All the Wrong Choices by C.A. Harms

Bonus Scene

Many Months Later

Jonah

"I still remember the night I told you that I was in love with your sister," Tucker chuckles as he leans back against the wall next to me. "I thought you were gonna kick my ass right then and there."

"I thought about it," more than once, actually. He was my friend, and I'd warned them all many times to stay the hell away from my sister. Glancing over at Tucker, I find him staring at me. "But then I saw the way Avery was looking at you, and I realized if I did, I'd only be hurting her."

The love in my sister's eyes as she stood at Tucker's side holding his hand that night still seems so fresh in my mind. She loved him.

"Take care of her Tuck, that's all I ask."

"I always will," Tuck stares at me with such intensity, not an ounce of doubt in his mind. "She's my world, brother. She will always be my everything."

Emotions rip through me, and I know what he means. Turning to scan over the reception that celebrates the union of my sister and Tucker, I search for my wife. A flash of teal catches my eyes, and I pause, taking her in slowly.

Dani is standing next to my mother. Her body turned ever so slightly, allowing me to have the perfect side profile view. My chest tightens, and love washes over me. Danielle is so incredibly beautiful on any day but seeing her stomach swollen with my child makes her stunning.

"Any day now," Tucker adds, and I nod, knowing he's talking about the arrival of my daughter. An adorable little girl who I have no doubt holds my heart in the palm of her hand, just like her mommy does.

"Thirteen days until the due date." I've had a countdown on my phone since the first sonogram, where I heard the heartbeat of our baby. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I've never been this eager for anything, with the exception of marrying Danielle, that is. "I'm gonna be someone's father, and that alone is an incredible feeling. It all feels like a dream."

"Speaking of a dream," I look at Tucker to find him staring off with a smile so wide and his eyes sparkling with devotion. Following his gaze, I see my sister moving in our direction, and again I feel slightly emotional knowing how much he loves her. All I've ever wanted for my little sister was happiness. I have no doubt that Tucker will treasure her forever.

"Your wife is salivating over the wine," Avery announces with a laugh. "I think she might be hanging on the edge, Jonah. She's trying to control it, but I think the pregnancy hormones are making her unstable."

I'm just about to make a joke about her not needing wine because I'd preoccupy her mind when the silence is interrupted by a loud shriek.

All eyes shift toward the sound, and my heart feels like it slams in my chest.

"Jonah," my mother hollers out as she grabs Danielle's hand, and my wife hunches over slightly, holding her stomach. "Jonah," again, my mother yells, only this time louder, and I spring into action.

Making it to Dani, she looks over at me with tears in her eyes. "My water broke," my hands shook with adrenaline and more excitement than I'd ever felt before. "Our daughter is coming," she whispers as a tear rolls down her cheek.

"She is, sweetheart," I kiss her temple. "She is."

Aurora Eden Brooks was delivered at six forty-two a.m., weighing six pounds, nine ounces, and eighteen inches long. A beautiful baby girl born to Jonah and Danielle Brooks.