Believing Lies (45 page)

I turned around, and although my belly made it a little awkward, I brought my hands to his neck. “You found the song.” My voice was full of emotion.

“I promised I would.” He lowered his head and grazed my lips with his. I captured his mouth and kissed him deeply.

We stayed in the kitchen, slowly moving to the music until the song ended. He took my hand in his and laced his fingers through mine.

“Let’s go back to your bed,” I urged, tugging his hand.

“
Our
bed.”

“Huh?”

“Since I put your name next to mine on the deed, everything is yours too. That is, if you want it?” The impact of his confession took my breath away. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “What do you want, Princess?”

I looked up at him through my lashes. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t even have to think about it. I nodded rapidly, smiling.

“Good. One question down, one to go.”

“What’s your other question, Adam?”

“Will you marry me?”

Epilogue

Balloons and streamers covered our entire house, and the banner read:
Happy 2
^nd
Birthday Charlotte!

I sat on Adam’s lap, at our dining room table, while our little girl smeared light pink frosting and chocolate cake all over her face.

“There is no way those stains are coming out of that dress. I told you she needed a bib,” my mother scolded me.

“It’s not the end of the world, Mother.” The look on her face said she disagreed.

“Let it go,” Adam whispered, wrapping his hand around my waist and pulling me against his firm chest.

I glanced at Karen, who was snapping picture after picture of Charlotte. “Say cheese, sweetheart” she instructed happily.

“Sees,” Charlotte said through a cake-filled mouth while still managing to smile. She loved having her picture taken, and Karen loved taking her picture, so it was a win-win situation.

“You are totally giving her a bath tonight,” Adam said to me.

“Na-ah. It’s your turn.”

“I won’t be able to get that frosting out of her hair.”

“Wuss,” I teased. It was true, getting the frosting out of her hair would be a pain in the ass.

I couldn’t help but smile, looking at our perfect toddler with her jet black curls and crystal blue eyes. She had the most angelic face, which was on full display today as she pranced around in her fuchsia party dress (Mother bought it. Hence, why she was so upset it was getting stained). Charlotte wore a tiny tiara, which Sophie had given to her this morning. Charlotte almost refused to wear it, citing that “Mommy pwincess, Daddy says Charlotte wittle keen.” Then she blinked, squeezing both of her eyes tightly together before opening them. Yep, not only did Adam call her “Little Queen,” he was also trying to teach her how to wink. Even though she still had to blink both eyes, it was her new favorite thing to do. Sophie had to convince her that the tiara was a queen’s crown before Charlotte agreed wear it.

After everyone had finished their cake and ice cream, Courtney ran a warm washcloth over Charlotte’s bangs and face, and Allie tied her hair into a little ponytail, so it would be out of the way until I could properly clean her before bed.

Everyone converged into the living room to socialize. While Charlotte played with her new toys, we all discussed the upcoming wedding.

“The bridesmaid dresses are going to be red,” Sophie exclaimed happily.

Courtney groaned. “I look horrible in red.”

Zach pulled her onto his lap, “You look hot in red.” She blushed. It had taken a while for Zach to get his head out of his ass, but they were now going one year strong.

“The wedding’s in four months, so we need to go order them tomorrow, or it’ll be too late,” I explained.

“If we aren’t going with pink, red is a good choice,” Allie said.

Adam chuckled. “If we’re going to talk about the wedding all night, I’m going to need a beer.”

“No shit,” Conner seconded. “It’s all they talk about. I just want to get to the honeymoon part.”

The entire wedding party was going on a group honeymoon vacation to Jamaica. I couldn’t wait. It was going to be a blast. My mother and Karen fought over who would take Charlotte that week—Mother won. My dad was over the moon excited to have her at their house for a whole week. Charlotte was not only a daddy’s girl, but she was a grandpa’s girl as well. She also had Conner’s dad, Tim, wrapped around her little finger.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Drake said as he walked into the room.

“They’re talking about the wedding again,” Adam groaned. “So you are a godsend right now,” he added, pointing to the case of beer in Drake’s hand. “

Drake looked at us girls. “It’s going to be pretty hard to top Adam and Sienna’s wedding. Theirs was pretty spectacular. You up to the challenge, Sophie?”

