Fake Married to My Best Friend’s Daddy by Sofia T Summers

Epilogue: Adrian - Six and a Half Months Later

Christmas decorations still hung around the hospital. There were decorated trees in the lobbies and wreaths hung on doors. It was only a few days after Christmas, so it did make sense. Besides, Jessica and I had only gotten our best gift that morning.

There had been some touch-and-go moments in her pregnancy, but Jessica made it. Our son was born premature but was exactly seven pounds. There were no health issues seen by his doctors. He just had a mess of dark blonde hair and soft pink skin, while his mother never looked more radiant.

One of her Chesire-cat grins was plastered to her face. She did have to deliver via cesarean section, but I knew Jessica was going to bear that scar with pride. If she didn’t take pride in it, I knew I’d do it for her.

“How are you holding up over there?” Jessica asked me softly.

Our son had just fallen asleep in her arms. After a successful first visit with the lactation consultant, the little boy had finally calmed down enough to shut his eyes. His tiny head nestled itself just over Jessica, while his fingers pressed into her bare skin.

“I could use a little coffee, but I’ll survive,” I whispered back. “How are you feeling though? Is there anything I can get you?”

“I’m great,” she assured me.

There were lavender shadows around her eyes, but her expression still sparkled. Resting her head against the pile of pillows behind her, Jessica’s mind was alive with excitement and happiness. I could almost see the thoughts running through her head.

It was hard to believe that I was forty-eight years old and the father of a newborn. The last time I’d done this, I was twenty-two and scared out of my mind. I was terrified of dropping my daughter or misunderstanding her cries.

There were so many things I didn’t know back then, but I was eager to learn. I had the same expression of tired excitement, and now… it was all coming back to me again. Nicole might’ve been twenty-seven now, but the feelings of fatherhood never changed.

With a quiet on the door, a young nurse in pink scrubs opened the door. He smiled at us both and spoke quietly.

“You have a visitor,” he announced quietly. “Shall I send her in?”

I figured it was Nicole. After Jessica got out of the operating room, I’d texted her that the delivery was a success. She was due to arrive any minute.

“Sure,” Jessica agreed. “Just tell her the baby’s sleeping, so we’ve got to be quiet.”

“Of course,” the nurse answered. “And if you need a minute, I’ll be happy to take the baby to the nursery. Just press your call button.”

“Thank you,” I told him.

Expecting a mess of honey-blonde hair and green eyes, I was surprised to see dark eyes, white hair, and a bundle of bags in her worn hands.

“Inez?” I greeted her in surprise.

“Here’s my happy family!” She remarked with a tender smile.

Shuffling her petite plump figure into the room, I took the bags from her, freeing up her hands to pat my cheeks.

“Such a good young man, you are,” Inez complimented me. “And how’s my lovely cariña doing?”

“How did you get here, Abuela?” Jessica asked her.

“The station wagon,” she answered as if it was such a silly question. “Your brother called me, so I told the family. We gathered up Christmas gifts for our new nino. I packed them up, and I came straight here.”

Kissing Jessica’s forehead, Inez admired the little sleeping baby with warm and crinkled eyes. I saw so many pieces of the old woman in my wife. They had the same warmth and similar spirits. I noticed them the moment we met on a late-August morning.

Jessica had been so worried about me meeting her family, but it was her brother’s birthday party. There was no better time to finally meet all her cousins. Like ripping off a bandage, I smiled my way through every probing question and tight hug. Inez Serrano handled my presence better than anyone else.

When Jessica first told her about the pregnancy over one of their Sunday phone calls, Inez had been more concerned about Jessica being an unmarried single mother. It took some explaining, but her Abuela set aside all her fears when she learned the truth of what I’d done.

I was a man of reasonable faith with a reliable job and a house. I’d helped Jessica when nobody else would. In Inez’s eyes, that was all that mattered. She kissed my cheeks with her blessing, and, just like that, I was part of her family.

Of course, none of it mattered. Jessica hadn’t needed salvation. She could’ve figured out her situation on her own, but after all that fuss… the case was thrown out. The immigration court cited “circumstantial and insufficient evidence”. We all knew what that meant though. Jessica’s case was worth the time, cost, or trouble.

It almost felt like the citizenship problem was just some grand scheme for the fates to throw Jessica and me together. We had been foolish pawns in a greater game, and some higher watched us and laughed. Nothing about our collision had been by chance.

I was meant to love Jessica and our son. The truth was as clear as the blue winter skies outside our hospital room’s window.

“So, now that your nino is born,” Inez asked in a quiet tone. “Can we hear what you’ve named him?”

Taking off her purple winter coat, she settled down beside me in one of the two armchairs before patting my knee. We had told everyone it was going to be a boy, but Jessica and I didn’t want to give up everything. It was nice just to have the one secret for ourselves. I almost didn’t want to give up.

“Why don’t you tell her, Jess?” I whispered.

She smiled. “We decided to name him after Papi for his first name, and then he’ll share his middle name with Adrian. He’s going to be Gabriel Matthew Davis. It might be a little on the nose, but he is a holiday baby. I thought it would suit.”

“It does,” I assured her.

Putting a hand to her chest, Inez was moved by the gesture. Her husband had passed away five years earlier, but Inez’s devotion was clear in her bright smile and her misting eyes.

“Oh. it’s perfect, Jessie,” she sighed happily. “Everyone will be overjoyed about your little miracle. I prayed for today to go well, and it has! Gabriel is just…. He’s truly wonderful, my first great-grandchild.”

