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I lick my lips and grab his lapels, yanking him down to my mouth and kissing him with all the goodness I feel inside of me as an act of reassurance. He responds in earnest, his hands letting go of my face as he wraps his arms around me and crushes me against his body.

  “If this is what you have to tell me, perhaps we should go to the roof,” he murmurs against my lips. “I’d be all yours up there.”

  “Meet me up there at eleven,” I rasp, my voice betraying my level of control. “No matter who you’re talking to, break away and meet me up there.”

  He smiles. “Anything for you, Bunny.”

  The rest of the night is a blur of engagement congratulations, happy hugs, bubbling cocktails, and one hilarious ginger entertaining us all.

  “All right you footie boys, listen up.” I have to cover my mouth as Leslie’s former flatmate, Frank, stands in front of my four brothers and addresses them with all the flourishes that make Frank, Frank.

  “My name is Frank McElroy. Not Frankenstein, not Carrot Top, not Cock Block, and most definitely not Frank and Beans.” Frank pauses to shoot Leslie and her friend Finley a menacing glower. “You boys are beautiful and so are Finny and Lezzie, so it’s not your fault you listened to them. You were likely thinking with the wrong heads.” He pauses to point down at their groins and they all shift uncomfortably. “So, I’ll let it pass this time. But if you fuck with me again, I’ll have to show you how a real man scores a goal.”

  My brothers burst out laughing and Tanner throws his arm around Frank’s narrow shoulders. “You’re bloody fantastic, Frank. You have to go clubbing with us sometime.”

  Frank’s brow arches. “Would you consider a gay club?”

  Tanner strokes his beard and nods. “If it means more laughs with you, I’d give it a go.”

  Frank’s eyes alight in amazement as he exclaims, “This is the best night of my life!”

  My laughs are interrupted by two hands that snake around my waist from behind. Hayden’s voice whispers in my ear, “It’s not quite eleven yet, but I can’t go another second without touching you, Bunny. Let’s go up to the garden. Please. They won’t even know we’re gone.”

  “From our own engagement party?”

  He nips at my ear. “Our party. Our rules.”

  He threads his hand through my fingers and pulls me through the flat and out onto the large balcony. A couple of our friends are standing out there with cocktails, but they must read between the lines because they smile politely and head inside.

  “Coast is clear. Let’s go.” Hayden nods toward the ladder that leads up to the roof.

  Since our flat occupies the entire eleventh floor, we have our own lift, making the rooftop completely ours. It’s a stunning part of the property with huge, sweeping lattice arches covered in greenery and floral vines crawling all over. Large, colourful pots overwhelm the space with some of the most vibrant flowers you’ve ever seen. And nestled right beneath the Chinese lanterns is a huge, round, white rattan sun lounger. It’s my favourite space in the whole wide world. Hayden and I spend most of our evenings up here, gazing up at the sky, talking about our day, and enjoying the peace and quiet of each other. Nothing else in the world bothers us when we are up here.

  After my ascent up the ladder, I stretch out on the lounger, kicking my shoes off and wiggling my scrunched toes. Hayden finishes his climb and looks at me with a dark heat to his eyes as he slips off his waistcoat.

  “Did I tell you, you look absolutely beautiful tonight?” he asks, slowly walking toward me. He deposits his jacket on a nearby chair and begins unbuttoning the snaps around his wrists.

  “I don’t think you got around to it.”

  He shakes his head, standing at my feet now. “A moment lost. Allow me to make up for it.” He shoots me a dirty smirk, making his sentiments known.

  Instead of replying, I turn my head and squint at the watch on his wrist.

  “Why are you so concerned about the time, Vi?” Hayden asks. His sleeves are rolled up on his forearms and he’s popped a couple of buttons on his chest already. “Did you hire a plane to fly by with an ‘I want to shag Hayden Clarke’ banner? Because I don’t need a sign to grant you that wish.”

  I giggle and shake my head, leaning back and propping myself on my elbows. “You are a cheeky sod, you know that?”

