Grace just forgot to mention a routine exam to him. Or maybe Becky had misunderstood. Either way, people went to the doctor all the time for check-ups. There was no reason to freak out.

  “Sorry, Becky. Here’s Grace’s number.” He rattled off the digits. However, when he ended the call, he hesitated before heading back to the deck.

  Max juggled his phone from one hand to the other. He debated calling Grace and sounding like someone from the Spanish Inquisition, but he also hated not knowing what was going on with her. On the other hand, she deserved privacy, and he bet she was probably going to tell him all about the appointment when she got home. No need to make it a bigger deal than it was.

  Max stood and was crossing the lawn when Tabitha dropped her stuffed dog and started sprinting toward him. Well, sprinting in the way only a toddler can, anyway—a chubby, two-footed gallop hop. Her blond hair bounced on her shoulders, gleaming in the sunlight. Max grinned as she raced toward him, arms outstretched.

  He automatically obliged the little girl, dropping to one knee and swooping her off the ground the second she got close enough. Tabby shrieked with delight, as he soared her through the air, tossed her up toward the blue sky, then snatched her out of the air again. He repeated this a couple of times, and then on the final toss into the air, Max fell with her to the ground in a happy heap.

  Tabby laughed like a banshee and sat on his chest just the way she’d sat on her brother’s. Her brother, however, weighed thirty pounds. Max tossed the little girl off him and rolled her through the yard like a burrito. Her laughter accelerated to an operatic shriek and Max found himself joining in. He sure loved this little nugget and couldn’t wait to have ten thousand of his own. Fine, maybe three or four.

  “You’re changing her diaper if you make her laugh so hard she poops!” Rhys called from the deck.

  “Poop!” Tabitha cackled, a whole new set of giggles rolling out from her belly.

  Max figured that if he’d already sold his soul, he might as well dance with the devil. Turning his hands into claws he raised them above the little girl like he was Beethoven about to play the piano.

  “Ahh!” she squealed, attempting to crawl away.

  But the claws struck, and she was wiggling and giggling and ripping at the grass as he tickled the crap out of her. Hopefully not literally. But even so, he wasn’t scared of diapers, especially ones from his niece and nephew.

  Tabby gasped for breath, her little cheeks bright pink, and Max decided she’d had enough. But she hadn’t. As soon as he let up tickling her, she lunged at him with her own claws, sticking her little fingers into his armpits.

  She was actually really good at tickling. Max wiggled and squirmed and screamed with laughter the same way his niece had, and a lot of it was sincere, too. Turned out she was much more merciless. It took tossing her into the air like a trapeze artist to finally convince her that the tickling game was over.

  Tabby sprinted back across the grass toward her brother, and Max stood up and dusted himself off. His belly ached from laughing and he’d gotten grass stains all over his favorite jeans, but his heart was chock full of love.

  Max grinned at his brother as he walked back toward the deck, but his grin turned into a huge smile when he saw Grace sitting in the chair that he’d vacated earlier. She must have gotten Becky’s phone call that lunch was cancelled.

  Becky’s phone call.

  His smile dimmed as he suddenly remembered the doctor’s appointment. Max’s eyes scanned Grace, searching for anything that looked out of place. As always, she looked gorgeous. There was a healthy bloom in her cheeks and her shiny hair glistened with sunbeams.

  Max was a lucky son of a bitch.

  “Hey there, Dixie,” he murmured after he’d bounded up onto the porch. He leaned in for a quick kiss that easily spun deeper.

  “Easy there, kids. That’s how babies get made.” Jamie grinned at them from behind his beer.

  Max grinned back at him. “I’m planning on it. Actually, come to think of it, I’ve got a little time, Dix. Want to get some baby-making practice in?”

  To his surprise, Grace’s expression tightened just before she shot him a completely fake smile. “Actually, I’m gonna have to pass on that, honey bun. I’m so hungry I could eat the North end of a South bound goat. Thank goodness Melina and Lucy decided they didn’t need me to continue shopping.” Grace gave Max’s behind a little pinch before she stood. “Any of y’all want a sandwich?”

  “I’ll take one if you’re offering,” Rhys raised his hand.

  Jamie raised his as well. “Make that two.”

  “Two sammies coming u
p,” Grace nodded and disappeared through the sliding glass doors into the house.

