She chuckled, remembering how Precious had gotten her name.
Yasmine and the attending nurses left after the usual after-birth procedures were done, leaving the happy parents alone in the birthing room to bond with their child.
“You did well, Michelle,” Erik said, as he gazed at his newborn, ten-pound son, cuddled snugly, and sucking hungrily at his mother’s breast. He kissed her lips lingeringly as his hand caressed the soft coat of black hair on their son’s head. His joy was so great, his emotions so overwhelming, tears streamed down his face. He climbed up on the bed and wrapped his arms around them, offering them his protection, his love.
“We both did well.” Michelle gazed into Erik’s eyes, filled with love and tenderness, so pure and sweet, it left her breathless. “And, you did say it was a boy.” She stroked the baby’s soft cheek. She counted his tiny toes and fingers again, and checked his ears to make sure they were both there.
“Want to take bets on the sex of the next one?” Erik asked with a warm twinkle in his gold-flecked eyes.
“I’m in no hurry to do this again any time soon. You’re not coming near me for a long, long time. In fact, you’ll be sleeping in one of the guest rooms on the second floor.”
“Wanna bet on that one, too?” A devilish grin overtook his sexy face.
Michelle could only cut her eyes at him and smile. He was the horniest man on the planet, and she loved him.
Michelle watched Felicia and Philippe as they gazed at their sleeping grandson. She’d been moved from the birthing room to a private suite in the maternity ward of Granite Falls Memorial Hospital.
“So what have you two old love birds been up to?” she asked her in-laws.
Felicia turned. “Who’re you calling old? Philippe and I could show you and Erik some moves that would make your heads spin.”
“I’m sure you can,” Michelle murmured, eyeing them up and down with an animated smile. She wondered from which one of them Erik had inherited his insatiable appetite for sex. Perhaps both.
“I knew what you were promising Danielle on her deathbed, last year, Michelle,” Philippe said, with a tender smile. “And I knew that my son was in love with you then, too. This is a beautiful boy you’ve given him. He’s so happy. He’s already making plans for him.”
Michelle smiled. She had plans for him, too.
Philippe bent over the side of the bassinet and kissed the baby’s cheek. “Brings back memories?” he asked his wife.
“Many, my love. But we’d better get going. Erik and Precious will be here soon. She is so excited to meet her new half-brother.”
“Whole, Felicia,” Michelle corrected her mother-in-law. “We are a whole family. I couldn’t love Precious more if I’d given birth to her myself.”
“You are a rare treasure,” Philippe said. “I hope my son knows that.”
“Oh, I think he does,” Felicia said, giving her a goodbye kiss.
Precious and Erik arrived just moments after they left. Precious stood at the door, looking doubtful. But when Michelle beckoned to her, she flew into her arms.
“Take it easy, honey. Michelle is still a bit sore.”
“It’s okay, Erik.” Michelle tried to camouflage her discomfort with a smile. “Love never hurt nobody. Are you okay, sweetie?” she asked Precious.
Precious nodded. “Mrs. Hayes couldn’t get the tent up. But you know what?”
“What?”
“Uncle Robert came up this morning, and he put it up for us. Then he took Peter and me down by the lake, and we caught a real live fish.”
“That’s great, honey. I’m glad Uncle Robert was there to help.”
“I like him. He’s wicked neat.”
“Yeah. He’s wicked neat,” Michelle agreed with a knowing smile.
The baby started fussing.
“Is that my new brother?” Precious asked, staring at the tiny bundle in the bassinet beside the bed.
“Hmm,” Michelle murmured, eyeing Erik with wary speculation. This was the moment she had been dreading, wondering if Precious would accept her new brother or if she would be jealous of him.
Precious left Michelle’s embrace and edged slowly over to the bassinet. She stared at the baby for a long moment then she tilted her chin forward and said, “He looks funny, and all red and wrinkly.”
Erik laughed out loud. “That’s the way you looked right after you were born, Muffin. Funny, red, and wrinkly. But look at you now.”
“Gross!” She gazed at the baby pensively then turned uncertain eyes to Michelle. “Michelle?”
