Chapter 16

"We must be the only couple to take our child on their honeymoon," April said with a laugh. They were seated around the large dining table where the entire family sat for dinner. She, her husband, and Chloe had just arrived this morning from a grand and exciting tour of Europe where they had covered France, Italy, Spain, and the UK.

It was Chloe's first time abroad, and she was so excited that she could not stay still. She had brought back souvenirs for her new cousins, and she and Marissa had been chatting about them since her arrival.

"I wanted to include our little girl." Antwan was delighted that he had brought such happiness to not only the mother but also the daughter. "And the surprise is not over," he added with a smile.

"No more jewelry or clothes." His wife said firmly. "It has to stop."

"Says who?" her husband asked mildly. "Come here, little one." He waited until Chloe had climbed onto his lap. "How does Chloe Collins sound to you?"

The little girl looked at him wide-eyed, not fully grasping what was happening, but her mother knew.

"It's official?" She whispered.

"Alex and I took care of the details while you were touring Europe," Andre said with a smile.

"I don't know what to say." April felt her throat clogging up and knew she was going to start bawling.

"I thought I was already Chloe Collins?" The little girl looked around the table, puzzled.

"You are a sweetheart." Pressing a kiss on her forehead, Antwan closed his eyes briefly and inhaled her scent. She was his daughter, and he was never going to think otherwise.

"I have been calling you daddy."

"You have." He hugged her, feeling her little arms going around his neck.

"I love you daddy. I asked God for you, and He answered my prayers."

"He answered mine, too, and I love you back."

"Okay." She wriggled out of his arm, attention already turning to something else. "Can Marissa and I go up to the playroom?"

"How about we take Antonio and Alec as well? Her grandmother suggested.

"Okay." Both girls chorused.

"Want to go for a walk?" Antwan was so attuned to her moods that he sensed she wanted them alone.

"Yes."

"I will go and get a jacket; it's nippy out."

"Alex and I have some work to go over and will head to the pool house." Andre pushed back his chair and kissed his wife. Alex did the same.

Chandra and Andrea waited until their husbands had left before jumping up to hug April.

"You are overwhelmed," Chandra observed with a smile.

"I felt the same way when Andrew formally adopted Marissa. I couldn't believe a man like him would want to take on another man's child. And for months after it happened, I doubted it. It almost drove a wedge between us. But this family, these people are the real deal."

April rubbed the tears from her eyes. "I am beginning to realize that. How can it be possible to love someone so damn much? Everything Antwan does makes me love him more. Whenever I think – okay, this is it – the love cup has overflowed, he does something else. I am not used to any of it."

"We feel the same way," Andrea told her quietly. "We came from such messy backgrounds that when we are shown love, unconditional, wonderful, and amazing love, it's difficult for us not to look for an ulterior motive." She hugged April again. "The only thing to do is to embrace it."

*****

He knew she was overcome, so he allowed the silence for a few minutes. Holding her hand, he guided them through a winding path to the tennis court. A chill was in the air, but not so much that they could not enjoy the walk. They had walked for ten minutes before she broke the silence.

"It's so peaceful here. A charming place to grow our family."

"I loved it growing up. When I went away to college, I missed the place so much that I contemplated giving up my studies and coming back home. I had grown accustomed to having not only my parents around but also my brothers."

"You wouldn't have left Harvard."

"No.' he admitted with a smile. They stopped at the lake, the sound of the running water washing over her. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, her emotions veering to the surface. "I became used to hiding my feelings. I experienced a crashing disappointment when I discovered things about my dad, and when Marcus broke my heart, I was determined never to allow myself to become that vulnerable again.

I did not want to let anyone else in because of what I went through." Her fingers tightened on his.

"I fought you, Antwan." She turned to face him. "I couldn't believe a man like you could be interested in someone like me. But then we made love, and I knew I was in deep shit. And I fought it again, telling myself I was guarding my heart." Lifting her free hand, she touched his face lovingly.

"I told myself that this could not be real. This sort of thing never happens to women like me. You love me; you love my daughter and made her mine. You made me yours. And I am yours." The tears were flowing freely down her cheeks. "I will always be yours. I can never look at another man ever. Oh, Antwan!"

