Permanent Bliss
Authors: BJ Harvey
Permanent Bliss
A Bliss Series Companion Novella
Copyright © 2014 by BJ Harvey
Edited by Jennifer Roberts-Hall
Cover Designed by BJ Harvey
Photo sourced from dollarphotoclub.com
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the above author of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE – “HOW LONG WILL I LOVE YOU”
CHAPTER 3: “LAST FRIDAY NIGHT”
CHAPTER 7: “THIS IS HOW WE ROLL”
BONUS CONTENT – WHEN MAC MET DANIEL (CHAPTER 2 OF TEMPORARY BLISS) IN DANIEL’S POV
BONUS CONTENT – MAC & DANIEL’S FIRST CHRISTMAS
Dedication
To SP & PP
The two best behind the scenes personal cheerleaders a girl could ever have
I cherish our friendship and nightly chats
I look forward to the day the three of us can sit down with a bottle or two
and laugh ourselves silly.
Thank you for being you.
Thank you for accepting me as I am,
Potty mouth, dirty mind, TG and all.
Prologue – “How Long Will I Love You”
Mac – Twenty months earlier
Since the guys got back from the bar, my dad won’t stop smiling at me. I’m thinking he’s drunk. I mean, he’s no spring chicken anymore, so I’m guessing that after a few hours and a few brews, he’s toasted.
Maybe he’s getting all sappy because his baby girl is twenty-five years old. Fuck knows, but it’s starting to freak me out. Mom is just mom, always rubbing my belly and talking to ‘her babies’ as she calls them. And the babies are kicking the shit out of me and doing what feels like triple somersaults inside of me. Fun and games.
The baby shower is awesome, but god I’m tired. I’m so fucking tired that I can’t wait to get home and relax. I might try squeezing into our tub, even if it means Superman has to hoist me out like a stranded whale. The embarrassment is the price I’ll pay for half an hour of weightless heaven.
“You okay, gorgeous?” Daniel asks, taking a seat on the couch beside me.
“I will be in about half an hour when I’m stranded in the tub again.”
He laughs and wraps his arm around me. I rest my head on his shoulder, one of my favorite places to be in the world.
“I’m looking forward to swooping in and saving your beautiful naked body from your nightly tub predicament, but unfortunately, Mom and Dad’s car broke down, so I need to go take them home. I’ve talked to Kate, and she’s going to take the L with you and make sure you get home safe. I’m sorry gorgeous, but I’m the closest, and Dad hates Triple A.”
“It’s fine. But can’t I catch a cab? I don’t think I’ve got enough energy to ride the L tonight.”
“The L goes straight to our place and will be quicker. Kate will help, and all of your presents and the baby gifts are in my car … well, what I could squeeze in. The rest will stay here with Kate until I can do another trip.”
“I suppose. You owe me for this, you know that, right?”
“I’ll give you anything, anywhere, anytime.”
“Really?” I say very slowly, the cogs in my head turning at warp speed. “That’s a rather big promise, Danny boy. You sure you can deliver on such a big promise?” I ask, smirking at him.
He growls before leaning over and kissing me, deliberately teasing me with his tongue until he pulls away and rests his forehead against mine, looking into my eyes. My libido just jumped from nay to yay in 0.1 seconds, and now he’s leaving me for an hour or two. Well, this sucks!
“Cock tease,” he murmurs against my lips as he gives me the softest of lip touches that I swear I can feel between my legs.
“Pussy tease,” I whisper, licking my lips and grazing his.
“Pleased to be of service. Love you, and you two be nice to Mommy.” He kisses me, then leans down and kisses my belly before standing. He walks over to the kitchen where Kate and my parents are tidying up the last of the dishes, and I see a strange look exchanged between Kate and Daniel. Hmm, wonder what’s up with that?
“Mac, you ready to get going? I think there’s a train in fifteen minutes if you want to try make it. Your parents are leaving, so they said they can drop us at the station.”
“Can’t they just drop me home? Then you don’t have to leave here. I’m sure Zander is due back soon?”
“Zan’s having dinner with Zach, so he won’t be home until late.”
“Yeah, and we … ah, we have to get back to the farm. Feed the animals and all that,” my dad says rather quickly. I swear to God everyone around me has gone crazy. I thought it was the pregnant one who got baby brain.
“You guys are all acting really strange, but I’ll go along with this harebrained plan. But you,” I point at Kate and narrow my eyes, “will have to stand up with me if I’m too big to sit down on the train, and you do not have permission to laugh at the round pregnant woman who has to be rolled down the aisle, okay?”
