Christmas With His Brother's Baby
By Teona Bell
4/5
()
About this ebook
Three months ago, Gracie's husband, Carter, abandoned her. Then a few days before Christmas, the worthless jerk sent her divorce papers. Gracie is four months pregnant, and her husband doesn't know it. When Gracie's mother-in-law invites her to Christmas with the family, Gracie figures why not? She lost her dad a couple years ago, so she just wants one last Christmas before she doesn't have any family except her and the baby.
From the first moment Asher Hawkes, Gracie's brother-in-law, comes to pick her up, she notices how he looks at her and how he's careful to make sure she's got everything she needs. Ash doesn't know her secret, that her husband left her or that she's pregnant. He doesn't know about the divorce papers, and Gracie wants to keep it that way. Unfortunately, from the day she steps into her in-laws' house, everything goes wrong.
Gracie's attraction to Ash grows, but she's battling the feelings she still has for her soon-to-be ex-husband. She won't be the woman that moves from one brother to the next, but Ash won't give up once he learns what his brother has done. Things get complicated when Carter arrives, and all Gracie's secrets are revealed.
This Christmas, it's not just about love and family. It's also about betrayal, jealousy, lies...and a foot to the throat.
Read more from Teona Bell
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Reviews for Christmas With His Brother's Baby
15 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great read. The plot is wrote in a way that you believe it. The characters are real as well. I could not put it down. Wish there was more.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was cute. I read it in one shot. The story moved along nicely and the heroine was very relatable.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I enjoyed this book so much. I wish there were was more.
Book preview
Christmas With His Brother's Baby - Teona Bell
Chapter 1
The horn sounded outside Gracie’s window, and she frowned. That better not be him. She’d said she could drive herself, but Emily, her mother-in-law, had refused to hear her. Gracie suspected the woman worried about her not showing up at all, and she would have been right. Half a million times, Gracie picked up the phone to call Emily to tell her she wasn’t coming. The only thing that stopped her was that she knew Emily wouldn’t take no for an answer.
When the horn sounded again, Gracie opened the window, and a cold blast of air hit her in the face. She shivered, hating winter, hating the holidays coming. Funny, six months ago when she was sweating like an animal, she couldn’t wait for Christmas. In fact, it was her favorite holiday until not too long ago.
Hey!
Gracie shouted out the window. She winced at the tone of her voice because she sounded hoarse, like she’d been crying. Hopefully, he wouldn’t notice. Ash, you’re early.
He unfolded from his car and stood frowning up at her. Asher Hawke was the original to her husband. At six foot four with a muscular build, raven hair and dangerous gray eyes that flashed anger far more than necessary, he screamed sexy. He was impatient and had little time for anyone except his family. She wasn’t included on that list right from the start.
Ash was the older of Emily’s two boys, but Gracie was stupid enough to fall in love with and marry the younger one. Everything that Ash was at thirty-five, his brother at thirty-one was a lesser imitation. They could pass as twins, but Carter just didn’t have that something that Asher had.
Presence,
she mumbled, looking down at him. Gracie didn’t mind admitting to herself that Ash intimidated the hell out of her. She didn’t get him, and the anger turned confused her.
You’re not ready?
he called up to her second floor apartment and had the nerve to look at his watch. Who still wore watches in this day and age?
You’re early,
she snapped. If you don’t want to wait, I can drive myself just like I said.
The crease over his eyes deepened. Buzz me in.
She ducked her head back in the window and shut it. A glance down at her belly didn’t stop her worries. Would he notice? She faced her floor-length mirror and turned left and right then left again, trying to study her profile. At four months pregnant, she didn’t show a lot because she’d started out with extra weight hanging around her middle. She didn’t want any of them to know, especially Ash.
The buzzer jarred her from her thoughts, and she hurried into the living room to let Ash in. She unlocked the door and ran back to her bedroom and shut the door. Let him wait a little longer. She had to be sure.
Her bed held a mound of clothes, all discarded because they didn’t hide the bump in her belly enough. Well, at least it was wintertime, so she could get away with layers. She stripped off the sweater and tried another one, bought the week before the trip. The top hung loose on her and dipped off one shoulder. Maybe she could pretend she’d been going for the sexy oversized sweater revealing a little skin look.
Yeah right.
The front door opened and closed. Gracie imagined the noise Ash made was on purpose to encourage her to get a move on. She sighed. No sense in putting it off because if she was going to do it, she needed to get it done. Not like she didn’t want to go—if she weren’t pregnant and if Carter hadn’t left her.
Pain tightened her chest, but she pushed the emotions for her husband out of her head. Time to put on a show. No one but Emily knew Carter had abandoned her, but not even Emily knew she’d received divorce papers a few days ago. She wanted to keep it that way.