He drew her into his arms, cradling her head against his chest, his heart thudding, his face taut with passion. Her words stirred him so much that he could feel everything she said enveloping him from head to toe. He wanted to give her and that little girl he adopted the world.

"You are my life." He whispered, kissing the top of her head. "The love of my life, my soulmate."

Tilting her chin up, he wiped the tears with his thumbs before bending to take her lips in a soul-destroying kiss.

Upstairs in their room, Anthony came up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Spying, darling?"

Leaning back against him, she wrapped her hands around his and sighed. "He loves her so much."

"I would say she loves him too."

She nodded as she continued to watch the couple. "We have been so blessed. Our children have chosen remarkable women who love them, not their resources. That's what I was worried about – that they would marry women who only wanted the Collins' name and what they could get."

Anthony kissed the side of her neck. "And we are overflowing with grandchildren, something you have always wanted."

"Did you see the look on Chloe's face when she told Antwan she loved him?"

"I was busy looking at her mother's face." Lifting his head, he stared at the couple, still intimately embracing each other. "She is perfect for Antwan."

"They complement each other. Now let's go and celebrate in our special way."

*****

"I love you." Andrea watched as her husband rubbed the cream into her stomach – a task that had become his nightly ritual.

"It so happens that I love you too." He stared at her quizzically as he smoothed the cocoa butter into her skin. "Tonight was rather emotional."

"You think that's why I am telling you I love you?"

"It might be part of it." He gave her a roguish grin that had her heart turning over. He was incredibly handsome. She adored the untidy ink-black curls and the directness of his beautiful cerulean blue eyes. He was a straight shooter and did not much care about the trappings of wealth. He was also brilliant and compassionate.

"What? Something on my face?"

"Are you through?" She nodded to his hands on her stomach.

"Why?"

"I need you." There was something in her eyes that had him going still. "Right now, inside me, taking me from behind."

Alex swallowed. "We should- "

"I want your mouth on my aching nipples, and it has to be now."

He hardened immediately, his flesh hot.

"I don't want to hurt you- "

"I want you to. I want it rough and hard. I want to feel you driving into me so hard that you have my head slamming against the headboard. I am so horny, it feels like I am dying."

Stumbling to his feet, he practically ripped the robe off him and climbed in next to her, his chest heaving.

*****

"You are quiet." Andre took off his robe and climbed into bed. Propping his head on one hand, he stared at his beautiful wife. "Marissa insisted on sleeping with Chloe because they were still chatting about her trip." Lifting his free hand, he trailed a finger down her flawless cheek. "Talk to me, sweetness."

"I was thinking how you pursued me relentlessly."

His thick brows lifted.

"I did. It took much finesse, which I have in abundance, to get you to see me."

"You did destroy me in court." She reminded him.

"You keep using that word. I prefer to remember it as me doing my job. Something I happen to be an expert at."

She grinned at him. "I love how humble you are."

"I do my best.' He bowed his head gracefully.

"I thought you just wanted sex when we first started."

"The sex was pretty amazing, another thing I do best." He winced when she poked him in the ribs. "That's called assault."

"It's also called trimming you down to size. Alex told me that you dropped the ball when you were questioning me. I thought you were an asshole, but little did I know that I disconcerted you from the beginning. You waited for me outside the courthouse and offered to buy me coffee."

He sent her a retired glance that had her laughing. "Alex has a big mouth. I do recall that you spat in my face."

"I wanted to." Her hand covered the one on her face. "But you persisted, and I am so happy you did. Andrew, you are wonderful and amazing. And I love you so much."

His eyes darkened. "I adore you."

"That's just it. It was difficult for me to believe you meant what you said."

"You thought I was a liar."

"I thought you were a player." She corrected, moving closer to him. "And there is something I need to tell you."

"If that something is you have met someone else, I am going to have to commit murder. I am never letting you go." He warned.

"You are a moron."

"I am your moron."

"Exactly." Taking his hand, she moved it down to her stomach. His eyes flew to hers, his body going still.