  Max gazed after her for a second before settling down into the chair she’d just hopped out of. She might’ve been all Southern charm on the outside, but he could tell that something was off. Before he could think about it two more seconds, he was up again, following her footsteps inside.

  He found her in the kitchen, already halfway through slapping some turkey sandwiches together. Her face was lined with something that looked suspiciously like worry, but the second she saw Max in the doorway, she smoothed her expression out. Max felt the muscles in his neck pull tight.

  She was hiding something from him.

  He hopped up on the counter next to the spot where she was working.

  Time to get the ball rolling. “How’s your day so far?” he asked.

  “Fine,” she said brightly, digging in the fridge. “I went shopping with Melina and Lucy, then was supposed to meet Becky for lunch, but she needed to cancel. Melina and Lucy are heading to a movie after they’re done shopping but will be joining us later.”

  Should he or shouldn’t he? “And how was your doctor’s appointment?” he asked, biting the inside of his lip.

  She stopped rustling through the fridge for just a second. But he had to give it to her, if she’d been surprised by his question, she barely showed it from the way she seemed happy to find mayo and cheese slices.

  “Fine,” she said again in the exact same tone as before. “How’d you even know I had one? I was pretty sure I’d forgotten to tell you.”

  Forgotten or withheld? He didn’t say it out loud. It would only make her clam up further. “Becky called asking for your number because she’d left her cell at home. She mentioned it in passing.”

  “Oh,” Grace nodded, slathering mustard on the bread. “I see.”

  “So, what was it for?” Okay, now he was starting to sound like he was bothered, but he really needed to know. If something was wrong with his woman, he had to help any way he could, and besides, they told each other everything. This was like chipping away at a cement wall with a toothpick.

  She glanced up at him. “The appointment?” She waved her hand in the air carelessly. “Oh, that was just a check-up.” Wordlessly, she handed him a jar of pickles.

  He popped the top off and handed it back to her. “And everything is fine?”

  She smiled that perky Grace smile. “Right as rain. I’m sorry to say you’re gonna have to put up with me for a full, healthy lifetime.” Grace reached up and shoved half a sandwich right in his mouth before kissing his cheek. Then she tossed a grin over her shoulder as she sauntered out of the kitchen to drop off the food to the boys.

  Max studied her as she walked away. Her smile just then had been true. Not like the fake smile on the porch. So her health wasn’t in jeopardy. She wasn’t dying. And yet…

  Grace wasn’t telling him the whole truth. She was definitely hiding something. He would know the subtleties of her behavior anywhere.

  Max munched the sandwich thoughtfully and wrestled with what to do. Finally, he decided he’d give her time—not a lot of it, but he could give her a few days. She’d come clean when she was ready. In the meantime, he was going to do what he did best—just love the hell out of her.

  Chapter Three

  Grace worked her favorite shampoo through her hair and let the almond and cocoa butter scent soothe her. She sighed, her fingers massaging away some of her stress, as she reflected on her doctor’s appointment earlier today.

  It had changed her entire mood. Here she’d gone in just for a check-up, mostly to soothe her nerves, thinking that nothing would really be wrong, but instead, Dr. Hadron had given her some potentially life-changing news—apparently, because of her symptoms…the headaches, the cramps, and yes, even the bruising…she was a candidate for an autoimmune disorder called Antiphospholipid Syndrome.

  It wasn’t confirmed that she had it—she had to wait anywhere from a few days to two weeks before her blood test results came back; the doctor said he couldn’t make any promises about the timing. If she did test positive for it, the outlook for her and Max having children was not good. Not good at all. Antiphospholipid Syndrome patients had problems carrying pregnancies to term, if they could get pregnant at all.

  And what did she and Max want more than anything after the wedding?

  To start having a family.

  The idea of not being able to conceive terrified her, and as guilty as she felt for not telling Max the doctor’s suspicions, she needed some time to process the news. Plus, there might not even be news to tell if it turned out she didn’t have the disorder. As such, there was no point in worrying him. Still, she couldn’t help thinking that her body was once again betraying her.

  First, she couldn’t even have an orgasm until she met Max and now this. She’d been so happy knowing she’d soon be Max’s wife. Who knew a single doctor’s appointment could change everything so drastically?

  She thought back to when she’d walked out on the deck earlier today. How Max had been with Tabitha, rolling and laughing and tickling the little girl. Even a blind man could see how much he loved his niece and nephew. How much he loved kids.