“Pshhh. I’ve got this in the bag,” she said confidently.

Drake waggled his brows at Sophie. “You just let me know if you want me to change from groomsman to groom.”

“Dude!” Conner exclaimed with a what-the-hell look on his face. “Will you please stop hitting on my fiancée for two fucking minutes?”

“Language!” my mother chided as she covered Charlotte’s ears.

“Sorry, Mrs. Trudeau,” Conner said sheepishly.

Allie stifled a laugh. She was the worst offender when it came to swearing around my daughter.

“Here you go, Charlotte,” Drake said, bending down and handing her a box wrapped in racecar paper with a yellow bow on top.

“Sanks,” she said with a smile and a blink. She tore off the bow and paper and found a black and yellow remote control car inside.

“You do realize she’s only two,” I pointed out, giggling.

“And a girl,” Sophie added.

Adam gave Sophie and me a dirty look. “It’s awesome, Drake. Don’t listen to them.”

Charlotte wrapped her tiny arms around Drake’s huge frame. “Sanks for car.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied, kissing her cheek. “See, she likes it,” he said to Sophie and me.

Adam got the car out of the packaging. Once he put batteries in the remote, the little car was flying around our living room at warp speed. Charlotte was chasing it around and squealing with delight while Adam, Conner, Zach, and Drake all took turns with the remote.

“Come here, Little Queen,” Adam said, patting his legs. Charlotte crawled onto his lap and he handed her the remote. She was laughing as he helped her with the controls and made the car drive into people. When they had the car drive into my mother’s heels, back up, and drive into her heels again, I almost died of laughter. Luckily, even Mother found it to be cute since Charlotte was shaking uncontrollably with giggles.

***

After the guests left, I took Charlotte upstairs for a bath. She was so tired that she was falling asleep in my arms, but there was no way I could leave frosting in her hair overnight. I filled the tub with water and bubble bath and began to gently wash away the cake.

“Did you have a nice birthday, sweetie?” I asked as I rinsed her.

“Yes, Mommy,” she answered on a yawn.

Adam entered the bathroom. “How’s it going?” he asked me, referring to the frosting mess.

“Almost done.”

“Sophie’s on the phone for you. I’ll finish up and put her to bed.”

“Thanks.” I gave him a kiss on the cheek and took my phone from his hand. Covering the receiver, I asked Adam, “Do you think she suspects?”

He nodded. “She was pretty adamant about talking to you
right now
, so probably.”

I took a deep breath and brought the phone to my ear. “Miss me already?” I asked Sophie, while walking into my room.

“Don’t get all cheeky with me. I didn’t ask today because everyone was around, but it’s time to spill the beans.”

“What beans?” I was enjoying messing with her.

“Sienna Korbell! Are you pregnant?”

Just hearing it out loud made me smile. “How did you figure it out?”

“Oh my God! Congratulations!” I had to pull the phone from my ear because she was screaming so loud.

A mega-watt smile lit up my face. “Thanks. I was going to tell you at lunch tomorrow. I hope you don’t mind that I’ll be pregnant during your wedding.”

“Don’t be an idiot. We’ll just order you a bigger bridesmaid dress.”

“Sounds like a plan. You still haven’t told me how you figured it out?”

“Adam kept rubbing your stomach while you were on his lap. Plus you refused the glass of wine I offered you.” I could hear Conner in the background. “Okay, Sienna, gotta go. I’m going to tell Conner, if that’s okay?”

“Of course . . . But Sophie, let us tell everyone else.”

“Will do. Bye and congrats. Tell Adam congrats too.”

“Love you.”

“You too. Bye.”

I hung up and went to Charlotte’s room. She was lying next to him as he read her a story.

As soon as the story ended, I said, “Okay, bedtime little girl.” I pulled her covers up and kissed her forehead. “I love you. Sweet dreams.”

“Wuv you, Mommy.”

Adam kissed her on the cheek. “Be a good girl and go to sleep, and I’ll make you pancakes for breakfast.” Charlotte clapped. “Night, Little Queen. Love you.”

“Night, Daddy. Wuv you.”

I flipped on her nightlight. Turning off the light, we left the room. As soon as her door was shut, Adam pulled me to him. “Did Sophie guess?”