"Darling?"

"I confirmed it this morning. I am six weeks pregnant."

He went still, emotions churning through his body with the rapid pace of a swelling overflowing river.

"That's where you went off to earlier today."

She nodded. "I missed my monthly and decided to confirm."

"Is it too soon, darling?" He asked huskily. "Are you okay with it? We never discussed if we were going to stop at two- "

"I want to give you another son."

"It might be a daughter."

Her snort of disbelief had him smiling shakily. "My love. You talked about how undeserving of all this you are, and I am here to say that I got the better deal. You have changed my life in ways you can never imagine."

"I want your word on something,"

"Anything, darling." He said earnestly.

"You will not behave as you did when I carried Antonio."

His brows lifted. "I behaved like the perfect husband."

"You were out of control and worse than Alex. I could not lift a pin, and you called every five minutes. If you are going to repeat that particularly annoying performance, I am running away."

"You know I would hunt you down."

"Andrew,"

He sighed. "All right, I promise to cut the calls to every ten minutes." He grinned at the baleful look she was giving him. "You win. I will try and be callous by not calling at all and treating you like a woman who is not carrying a precious bundle inside her.

I will disregard you when you are puking your stomach out and will tell the maids to allow you to do the dusting and cleaning from now on. And I will make love to you as soon as I get home and keep you up at night. I also expect you to have my dinner waiting- "The rest of the words were swallowed up as she crushed her mouth to his.

Wrapping his arms around her, he deepened the kiss, his hands roving up and down her back as he poured his love and gratitude into the kiss.

*****

"This was a wonderful idea," April exclaimed as they entered the large room filled with expectant mothers. Chandra shared the good news over breakfast a few days ago, and all three decided to start going to ‘Mothers to Be' exercise classes.

"I already feel huge," Andrea murmured, placing a hand over her belly, which was just now starting to show.

"Honey, you look fine."

"Ladies, welcome." Amanda enthusiastically greeted them. Come on in," she greeted them with warm hugs. We are just about to get started, and I want to say that all three of you look amazing. And I am not just saying that because your very handsome husbands made it possible for me to acquire this property."

"We know that," Chandra told her with a grin. "Now, how about we get started? We want to be the sexiest and healthiest pregnant women in history."

"You came to the right place. Okay, ladies, let's get started." She clapped her hands and moved through the throng of women seated on yoga mats.

*****

"How are you, Chan?" Andrea asked as she dug into her fries. She was almost five months pregnant, and the nagging nausea had given way to powerful cravings. She had woken her husband in the middle of the night, wanting peanut butter on pickles. He had given her a look that told her he was disgusted but had not hesitated to get it.

"I feel wonderful, and I am knocking on wood." They were having lunch at a café a few blocks from the exercise class and would leave there to do some antique shopping.

Everyone in the household was scrambling to fix up the rooms to accommodate the new additions to the family. And even though Chandra had several months to go, her husband insisted on hiring another decorator"s services to take care of the details. She had gone for the Caesar salad, and April had decided on the club sandwich.

Her stomach was settling somewhat, and she was grateful for that.

"I was sick two nights ago, and Antwan wanted to stay home to make sure I was better. It took a hell of a lot for me to get him out of the house.

And that man of mine called every few minutes to find out how I was doing. When I stopped taking his calls, he called the house and had the poor maid traipsing up and down the stairs to check on me. I had to apologize to poor Maria for the trouble."

"I warned Andrew about doing anything like that."

"Did he listen?" Andrea asked with a laugh.

"It's early days yet. So, ladies, we know that we will all have sons traditionally. "

"And their names will begin with the letter ‘A,'" April added wryly, a smile hovering at her lips.

"Something we love our husbands too much to change," Andrea murmured.

"In that case, we need to control the names we choose. I have a few suggestions." Chandra drew out her iPod from her tote.

"I picked out three that I particularly like."

She showed them the names. "How do we decide which one to choose?" April asked.

"We do it the old-fashioned way," Chandra grinned. "We write the names on papers, and each chooses one."

"Sounds good to me." The other two decided.