  He smiles and nods proudly while slowly uncrossing my feet and spreading my legs. I gasp as he begins crawling up the length of my body, my dress hitching up the closer he gets. We’ve had sexy time on this sun lounger more times than I can remember. My reactions are a reflex at this point.

  Hayden kisses me sweetly on my shoulder. “I’m your cheeky sod. We’re just moments away from making it official.” He begins nibbling my neck and sending goose pimples all over my body.

  “It’s going to take more than a few moments to plan a wedding, Hayden,” I reply breathlessly as I squeeze my legs around his hips.

  “You know what I mean.” He pauses his action and pulls back to look me in the eye. “This is it, Vi. We’re engaged. This is our life. Together. Just the two of us and nothing else.” His gaze falls to my lips before he closes the space between us and kisses me, pressing his tongue into my mouth so deeply that I forget all common sense for a moment.

  He moves his hand from my waist and reaches between us, stroking slowly up my inner thigh. When he slides past the band on my knickers and pushes one finger inside of me, I swear I could come within seconds just from the combination of his words and his touch. He breaks our kiss and presses his forehead to mine. “And when times get tough, when I feel myself slipping, we come up here. A place no one can touch us. No one can bother us. No one can tell us that we aren’t enough for each other.”

  His breath is coming heavily now, and he kisses me with a sudden sense of desperation, mimicking the motion with his fingers between my legs. I reach for the belt buckle on his trousers, brushing over his hard bulge and frantically tearing away at his clothes, aching to feel his words inside of me. He grabs the centre of my knickers and pulls until they split open. Within seconds, he’s thrust so deep inside of me, I don’t know where Hayden ends and I begin.

  Because we are one.

  We are each other’s landing point and catching ground, moving together in a perfect synchronisation that feels as if we were truly made for each other. As he rocks inside of me and kisses me savagely, I squeeze his face with all my might, kissing him so hard, I swear I’ll be leaving a permanent love bite behind.

  “Hayden.” I cry out his name as my climax comes much too soon. I don’t want this to be over. I want to stay lost in this world with him inside of me. Where there are no problems around us, no sudden changes coming. I don’t want to think of the time on his watch or what I need to tell him. I want to just stay us. “I love you.”

  He pulls his face back so he can look at me. His grey eyes are wide and wonderful. “I love you, too, Bunny. You are all I’ll ever need in this life. As long as I have you, I’ll always have a reason to live. I can’t wait to make you my wife.”

  His words are brutal and beautiful. They hold so much meaning because of his past…because of what he’s been through…because of what he almost gave up. My Hayden.

  Tears well in my eyes and I pull him close, kissing him with everything I have left inside of me, riding out the aftershocks of my orgasm until he comes himself. When we’re finished, he pulls out and drops onto his side, rolling me over to face him. I press my forehead to his and stare at his mouth because I’m sure if I look at his eyes, he’ll see. He’ll see it all.

  I grab his hand and pull it up between us, glancing at the time. As if destiny is having a laugh right now, the time ticks over to 11:11 and I say with a sigh, “I’m pregnant.”

  Hayden goes still. His breathing stops. His arms grow tense. I swear, even the world stops spinning.

  This is what I feared. This kind of change would spook him. And after all the beautiful words he said about just the two of us up here, an ominous feeling creep
s over me.

  The time, 11:11, held so much meaning for him in his past after his sister passed away. It sent him into a deep, dark place that made him believe he no longer wanted to live. But this past year, it became something wonderful that we shared together. We’d catch 11:11 on a clock and make a wish about our life together. Of course, we’d still remember the loved ones we lost; but instead of wishing for the past to change, like he used to, we just wish for them to continue inspiring our future.

  “Hayden,” I say, looking up into his expressionless eyes. “Say something.”

  His face continues to remain frozen.

  “Was that a wish or a fact?” he asks, finally breaking the silence.

  I bite my lip and sit up, pulling away from his stiffness. “What do you want it to be?”