“Excuse me,” the male nurse said upon returning. “It seems you have a second guest.”

“That must be Nicole,” I sighed quietly. “Please, let her in.”

“It’s a good thing too,” she whispered, stepping around the nurse. “I’m the one who brought coffee.”

In her old William and Mary sweatshirt and holding a coffee tray, my daughter walked looking more bright-eyed than any of us. It was clear she’d already taken a few sips from her latte cup. Handing me the other, the mere scent of coffee was a welcomed jolt. I had been up since five in the morning to get to the hospital on time. I didn’t even realize how badly I needed the pick-me-up until I took that first hot sip of black coffee.

“It’s so good to see you, Inez,” Nicole greeted her with a hug. “If I’d known you were coming, I would’ve picked up something for you too.”

“It’s quite alright, Nicole,” Inez smiled. “I brought my own agua dulce in a thermos.”

Reaching into her purse, she showed Nicole the tin tumbler. My eyes glanced over to Gabriel as he began to stir. I worried there might be too much commotion in the room for him to rest easily, but Jessica had it all in hand. She stroked his small back, and our boy quickly settled back down.

“So, this is my new baby brother,” Nicole remarked with a small laugh. “It took him long enough to arrive. I asked for a sibling for Christmas when I was four. Do you remember that, Dad?”

“Of course,” I replied. “We had to explain how Santa didn’t make babies. Parents do.”

“So, I told you and Mom to make one,” Nicole recalled.

The four of us laughed quietly, but it was hard for me to look away from Jessica and Gabriel for long. Nicole let her fingers brush against her half-brother’s knit cap before perching on the armrest of my chair. It took a while for Nicole to come to terms with everything, but Lottie was excited for another kid in the family. Even if Gabriel was technically her uncle, Lottie didn’t care.

The only thing that mattered was that we loved each other, and I had all the love in the world. As Jessica’s dark-eyed gaze crossed mine across the small room, she still could take my breath away. She was beautiful even in her teal hospital gown and unkempt braid of hair. Her magic glowed from within, so it didn’t matter how she looked.

Jessica could grow worn and gray-haired, but she would always be gorgeous to me.

“Now that the baby’s born,” Nicole realized, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “We can finally talk about wedding plans.”

“Yes,” Inez agreed eagerly. “I’ve already spoken with the new young priest I volunteer with at the soup kitchen. He’s one of those non-denominational types, and he would be more than happy to perform the blessing ceremony if you cannot find anyone else.”

“And I’ve been looking at cake plans,” Nicole added. “I’ve got some ideas that I think you’ll love, Jess.”

“Between the two of us and the family,” Inez realized. “I bet we could have a wedding together by Easter.”

Jessica tried not to laugh as she suggested, “How about fall? I’d like to focus on Gabe right now, and I still need to get a dress.”

“Oh, right,” Nicole sighed. “Well, the fall colors would make a beautiful backdrop.”

“Adrian,” Jessica called to me quietly. “Why don’t you hold Gabriel for a minute?”

We could both see that Inez and Nicole required her full attention. With a quiet nod, I got up and took our son gently into my arms. He stirred for a moment, but he seemed to like the feel of my gray sweater against his skin. My free hand reached down for Jessica’s, squeezing her cool fingers gently.

“Us boys are going to let you ladies chat,” I told the room.

“Thank you,” Jessica whispered back to me.

She didn’t say it aloud, but I could see the other words in her softened expression. Jessica was happy, she was grateful, and she loved us both. She just didn’t want us to stray too far.

“We’ll be back soon,” I promised her.

Walking through the dim halls of the birthing ward, another upbeat nurse helped me find a quiet side room where Gabriel and I could take refuge. He slept in the crook of my arm as we sat in a rocking chair together. His eyelids were shut tight, but I knew how warm and dark my son’s eyes looked. They were just like Jessica’s.

Admiring Gabriel, I murmured, “I’m so glad your mother smacked into me by the waterfront. One day when you’re older, I promise to tell you about it.”

I still recalled how Jessica looked sprawled out on the greenway grass in her bright red suit. I remembered the sensation of hugging her even more. Memories of jasmine and citrus perfume filled my senses just like they had so many times since. The scent memory was woven through visions of countless dinners and stolen kisses. Every recollection held the same adoration in Jessica’s lovely face.

She swore I’d given her so much, yet I knew I was the one who was indebted to her. Her devotion towards me was unconditional and forgiving. Jessica made me want to be a better man, and her love helped me do it.

I was done second-guessing or worrying about what others might think. I had the love of a radiant woman. I had a smart and capable daughter as well as a precious new son. I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve such a miraculous gift, but I’d take it.

I’d take it all happily.

Thank you for reading Fake Married to My Best Friend’s Daddy. I hope you loved Adrian and Jessica.

If you’d like to read how Nicole got her happily ever after with Jason (who is her dad’s best friend btw), download SEAL DADDY HERE.You don’t want to miss their whirlwind romance that turns into lasting love, but all that’s not as easy as it sounds. It involves loads of drama, angst, scandals, steam and a secret baby too!

The only thing I have in common with my daddy’s best friend?

A child.

Oh wait, two children.

That’s right. He got me pregnant before skipping town for two years. Then he came right back and put another baby in my belly.

But that’s not the crazy part.

He doesn’t even know that my first child is his own flesh and blood.

GRAB HERE

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Keep reading for a preview of SEAL DADDY, Jason and Nicole’s love story, available now!