She sniggers and nods. “Okay. I promise not to laugh in your face.”
“Good enough.” I grin back at her.
Ten minutes later, Kate and I are standing at the platform waiting for the train to take me the three blocks to our apartment. Yes, our apartment. There is no way I’m moving back in with Kate. She’s happy playing house with Zander, and Daniel and I are more than happy to stay in our apartment until after the babies arrive. Then we’ll reevaluate.
Finally, our train arrives, and I waddle in like a big bellied duck, thankfully finding a bench seat to plant my ass in without any rolling required. Kate takes a seat beside me and suddenly seems really nervous.
“Hon, what’s up? You’ve been acting weird since Daniel left. You okay? Is it Zander?” I put my hand on her lap, and she looks up at me and she looks like a kid that’s been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I see her tapping her heel nervously on the vinyl floor and she keeps crossing and uncrossing her legs.
“I’m fine, why do you ask?”
“No reason.” I shrug my shoulders. This night has just been one weird thing after another. There must be a full moon or something.
The train stops and a big group of people hop on, obviously heading out for the night.
“Any plans for tomorrow?” Kate asks me, looking very distracted.
“At this stage, I’ll be sleeping in and lying on the couch. These babies don’t let me get away with much anymore. I’m too big, and I’m exhausted easily. Don’t get me started on the creative sex we have these days.”
“La la la, don’t want to know!” Kate says, putting her fingers in her ears, which just makes me burst out laughing. She looks up and nods, then stands suddenly. “I’ve just got to go somewhere, quick. I’ll be back.” She takes off down the train. What the fuck?
I turn back around to see Daniel standing in front of me.
“Daniel, why are you here? I thought you were helping your parents?” I ask, confused as all hell.
“I lied.” He shrugs his shoulders, offering me a bemused grin.
“You lied?”
“Yep.”
“Why?” My body tenses and I glare at him.
“There’s something I need to do.”
“Something you need … what the fuck, Daniel? Everyone is acting strange, and I’m so not in the mood for whatever shit is going down. I just want to go home, have a bath, and—”
I stop breathing when he bends down on one knee in front of me and takes my hand in his.
“Mac, eleven months, three days, twenty-three hours and forty-one minutes. That is how long you’ve been in my life. It also marks the day when you threw your phone across the train to get my attention.” I open my mouth to argue, but he gives me a stern look that says ‘don’t you dare’.
“As I was saying, that night I was captivated by your smart wit and that sexy smile. Since then, I’ve thanked God every day for letting you open your heart to me, and for making me fall in love with you.” My eyes start to fill with tears. He pauses for a second and pulls a small packet of tissues from his pocket. “I thought you might need these.”
“Superhero,” I mouth to him, earning that panty melting grin of his that makes me wet every single time he flashes it at me. By now we’ve got a silent crowd surrounding us, riveted at such a public display occurring on a Saturday night train ride.
“We’re a family now, and we’re just starting our lives together, the four of us.” He places our combined hands on my belly and wouldn’t you know it, one of the little ninja babies kicks right on cue, making us both laugh quietly.
He clears his throat, and our eyes meet. I’m struck by the emotion I see staring back at me. This man is mine, and he wants to make sure that I’m his.
“You call me your superhero. If I am, I only have superpowers because of the strength and love you give me. I will be your lover, your best friend and a super daddy to our terrible twosome.”
Happy tears are streaming down my face now. Just ask me the question, dammit!
“So eleven months, three days, twenty-three hours and forty-two minutes ago I started falling in love with you and this afternoon I asked your father a question, and with his permission, I can now ask you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, the mother to my children, and my soul mate until we’re old and gray and wrinkly in all the wrong places?”
I sit there in shock, my hand enclosed in his as his other hand reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out a turquoise Tiffany’s box with the signature white silk ribbon. He opens the box to reveal the most gorgeous ring I’ve ever seen, and I gasp at its beauty. A huge diamond flanked by two smaller stones, a pink diamond and a sapphire. Then it dawns on me that there is one for each child.
My hand shakes in his as I struggle to keep my composure. Time stands still as he looks at me, his eyes soft and full of love.
I’ve never thought about this happening to me, even when I’d fallen in love with the beautiful man kneeling in front of me. This is the kind of thing that happens to other people, never me. You read about big dramatic proposals where the woman is swept off her feet, but this is more than all of those moments put together because this is happening to me, and the man that I love more than life itself is looking at me, patiently waiting for my answer. I can see the worry in his face; he’s expecting a level ten Mac freak out. Well, he’s about to get the surprise of his life.