“Yep.”

“We better start telling everyone tomorrow before she spreads the news like wildfire.”

“I told her to let us tell everyone else.”

Adam cocked his brow and gave me an “Are you serious?” look.

“Yeah. We should tell everyone tomorrow,” I agreed.

I went onto my tiptoes and kissed him softly. Adam and I had found out we were pregnant about a month ago. This time, Adam had been with me when I took the test. I loved how happy he was the moment two lines appeared.

“I’m tired and beat, and Sophie’s dragging us girls to the bridal shop in the morning. Bed?”

He pulled me closer. “Really? Are you sure you’re tired? I bet I could wake you up.” A naughty smirk pulled his lips.
Wow. I swear he gets even sexier every day
.

I kissed his cheek quickly and pulled out of his embrace. “Not tonight, Mr. Korbell. Sorry.”

He looked at me like I’d just taken away his favorite toy. He sulked to our room and walked straight to our bathroom. I heard the shower turn on a moment later.
Probably a cold one
.

I glanced at the pictures lining our hallway, and cherished the memories that came with each. Multiple pictures of Charlotte, our college graduation photos, and several containing family and friends. I loved the picture of Adam on his black Harley, which I had bought for him on our first anniversary.

I stopped in front of our wedding photos. There was one of Adam and me dancing, and another of us holding a three-month-old Charlotte in our arms. We’d had the wedding ceremony and our reception in our backyard. There was a large white tent, and twinkle lights and paper lanterns had been strung from every tree. My mother had not been allowed to plan anything, and we only invited close friends and family. It was intimate and exactly what Adam and I had wanted.

I walked into our bedroom and stripped down to my undergarments. I glanced over my shoulder, and what I saw in the floor length mirror made me smile. In beautiful black script, Adam’s name was tattooed on my upper back, just below my right shoulder.

I removed my panties and unclasped my bra. I had been teasing him when I said I was tired. It was fun to watch him sulk sometimes. I padded softly across the carpet and opened the bathroom door. After all, I wouldn’t want him to get lonely in the shower.

Thank you for reading Believing Lies
.

Without readers, a book is just a words on a page.
You
bring it to life.

I hope you enjoyed reading Sienna and Adam’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

About the Author

I live in Wisconsin with my husband and two sons. When I’m not busy being a mom, you can usually find me reading or watching TV. I’m a sucker for a good book, movie, or TV show.

I wrote Believing Lies, on a whim—it was just something I wanted to see if I could do. I never expected to fall in love with writing or with my characters so much.

You can follow me on Facebook, Goodreads, or visit my website:
www.racheleverleigh.com

You can also email me at
[email protected]
. I’d love to hear from you!

Acknowledgements

When I decided to write
Believing Lies
over one year ago, I knew that I couldn’t produce a book to this caliber without the love, support, and assistance of my family, friends, and even complete strangers. With that being said, I would like to express my gratitude to the many people who saw me through the process and production of this novel.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to my amazing friends, Lila and Melissa, and to my sister, Mataya. You read every single revision of
Believing Lies
over and over again, letting me pick your brain and discuss the story each time. The guidance you provided over this past year was invaluable, and I’m so lucky that you three were there beside me on this journey. Also, to Mataya, I cannot express how much I appreciate all of the time and dedication you put into helping me with photos.

I want to thank my husband for supporting and encouraging me along the way. Without your love and sacrifice, none of this would have been possible. To my sons, I know that writing this book monopolized my attention at times, but you were so understanding. I love you boys very much! Thank you to my mom, who gave me her own computer the instant I said that I wanted to write a book. You have been my cheerleader since day one.

I’d like to extend a special thank you to my editor, Taylor Thomas, for her professional advice and assistance. Your editing and polishing skills are amazing. Thank you for putting in long hours to keep up with my crazy timetable. The dedication you exhibited goes beyond words of thanks.

To Gregg, I appreciate all of the time and effort you put into helping me with picture editing. Thanks for dealing with my constantly changing mind and millions of texts. In addition, thank you Alicia of Focus Pocus by Ally for taking my author picture . . . and then touching it up, magically making me look five years younger. Also, thank you for helping me touch up my cover photo. You’re editing skills are top notch.