Gracie bent down and closed her suitcase. A slip of paper caught in the edge, and she pushed it back. Maybe she should leave the papers home, but she needed to face reality and make herself sign them. As yet, she hadn’t, but bringing them was her way to remind herself. This was the last time she would see Carter’s family. Any hope she’d harbored for improving the relationship since she had no family of her own was dead and gone. This Christmas, she could pretend and maybe even have a little fun.
Gracie picked up her suitcase and carried it out to the living room. A tiny stitch started up in her side, and she bit down on her inner cheek. Already her body was changing, and she put it down to not being in the best of health in the first place. She would do better. The damn suitcase was heavy though. She’d packed too much. Why hadn’t she purchased a suitcase with wheels on it?
Ready?
Ash asked, standing. When she walked into the living room, he’d been siting on the couch, his keen gaze flitting around the room like he was looking to route out her lies. The knot in the pit of her stomach grew.
Yeah, I’m ready. I’m sorry to make you come all this way. I told Emily I didn’t need a ride. My car’s perfectly fine.
He shrugged and focused on pulling on black leather gloves rather than her. Doesn’t matter. What my mother wants, she tends to get.
Gracie inhaled through her nose. In the short time Ash had been in her apartment, he’d permeated the air with his cologne or aftershave. Whichever it was, he smelled good. He didn’t smell like Carter, but it made her ache for her husband all the same. Carter left three months ago, and his scent had faded.
What about Carter?
Ash said, at last looking at her and making her squirm.
W-what about him?
She swallowed, thinking of the excuse she’d made up.
Are you sure he can’t come? He’s never missed a Christmas with the family. We’ve always indulged my mother and made sure to be home for Christmas if not Thanksgiving or any other time of the year.
Like I told Emily, he’s got that assignment in…Guam. You know his job takes him everywhere there’s trouble. A foreign correspondent doesn’t have much wiggle room sometimes. They have to go where the news is.
She had zero idea if Guam had any trouble, but the word was the first to pop into her head with Ash staring at her.
A muscle in his jaw jumped. Spare me the devoted wife bit.
She tensed. Are you trying to say I’m not devoted to him?
No, I’m saying I don’t want to hear it. Let’s go.
I can’t stand you.
She flipped him off behind his back and struggled to the door with her suitcase. Before they passed the threshold, he seemed to remember his manners and grabbed the case from her. She almost fell into his chest he snatched it so fast, but she caught herself. All she needed was to blow her secret before they arrived at her family home.
Gracie was soon ensconced in Ash’s car. She had come prepared with music on her phone and earplugs to discourage conversation. Ash had never had too many words to say to her, so he shouldn’t feel offended. She lost herself in some Creed and Nickelback, two groups Carter had exposed her to after she started going out with him. They had over three hundred miles to go to get to Grand Rapids, Michigan, so she didn’t resist when she started drifting off to sleep.
Cold air assaulted her, and she hugged herself, moaning in her sleep. Someone called her name, and she opened her eyes slowly. Carter’s face hovered above hers, and she grinned. Hey, baby.
Carter frowned, and then her blurred vision cleared. Instead of her husband, it was Ash leaning over her. He’d opened her door and let the cold in. I appreciate the endearment, but how about we stick to our regular names?
Embarrassed, she jacked her seat upright and ended up smashing into his nose with her own. He jerked back before their lips touched, and she wished she could sink through the bottom of the car and down through the street.
Sorry, I was dreaming,
she grumbled. It’s your fault anyway. You shouldn’t have been so close.
I wasn’t close enough for you to realize I’m not your husband?
I meant the bump, damn it. What do you want? Are we here?
She looked around, but they were only in a gas station lot.
I got thirsty. Do you want some of this, or do you want to go in to get something for yourself?
Her appetite stirred. He held a paper container of cheesy fries he’d bought from the convenience store. No way in the world would she eat that crap. Healthy.
I eat decently all year. Around this time, I expect to gain because I’ll eat whatever pops into my head.
That was the most she recalled him speaking to her.
Wow, I never thought I’d hear a man say that.
He held out the fries. So?
Um, no. Thanks.
If she indulged in the cheesy fries, she’d suffer with heartburn, a nice little present her baby gave her almost from day one. What she needed to do was go to the bathroom, bit it wasn’t happening at this place. I’m fine. I just want to get there.
Suit yourself. Mind holding it?
She took the fries and the supersize drink while he pumped gas. After he was done, he went back inside the store and returned a short while later with a plastic bag. When he climbed behind the wheel, he took the food from her and set the cup in the cup holder. He handed her the bag.
This is for you.
Gracie looked inside to find a bottle of water and a couple granola bars. How did you know I like these?
He shrugged, which wasn’t an answer, but she probably wasn’t going to get anything more out of him. Soon they were back on