  He sits up, too, his pants pulled backed up but his buckle still undone. His hand reaches toward my chest as he pulls the white plastic stick out from between my cleavage. It must have worked its way up. I’d completely forgotten it was there.

  He holds it in his hand, examining the test window carefully. The corner of his mouth creeps up into something resembling a smile. “You know how we always make a wish together at 11:11?” he asks.

  “Yes,” I whisper, still terrified of what might come next.

  “This was one of my wishes.”

  “It was?” I gasp and he nods. “But you never said. Everything we’ve talked about up here has always been about just us. Traveling, seeing the world, maybe opening up our own business, buying a house. We’ve never talked about kids, Hayden.”

  He swallows. “I didn’t want to spook you.”

  “Spook me?” I bark. “I thought this would spook you!”

  “Look, Vi.” He shifts closer to me and cups my hand in his, pulling it up to his mouth and kissing it softly. “I have a fucked up past. That’s very well known. But I don’t want you to be afraid for what kind of a dad I’ll be. I’ll always be here for you and this baby. You were all the reason I needed to live before. Now, that fact has been doubled. Maybe tripled. Twins are hereditary, right?”

  He glances up and his grey eyes look so wide and innocent, I can’t even wrap my head around what he’s saying right now. “Bunny, say something.”

  I shake my head.

  “You don’t have to be scared.”

  I start laughing. “I’m not scared, Hayden. I’m bloody thrilled.” I throw myself into his arms and he falls backwards on the lounger, holding me to him as I drop thousands of kisses all over his cheeks and lips. I giggle, “This is the best engagement party ever.”

  “This right here really is a perfect moment.” He chuckles softly against my lips right before kissing me fiercely.

  I inwardly sigh as I realise that all of my wishes are actually coming true.

  Now, go back and read Hayden and Vi’s full length novel from the beginning!

  Click under the cover below or scroll on to check out a sample.

  Those crazy Harris Brothers have stories too. See links below!

  CLICK HERE

  MORE BOOKS BY AMY DAWS

  The London Lovers/Lost in London Series:

  Becoming Us: Finley’s Story Part 1 (prequel)

  A Broken Us: Finley’s Story Part 2 (standalone)

  London Bound: Leslie’s Story (standalone)

  Not The One: Reyna’s Story (standalone)

  That One Moment: Hayden & Vi’s Story (standalone)

  One Wild Night: Julie’s Story…coming soon

  The Harris Brothers Series:

  A spin-off series featuring the football-playing Harris Brothers!

  Challenge: A British Sports Rom Com (standalone)

  Endurance: A British Sports Rom Com (standalone)

  Pointe of Breaking: A College Dance Standalone by Amy Daws & Sarah J. Pepper

  Chasing Hope: A Mother’s True Story of Loss, Heartbreak,

  and the Miracle of Hope.

  For retailer purchase links, visit:

  www.amydawsauthor.com

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  This short story was originally a part of the Drunk in Love anthology that raised money for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. As a mother of a miracle baby myself, I can’t imagine the ache and pain that families endure when they find out their child is sick. Even after my husband and I lost six babies, we still live every day feeling incredibly lucky for our Lolo. It was an honor to share this story for such a wonderful cause.

  MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Amy Daws lives in South Dakota with her husband and miracle daughter, Lorelei. The long-awaited birth of Lorelei is what inspired Amy's first book, Chasing Hope, and her passion for writing. Amy’s contemporary romance novels are mostly London-based so she can fuel her passion for all things British.

  For more of Amy's work, visit: www.amydawsauthor.com or check out the links below.

  www.facebook.com/amydawsauthor

  www.twitter.com/amydawsauthor

  instagram.com/amydawsauthor

  ABOUT AMY DAWS

  Amy Daws is a lover of all things British, and her London-based love stories bring the incredible city to life on every page. Read all about hot British men, hilarious American heroines, and an unforgettable, original ensemble cast that pulls out all of the feels.