“What, honey?” Michelle’s heart pounded in her chest.
“Do you love him more than you love me?”
“No way,” she replied without preamble. “I love him just as much as I love you.”
Precious’ eyes lit up with her smile. “I have something for him.” She pushed her hands into her pocket and pulled out the lucky penny. “You’re his mommy and I think he should have it.”
“I think I’ll hold on to that until he’s old enough to appreciate it,” Erik said, taking it from her. “As a matter of fact, I’ll have it laminated. It’s officially the LaCrosse Family Heirloom, to be passed down from one sibling to the next.”
“I like that, Erik,” Michelle said, smiling. That penny had brought her good luck, and Precious, too. She looked at Precious. “Would you like to hold your brother, Precious?”
“Can I?” Her cinnamon eyes widened.
“If you promise not to drop him,” her father cautioned.
She shook her head. “I won’t drop him. I promise.”
Erik sat Precious on the side of the bed then picked up the baby and placed him cautiously on her lap. He crouched down in front of her, just in case.
“Oh, boy.” Precious’ eyes shone with excitement as she cradled her tiny brother. “Wait till I tell Peter.”
Erik met Michelle’s eyes. A warm light passed between them before they gazed lovingly at their two beautiful children.
“Michelle?” Precious had one last question.
“Yes, Precious.”
“Can I call you Mommy?”
Michelle held her breath. She cast questioning eyes at Erik. He nodded his consent.
“Sure, baby. If that’s what you want.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
Michelle cried happy tears. The family circle was complete. She had two wonderful children and a devoted husband to love.
“See, Daddy, I told you babies came from kissing,” Precious said with a pulse-pounding certainty.
“What can I say, Muffin? You’re a lot smarter than me.”
Erik grinned with love and joy as he rose to his feet. He laced one arm around his wife, and the other around his children.
EPILOGUE
Four pairs of curious eyes peered out the window as tiny snowflakes trickled lazily down from the blue skies, making a thin white blanket on the lawn.
“Here comes that rich girl and her father again.” Angela was the first to break the silence as they watched the happy family emerge from the Mercedes and start up the walkway to the entrance of the center.
“The one who took our Michelle away,” said a little disheartened Malcolm who still thought the sun rose and set on Michelle’s brow.
“Yeah. Let’s take her out back in the alley and beat her up, make her eat snow,” said Clive who wanted so much to seem tough and strong, especially since the kids at his school teased him about his scarred face.
“Stop it, you fools. She ain’t that bad.”
Three pairs of disbelieving eyes turned to Jessica.
“You going soft on us, Jessie? You cuddling up to that rich girl now?”
“No way, guys.” Jessica thought fast and hard for a plausible explanation for her astute statement. She batted a combative eyelash. “I just learned how to use her to my advantage.”
The truth was that Jessica had grown to really like Precious. She wanted to protect her like a big sister, but she didn’t want the other kids to think she was soft. That was a ‘no-no’ around here.
“How?” asked Clive.
With an aura of supremacy, Jessica flashed the Barbie dolls she had gotten from Michelle when they had seen Precious at the mall. They still looked brand new. “Where do you think I got these? From cleaning-up-my-room money? All you have to do is be nice to Precious and Michelle will give you anything you want.”
“Oh, yeah,” chimed in Angela, with eager eyes. “I could use a new toy model space ship.”
“Yeah.” All the others murmured, neon dollar signs flashing brightly in their little, devilish eyes.
Just then the door opened and the LaCrosse family entered, bring with them a puff of the frigid New England winter air.
“Hi, Michelle. Hi, Precious. Hi, Dr. LaCrosse.” The children sang in rehearsed chorus, facetious smiles on their faces.
Michelle set the baby carrier on a metal desk, and removed the blanket from his sleeping face. She stroked his black curls. Erik made himself busy unfolding the playpen. Precious stood next to her father and watched the children dubiously, Bradie clutched tightly in her arms.
Finally, Erik turned to Michelle and placed a warm kiss on her upturned lips. “See you at five o’clock. We have dinner reservations at that new Italian restaurant.”
