Love at First Beat Bonus Scene
Fletcher
Eight Months Later
I shake my head, staring at Anton Horowitz’s latest ECG results. “Your ejection fraction rate has improved mightily. I almost can’t believe it. Fifty-three percent. You’re approaching the stats of a normally functioning heart. It’s impressive.”
“Thank you,” the old man says with an extravagant smile.
His daughter, Georgia, sits next to him. She reaches over, patting his hand. “Good job, Dad. I couldn’t be prouder of all that you’ve accomplished this past year.”
He shrugs. “Eating right, exercising, taking the medicines doc’s got me on. Yeah, I feel like I could climb a mountain or something.”
“Living at sixty-five hundred feet is the equivalent of climbing a mountain everywhere. So, let’s stick with the daily walking routine we discussed with some weights. Sound good?” I ask, looking between Anton and Georgia.
“I told you I’d play at your wedding, didn’t I?”
I nod, smiling. “You sure did, Mr. Horowitz. And considering I wouldn’t be getting married if it wasn’t for you, I can’t think of a more fitting guest, whether you insist on regaling us with Rachmaninoff or take up my offer and enjoy attending without having to perform.”
He laughs heartily. “I didn’t do all this recovering just to sit in a chair and watch everything happen around me. I’ve always been the kind of guy who likes to be in the thick of the action. And don’t worry. I won’t make things all somber with the Rachmaninoff. There are plenty of light, beautiful, romantic pieces I can play when your bride walks down the aisle. I figure I should keep it lighthearted because you seem like the type who’s going to get choked up at the altar.”
“Me? Choked up at the altar? There’s no way. You’re talking to a man who did fourteen years in the Army. And who performs open heart surgery. I most definitely am not going to get teary-eyed at my own wedding.”
My patient laughs, waggling his bushy gray eyebrows like he knows something I don’t.
“Alright, you two, before you get out of here, do you have any questions for me?” I ask.
Mr. Horowitz shakes his head.
Georgia smiles, asking, “So, keep doing what we’re doing, and Dad should be okay?”
“That’s right. If there’s nothing else, you can make an appointment to come back in six months at the reception area where you came in, and I’ll see you both this weekend at the wedding.”
“We look forward to it,” Georgia smiles, and Mr. Horowitz stands, shaking my hand firmly. I notice how much warmer his fingers are now that his heart health and circulation have improved.
After they walk out, I open my cell phone, texting:
“Hey, sexy, how’s the signing going?”
“Fantastic, baby. Any way I can talk you into making an appearance when you pick me up? You know how my readers love seeing you.”
It’s a funny but true story. I’ve attended enough of Drew’s signings and conferences, lending a hand with carrying boxes of books and merch that her fans have taken to calling me Mr. Devereaux. I wasn’t sure what I thought of the whole thing at first, but after Drew pointed out, “Even super sexy, rugged cowboy doctors need an alias,” I got on board.
“And what do I get for making an appearance, lover?” I tease.
“I’m thinking a hot, steamy shower with me on my knees?”
My cock jumps, reading her words. “Hell, yeah! But only if you sit on my face afterward.”
“Mmm… If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to get me addicted to you or something…”
“You already are,” I reply without hesitation. “Now, I’m focusing on keeping you that way. Considering I’m addicted to everything about you, it makes us even, right?”
“Right. But first things first. I can announce to Drew’s Debutants that you’re on your way?”
I shake my head. It still feels surreal to be the husband of a famous romance writer sometimes. “Yes, sexy, you can make that announcement.”
“In that case, get ready for a night filled with your wildest dreams…”
God, I love this woman. Sex lives are supposed to get dull and less interesting over time, aren’t they? The fire’s supposed to die down and subside. At least, in my previous experiences. But with Drew, things only seem to intensify, making me crazy with desire for my stunning ebony queen.
Two days later, I stand at the altar at Rough & Ready Ranch with a line of fourteen foster brothers in Texas tuxedos single-file next to me. Mr. Horowitz has been playing lively romantic pieces ever since guests started taking their seats. But when Drew arrives on her father’s arm, the pianist pauses before beginning Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.”
Something about the sight of the most beautiful woman to ever grace this planet, floating toward me on ethereal clouds of ivory lace, puts a thick knot in my throat. And a sting in the back of my eyes. I clench my jaw until I can feel the muscles bouncing in my jawline, watching a future I never could have imagined a little over a year ago head my way.