  For more of Amy’s work, visit www.amydawsauthor.com

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  A Novel by Amy Daws

  Copyright © 2016 Amy Daws

  All rights reserved.

  PROLOGUE

  Every moment in life has a ripple.

  Every day has twenty-four hours.

  That’s one thousand, four hundred forty different chances per day that can affect the course of your life.

  Watching a ripple that you caused and immediately wishing you could take back is a devastatingly powerless feeling. You have to sit there and witness it grow and spread…like an infection.

  And once it starts, there’s not much you can do to change its path or pattern of movement.

  Unless, of course, you decide to make a splash.

  CHAPTER 1

  CHALLENGER

  Hayden

  “Hayden Clarke. Good to see you again.” The doctor rises from behind his desk and extends his hand to me. He’s a tall, robust man with a grey beard. Dressed in khaki trousers and a navy jumper, he is the perfect cliché shrink.

  I give him a firm, confident shake, trying to portray my entire state of mind with one simple gesture. “Hiya, Doc.”

  “Please sit. I’ve been looking forward to this appointment for weeks.” He gestures to one of the maroon leather armchairs and takes the one seated directly across from it.

  I drop down onto the familiar seat and rest my ankle on my knee. “You probably say that to all your patients.”

  “I wish I could, Hayden. I wish I could.” He peers at me, and instead of grabbing his notepad like he normally does, he crosses his arms over his chest and eyes me speculatively. “Tell me, how are you feeling with your one-year anniversary approaching?”

  He just dives right in. Every time. “I’m feeling fine. I’m focusing on preparing my speech for the charity gala, as you well know.”

  “Yes, that’s right. Are you still confident about speaking? It’s a sensitive subject matter.” He cocks his head to the side, like he can see the answer if he looks at me hard enough.

  Glimpses of the night I wish like hell I could forget flash through my mind. I straighten my posture and mindlessly touch my brown leather cuffs on each of my wrists. “Definitely confident. I can handle it,” I answer pragmatically.

  A look of fondness lights up his features. “I think it will be a big turning point for you, Hayden. I really do.”

  “That’s sort of the point.” I release my cuffs and rub my hands down my denim-clad thighs. “I’m ready to get on with my life. The last few days, I can’t seem to stop thinking about the days leading up to that night.”

  He no
ds thoughtfully. “That is expected, given the timeline and the fact that the anniversary is only days away. What are you doing to continue progressing in your recovery beyond the charity gala? Who are you spending your days with?”

  I shrug my shoulders and frown. “Leslie, Theo, and Baby Marisa mostly.”

  His brows lift archly. “Anyone outside of your family?”

  I clench my jaw because I can tell he’s asking a question he already knows the answer to and it irks me. “Not really. I help out with the baby a lot. And I’m back working with my brother again. We’re busy.” The truth is I don’t have many friends left after spending the last four years drinking my life away. And eventually trying to take my life.

  “Any word from Reyna?”

  My eyes cloud over at the mention of her name. “She texts occasionally. I don’t really engage much with her.”

  He simply nods and I let out an exasperated laugh. “We’ve already established that she’s not a good friend for me to lean on. Now you want me to go out and make new friends? How am I supposed to know what kind of friends are safe?” I challenge him.

  “Hayden, it’s not about making friends. It’s about putting yourself out there. There are lots of people you can converse with who wouldn’t be anything like what Reyna was to you. I’m just noticing a pattern here. You’ve lived with your brother, his fiancé, and their new baby for three months now. You don’t appear to be showing an effort to intermingle with people outside of your family, to become a part of society once again.”

  “I disagree with you,” I jeer, slicing my hand through my hair. “I’m getting up in front of hundreds of people to tell my entire bloody story. That seems like the definition of putting myself out there.”

  The doctor smirks and nods again, which only further frustrates me. I stand up and stride over to the window to gaze down at the busy west end London traffic. A red double-decker bus full of tourists passes by. I’d give anything to be out there as a foreigner on holiday and oblivious to the shite that goes on in here.