  She didn’t want to deprive him of that. She didn’t want to deprive him of anything.

  Tears welled up in Grace’s eyes. She quickly rinsed the rest of the shampoo away and stepped out of the shower. Then she slipped into comfortable clothes and braided her hair before bounding down the stairs to the living room where Rhys and Jamie were getting ready to leave with the babies.

  “Oh! You’re leaving already?” Grace asked, bummed that she hadn’t gotten more time to hang with the kids.

  “Gwace!” Charlie screamed and barreled away from his father and into Grace’s arms.

  “Great,” Rhys said, holding up the shoe that Charlie had literally just run right out of. “You’ve elected yourself for shoe duty, Grace.”

  He tossed the little orange chucks her way and Grace snatched them out of the air. “Alright, Charlie boy,” she said, grinning down at him. “You’re in for a treat.”

  She bent over the smiley little boy and buried her face in his neck, planting kisses and blowing raspberries all over him.

  “Hey, wait a second!” Max yelled and pounced on the two of them. He wagged a finger at Charlie’s precious little face. “Are you making a move on my woman?”

  Charlie laughed and reached a hand up to Grace’s cheek. “My Gwace.”

  Grace felt her heart simultaneously burst into a thousand pieces and melt out her toes.

  “Nope, she’s my Grace. See?” Max kissed her loudly on the cheek.

  “My Gwace!” Charlie insisted and gave her a big wet one on the other cheek.

  “Boys! Boys! No need to fight over little ol’ me,” Grace drawled. “Y’all can share. I’ll be Max’s Grace for the next sixteen years. And then when Charlie turns eighteen I’ll be his.”

  Charlie clapped his hands while all the men laughed.

  “I’m gonna tell him you said that when he’s old enough to understand what it means,” Rhys said, slipping his daughter’s chubby little feet into her shoes.

  “You wouldn’t want your son to have a heart attack, would you?” Jamie asked, holding a dozing Milly, her head resting on his broad shoulder.

  Max just laughed and held Charlie still while Grace gently tied his feet into his adorable little shoes. She made the mistake of glancing up at Max as she did it. There he was, handsomest man in the world, holding a child between them and looking at her with all the love a man could ever offer a woman.

  Grace immediately looked down and finished tying the shoes. She gave Charlie’s feet a little squeeze. “Alright, little man. You’re ready to go.”

  Max tossed his nephew in the air, and reached out for his niece. With one in each hand he turned to Rhys.

  “I’ll put them in their car seats.”

  “Be my guest.” Rhys raised his hands in fake surrender.


  “Alright, I’m out of here,” Jamie said as Max carried the kids outside. “Grace, congratulations on your wedding. I’m so excited to share it with you.” He kissed her cheek, then waited for her to kiss Milly’s cheek before heading out the door.

  “Thanks, Jamie,” Grace said softly, the thought of her upcoming wedding—so much sooner than she’d thought—making her stomach flip.

  “Oh yeah,” Rhys said, crunching on some of the cheese crackers he kept in his backpack for the kids. “Congrats on the expedited nuptials, beautiful. You excited to be part of our illustrious family?”

  Grace’s stomach flipped again. “Of course, I…” But her voice trailed off as she watched Max through the open door. He tenderly strapped one kid and then the other into their car seats. Chatting, laughing, and teasing the whole time. God. He was going to be such a good dad. She imagined him doing the same thing with a baby of their own.

  Grace crossed her arms against the ache in her chest.

  “You alright, beautiful?” Rhys asked from behind her.

  “What? Oh. Yes, just a little distracted is all.”

  “Alright,” Rhys said, but Grace could tell he didn’t completely believe her. “Well, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to shout.”

  Grace smiled and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.

  “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, everybody’s trying to steal my girl around here,” Max said as he came back inside. He jerked his thumb back out toward the car. “The kids are ready.”

  Rhys gave his brother a quick hug, saluted both of them and jogged out toward the car.

  While they watched them drive away, Grace felt Max’s eyes on her, and she quickly said, “There’s laundry to do,” before heading toward the laundry room. A minute later she was in the living room folding clothes when Max sat down in the easy chair and faced her.

  “Have you thought about what you want to wear when we go to city hall next week?” he asked, tossing a tennis ball up and snatching it out of the air.