*****

"I think I got the best name out of the lot." She watched as he slowly rubbed her instep carefully. He had come home after spending a hectic day in court and a series of meetings.

She had seen the strained look on his handsome face and knew he had had a rough day. But as soon as he greeted their daughter and spent time with his niece and nephews, the tension had lifted. "What do you think?"

"Aiden is a fine name." He sent her a fleeting smile. "I assume that Andrea got Adam, and Chandra ended up with Asher."

Her brows lifted. "You must have psychic powers."

He laughed softly. "Nothing so dramatic, my love. Alex and Andre told me the news. We really would have loved to be in on choosing the names, you know."

"We decided to spare you the trouble, seeing how hard all three of you work."

His eyes glinted in amusement. "That's a good one."

"I thought as much. Want to talk about it?"

"No." he shook his head.

"Not because I am no longer working as a legal secretary does not mean I have nothing to contribute." She reminded him.

"I know, darling, and I love your perspectives, but I did not want to bring this into our bedroom. It was too ugly and reminded me how very fortunate I am. One of the reasons I chose corporate law was not because of all my family; I particularly hate divorce and the division of assets. Not to mention when there are children involved."

His expression became fierce. "We are going to be together forever. Whatever the disagreements we have, we will work it out between us. Please promise that there is absolutely nothing you cannot tell me."

"You know I can tell you anything."

He had finished rubbing her feet and was putting the bottle away.

"I have an idea."

"Which is?"

"A bubble bath."

His brows lifted. "I thought you already had a bath."

"No." She shook her head. "I was waiting on my husband."

"Are you sure? I- "

"I am positive." She gently pushed him away climbed off the bed, and headed for the bathroom. Shaking his head, Antwan rose, removed his clothes, and grabbed his robe before joining her.

"That's a hell of many bubbles."

"That's why it's called a bubble bath. Get in."

Shucking his robe, he stepped in, lowering himself until the fragrant suds submerged him. Taking off her robe, she sat facing him.

"It smells like spring." He murmured.

"Something new I picked up."

"What now?"

"Now I get to cater to my husband."

"I thought that was my job." He watched as she moved forward until her legs were wrapped around his waist.

"Not tonight." His eyes flared as she eased her hips up so that she could sink on top of him.

"So, this was what you had in mind." His hands went around her waist, his body already driving into her slowly.

"What better way to make you forget what happened today?" Her sudsy hands cupped his face as she bent to take his lips with hers.

Within seconds, he was lost in the incredible sensation of making love to his wife with the warm suds surrounding them.

*****

Their son, Aiden James, was born on a beautiful sunny day in May. Labor was surprisingly easy, much to the anxious husband's relief. As usual, the entire family was at the hospital for the occasion.

Just two months earlier, Andrea had given birth to her son Adam, even though her husband had secretly been hoping they would have a daughter this time.

April was allowed to go home two days later. After the flurry of excitement was over and Chloe had been ordered to go to bed, she and her husband stood looking at their sleeping son. "He is beautiful," Antwan whispered hoarsely. "I think his eyes will be golden-brown like his sister's."

"Or it could very well be hazel like his cousins." She contradicted. "He is perfect."

"How is my wife?" He implored a little.

"Surprisingly energetic." Leaning back in his arms, she closed her eyes briefly. "And so happy."

"Think you can tear yourself away and come to bed?"

"Barely." She laughed softly as he swung her into his arms.

"Thanks for my family, my love."

"You are more than welcome."

*****

"Are you supposed to be out here?" Andrea exclaimed as Chandra came walking out to the pool, with Andrew cradling their newborn son in his arms.

"You think because I gave birth two days ago, I should lock myself in my room? I feel absolutely fine. And it's a beautiful summer day."

"She did not want to miss the party." Andre handed the baby to his grandfather and took over the grill.

Angeline was surrounded by her granddaughters, who were cooing over Adam. Alex had his sons in his arms, a sappy smile on his face.

The scent of hotdogs, sizzling steaks, and hamburgers permeated the air.

In her husband's arms on the chaise, April heaved out a silent prayer, giving thanks for her remarkable life.

The end… but wait:

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