“We’ll be ready.” She smiled with sheer warmth and love. In a few days, they were taking the LaCrosse jet to the Seychelles Islands off the east coast of Africa where they would spend three warm weeks at the luxurious
Hotel Andreas
. It was their long overdue honeymoon. She would miss her children something awful, but she and Erik had never had time alone away from everyone and everything. The kids would be in good hands with Mrs. Hayes and their grandparents to take care of their every need.
Michelle’s smile widened. She couldn’t wait to tell Erik that he was going to be a father again. That shouldn’t surprise him. Not at the rate they’d been going at each other. They made love every chance they got—even in Erik’s office at the hospital, numerous times when he’d asked her to bring him lunch. After she’d returned home with the second picnic basket unopened, Mrs. Hayes had figured out that she wasn’t going to the hospital to eat. Well, she was going to eat, but not the delicious sandwiches the old lady prepared.
They were still trying to make up for the nine months they’d lost while she had been carrying Little Erik. She would make certain that this time Erik experience all the joy that came with impending fatherhood. She was also grateful that she wasn’t experiencing any of the sickness she’d had in her first trimester with little Erik. She supposed it was because she wasn’t under any stress this time. Only love, happiness, and contentment lived in her heart.
Erik turned to Precious and held his arms wide. “A kiss for your old man, Muffin?”
“Daddy, not here. And stop calling me Muffin,” Precious mumbled under her breath.
Erik stifled a laugh and turned to his seven-month-old son. His daughter was growing up. “Well, Slugger, you’re in charge. Take good care of our women until I get back to pick them up.” He brushed his knuckles against his son’s smooth tawny cheek then kissed him on the forehead, his heart bursting with love and protection.
Little Erik raised dark lids, lined with long ebony lashes, and stared at his father through piercing grey eyes. He flashed him a two-tooth grin.
Erik grinned then turned to Michelle again. She looked damned sweet in jeans and a light blue sweater. Her hair was dark and short as ever. Her eyes shone like black marble, forever fiery. She was just as slender as the day he met her and just as wild. She still smelled of
Moonlight
. He loved her. He kissed her again, and she welcomed him. Well, at least one of the females in his harem wasn’t ashamed to kiss him in public.
He knew she was pregnant again. Due to the chemical changes in her body, she had been tasting different lately, and her vaginal walls were softer and moister. He knew the feel of a pregnant woman. He smiled, wondering if she knew, yet. He hoped it was a daughter this time—a little girl who would look just like her beautiful mother. With that happy thought, Erik made a hasty exit.
The children circled Precious. “Hi, Precious, you wanna play with us?” Malcolm asked.
“Sure.” Precious smiled as the little rascals led her away.
Michelle eyed Jessica with mild suspicion. The kids resented Precious because Michelle was now her mother. The house on Jefferson Drive had finally sold and they’d driven down from Granite Falls for the closing. Even though she had her own family now, Michelle visited the children as often as she could. She could never abandon them, no matter how busy her life had become. The children didn’t know it yet, but she was planning to take her favorites up to Granite Falls for a weekend of skiing and fun when she returned from her honeymoon—that is if their parents granted permission.
She had seven bedrooms and six baths, an indoor swimming pool, a home theatre, and a humongous playroom stacked with all sorts of toys and games, and Mrs. Hayes to fuss over them. There was plenty to keep them occupied.
“Why are they so nice to Precious all of a sudden?” she asked Jessica.
Jessica shrugged. “I have no idea.” They would all come to like Precious just as much as she did, she thought with a curt smile. The rich girl wasn’t half bad after all. She was a decent human being despite the fact she had tons of money. Yeah, Precious would steal their hearts.
She was after all,
Precious
.
The End
From the Desk of Ana E Ross
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed following Michelle and Erik on their journey to love and everlasting happiness in
The Doctor’s Secret Bride
.
Reviews, comments, and ‘likes’ would be most appreciated.
Until we meet again in Granite Falls, enjoy an excerpt from The Mogul’s Reluctant Bride – Book Two in The Billionaire Brides of Granite Falls series.