Page 24 of Madd Love
“I love you, Jen.”
Tears spill down my cheeks, and I run to my man! I jump, and he catches me. The mic still in his hand screeches, but I don’t care. Nothing is ruining this moment. I wrap my legs around his waist, and I never want to let go. He is everything I never dared to want for myself.
“I love you! I say into his ear and hope he can hear me over the music.
“I love you, too, Jen.” He kisses me senseless, and even though we are surrounded by my best friends, the loves of their lives, and the thousands of people filling this arena, while I’m wrapped up in the arms of my baby daddy, Maddox and I are the only two people on Earth.
He jostles me around so he can put the microphone to his mouth. “Now get out of the fucking way so I can carry my woman to the stage and finish this show so I can make up with her properly.”
I throw my head back and laugh, and then he kisses me again as the crowd goes crazy for Maddox, and honestly, I do, too.
Epilogue
JEN
“I can’t believe all the things you girls bought for this baby. Maddox and I will have to add a new addition to the house to store it all.”
Maddox, as well as Beck, Rimmington, and Atticus, are on their fiftieth trip to the car to load it all up. I think some of it is also going into Beck’s SUV. The girls went a bit overboard, but we are having the first baby of the group. I expected them to go a little crazy.
“Nothing is too good for my little nephew,” Glory says to my belly. She’s obsessed with my bump and talking to him.
Glory and Christina closed their bookstore, Just One More Chapter, today to host my baby shower. Evelyn did the catering, and everyone, including Rim, Atticus, and Madd were all hands-on deck. It looks so beautiful in here normally, but the sweet little blue-themed decorations sprinkled around are a timeless baby shower touch.
“Are you ready to go, baby girl?” Maddox says as he comes back inside. “It’s time we get going if we are going to make our flight on time.”
“Yeah, I guess I’m ready.” I start to ease out of the chair, and Maddox helps me get to my feet. My back has been killing me lately, but I’ll gladly take the aches and pains over the morning sickness. That was rough.
I hug Glory goodbye first since she is right beside me. My bigger belly and her smaller one are competing for space. Glory and Beck are expecting. Glory is four months pregnant. Maddox likes to tease Beck that our son is going to fall in love with their daughter and get married. Beck says his daughter isn’t allowed to date until she’s eighty.
“Thank you for everything. I love you.” I squeeze Glory tight, then hug Beck.
I walk over to where Christina sits on Rim’s lap, laughing at whatever he’s whispering in her ear. Who knows with those two.
“I’m going to head out. Babymoon, here I come!” Maddox sprang for one of those huts on the water so we can have one last adventure as a duo. Pretty soon this band will become a trio. “Also, thank you for everything. You girls spoil me.”
Ti hops off of Rim’s lap and hugs me. “Just be sure you get back in time for our wedding. No extended trips!” She points at Maddox, who throws his hands into the air.
After he declared publicly that he loved me in the middle of a concert, we took a three-day vacation, except that three-day vacation turned into an eight-day vacation. The crew hasn’t let him live it down yet.
Christina and Rimmington are going to make it official a week after we return from our trip. I can’t wait to sit on the beach with my swollen toes in the sand and read, but I really can’t wait to watch my best friend finally marry the love of her life, again.
“I love you, Ti.” I hug her just a bit tighter.
“I love you, too, Jen.”
I let her go and hug Rim goodbye before we head toward Evelyn and Atticus. Evelyn, of course, is eating what she likes to call swan bread, and Atticus is perfectly happy watching her.
“I’m headed out, girl. You take care of the bakery while I’m away.” I wrap Ev in an embrace, and she hugs me back. “Thanks for everything. I love you.”
“Love you, too. I’ll be at the farm when you get back if you all want to come visit us.”
“I can’t believe you like it out there. Atticus is turning you into a nature girl.” I let her go and look at Atticus.
He’s beaming. He’s slowly getting Evelyn used to the farm life, but Evelyn is a city girl through and through.
“We compromise. When we’re at the farm, I don’t fuss about nature, and in exchange, he gives me orgasms. It’s a win-win.”
We all laugh, and I hug her again.
“God, it must be the pregnancy hormones, but I feel like this is our final goodbye, like this is the end.” I swipe a tear from my eye as I look around at my girls. I am so damn lucky that these three women became my friends. I couldn’t imagine my life without them.
Maddox kisses my cheek. “It’s never the end, baby girl. There’s always one more chapter.”