Hawk stands next to me. He won the honorary position as my literal wing man the day I proposed to Drew, flying a banner from his helicopter. Now, the tall Shoshone-Bannock pilot squeezes my shoulder with his large hand, trying to steady me as I turn away for a moment, gripping the bridge of my nose and fighting back tears. Mr. Horowitz was right after all.
But years in the military and medical field mean I pull it together quickly, turning back in time to shake Mr. O’Day’s hand firmly and thank him for raising the most amazing woman in the world. Staring into my bride’s lovely mahogany and amber eyes, I know I’ve found the only home I’ll ever need. That said, our physical home will be Hollister.
Drew’s come around over the past eight months, getting comfortable in Rough & Ready Country and moving into my cabin with me. She’s even ridden a horse a couple times. And the sight of her in a pair of tight-fitting cowgirl jeans line dancing…well, I can’t think about that right now if I want my Wranglers to keep fitting right. All of these newly discovered interests have led to her most successful romance series ever, a cowboy mountain man saga set in the fabled mountains of Gold Rush California.
As the minister explains the meaning of love and the mystery of marriage to us, I fight back more tears, reflecting on how much one person has changed my life. Drew O’Day has become my everything, and I don’t know what I did to deserve today. Hell, I don’t even know what I did to deserve existing at the same time, in the same state, at the perfect moment to meet this breathtaking woman. All I know is without her, I’d have to peel back the rich layers of happiness I’ve come to expect day to day. Needless to say, I never want to go back to the moment before eggs bites and coffee drew my soulmate to me.
The beauty of the late October day couldn’t be more perfect. The barn is decorated in tea lights, and it accommodates the more than one hundred guests we invited. Food and drinks flow readily, and Drew and I dance to countless country and hip hop hits, having found the perfect DJ to understand and embody our musical tastes simultaneously. I hang out with her sisters and parents who all love me, savoring my newfound family and wife.
After everyone leaves, and we finally crawl beneath the covers of our California King together, I wrap my arms around her, savoring her soft, enticing warmth. Whispering seductively in her ear, I ask, “Wife, what do you want from me?”
“First, I have something to tell you.”
“Okay,” I say quietly.
She grabs my left hand and puts it on her soft stomach. “We’re going to have a baby, my love.”
“A baby?” I sigh sharply, palming her stomach, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Are you happy?” she asks, quietly, twisting to look over her shoulder at me.
“Hell yeah! I’m way beyond happy, sexy. You’ve spent the whole day trying to get me to tear up, and now you’ve really succeeded.”
She palms my cheek, stroking my moistened afternoon stubble.
“Wait until we go to our first appointment in two weeks to hear the baby’s heartbeat,” she adds.
“Wow!” I exclaim, burying my head in the crook of her warm neck and trying to process so much happiness all at once. “Just when I think the beats of our romance couldn’t get any better you outdo me.” Grabbing her hand, I find her engagement ring and wedding band, fingering the large diamond and gold bands. “A year ago, you gave yourself to me, and it was the best Christmas gift I thought I could ever hope for. But now you’ve outdone yourself, sexy. You’ve given me the family I’ve always dreamed of having. You’re my miracle, Drew.”
“Well, I couldn’t have done it alone,” she chuckles under her breath, snuggling back into me and letting her generous ass tantalize my cock. “Making a family is a two-person job. You think you can remind me how that works, husband?”
“Fuck, yes,” I say before slamming my hand over my mouth. “I’ve got to get this dirty mouth under control around our baby, don’t I?”
“That’s right. But you have time to clean up your act. Now, why don’t you get really dirty, buried deep inside me, baby.”
“I can’t say ‘no’ to that,” I whisper, grabbing the slinky lace of her nightgown and pulling it up over her ample hips. Stroking her round, smooth ass, I don’t stop until I feel goosebumps line her sexy flesh. Pushing her G-string to the side, I run my fingers through her luscious folds, savoring her with all five senses—from the smell of her desire to the anticipation that covers me in shivering pinpricks before I slide my ramrod-hard cock into her slick, silky channel, savoring the happily ever after I used to think was impossible with the world’s most beautiful, romantic, generous, and giving wife.
Want to read more about Roxy and Hawk, Jess, Alex, and other characters you met in this book? Explore the Rough & Ready Country series, available for purchase or free in KU. One-click to start the bestselling series now.
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