Chapter One Hundred Four

Mac held firm to his promise to make time for Grace during the middle of the day whenever possible during the beginning of her third trimester. On a busy day, they would spend their lunch break in the pool or on the rooftop terrace. When they had more time, their favorite outing was a walk to Central Park for a picnic or to check out the zoo. On one particularly slow day, they took a one-hour ferry tour around the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. And while Grace tired out more quickly as the pregnancy progressed, her libido was higher than ever. He did his best to ensure he kept her well satisfied, which helped them both deal with her raging pregnancy hormones the closer she got to Dominic Jordan’s due date.

However, with three weeks to go until the arrival of their son, Mac was feeling a little apprehensive about making love to Grace. He was worried his thrusting might cause her to go into labor prematurely, so he’d suggested oral sex more often. However, he could tell that his horny, pregnant redhead was getting frustrated with him.

“Mac, you know I love sucking your cock, but I need you inside me,” Grace pleaded as they retired to their bedroom.

“I can use more fingers while I dine on your delicious pussy,” Mac offered.

Grace tilted her head and gazed at him crossly. “Look, I know you are just trying to be careful, but you’re going overboard, and it’s starting to piss me off. The doctor said everything was fine. There is no reason why you shouldn’t fuck me, McKinley.”

Mac knew he was in trouble. Grace never called him McKinley unless she was angry or annoyed with him.

“Grace…”

“I mean it. If you want sex tonight, you’ll have to fuck me. My mouth is out of order tonight, so it’s fuck my pussy or go without!”

Mac’s cock twitched. God, he loved how feisty his sexy redhead could be! He debated arguing with her and thought better of it; she was dead serious about withholding sex if she didn’t get her way. He recalled how sex had been taken off the table when she first became his escort for his European acquisition trip. She’d held him at bay despite admitting that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her because she needed to be sure he would respect her. So, he had no doubt that Grace Remy Stewart meant business.

“Okay, but you need to promise to stop me if anything hurts.”

Grace rolled her eyes. “The only thing that’s going to hurt is your aching balls if you don’t fuck me, McKinley Stewart.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said playfully.

Grace raised her eyebrows and sighed. She untied the sash of her robe and let it slip off her shoulders and onto the floor. Her red locks spilled over the curve of her breasts, barely concealing erect nipples that begged to be touched.

“You look so fucking hot,” Mac said in a low growl. As he reached for his belt to unbuckle it, Grace stopped him.

“No, leave your clothes on.”

Mac’s brow furrowed. “What game are you playing, Gracie?”

“I just thought it might be fun to pretend that you are a businessman who requested a pregnant whore for a quick fuck in your hotel room,” Grace said coyly.

Mac’s erection strained against his trousers. “That’s decadent.”

“Indeed,” Grace purred.

Mac nodded and fell into his role quickly. “So, my sweet little slut, how far along are you?”

Grace smiled demurely. “Thirty-seven weeks, sir.”

“Excellent,” he mused, “nice and ripe for the taking.”

He moved to her and cupped her large breasts. “These are delightful.”

He lifted them one at a time to his mouth and gave them each a suck and a nibble. Watching her eyes flutter with arousal, he reached between her legs and felt his own desire grow as her wetness drenched his fingers.

“You’re already wet for me, slut. You’re such a good girl.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Lie on your back and spread your legs for me, baby. I want to see your juicy pussy open for me.”

Grace felt her entire body tingle with need. It had been far too long since she’d had him inside her, and she felt extremely needy. She did as he instructed and waited with anticipation.

Mac never took his eyes off her as he unzipped his fly and let his throbbing erection spring from his pants. He gave a half laugh as she gasped.

“It’s so big,” Grace said, her eyes growing wide with feigned surprise.

“Do you need a big cock in your sweet little pregnant pussy?”

“Yes, sir. Please, sir.”

“Rest those legs on my shoulder, slut,” Mac commanded as he slid his hardness against her slick, swollen labia. “I’m gonna fuck you, no worries. But I’m going to tease you first.”

“Mmmm.”

Mac watched her face as he rubbed her wet slit with his rod and saw raw passion and desire. He reminded himself to trust her to let him know if anything didn’t feel good as he slid into her slowly.

“Fuck, your pussy is so tight!” Mac exclaimed as he buried himself deep inside her. The pure joy on her face told him he’d been an idiot to deny her this for the past few weeks.

“Your pussy belongs to me, and I’m gonna fuck it good tonight.”

“Don’t you want to take off your clothes, sir?” Grace asked, playacting.

“No, I’m a very busy man who just needs a quick fuck with a pregnant slut. I don’t have time for romance, sweetheart,” he answered in character.

He reached down and pinched her nipples as he moved in and out of her slowly and methodically. She gasped and moaned, rocking her hips in time with his deliberate thrusts.

“Your pussy feels so good on my cock. Maybe I will keep you as mine and fuck your pregnant married pussy whenever I get horny.”

“Oh, God, yes!” Grace cried. “Take my pussy! Use it hard! Make it yours!”

Mac couldn’t hold back anymore. He grabbed her legs and pumped into her while she moaned and cried, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

“That’s right, you fucking little pregnant whore, I’m gonna empty my balls and shoot my load deep inside your hot little married cunt!”

With that, Mac felt Grace’s pussy squeeze him tightly as her entire body quivered with an intense orgasm, taking him along with her as he filled her with his seed.

“Holy shit, Grace, that was fucking amazing. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

“Not at all. I needed that so badly, baby. Thank you for giving me what I craved.”

“I hope I didn’t go overboard with my crude language,” he grinned sheepishly.

“No, it was exactly what I needed tonight. I’ve been so horny and needy lately. As much as I love your oral skills and magical fingers, I just really needed a good hard fuck with that amazing cock of yours.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been overly cautious. I just…”

“No need to apologize,” Grace interrupted. “I understand. But thank you for understanding what I needed tonight. I was starting to feel annoyed and angry. Since the doctor insisted on weekly ultrasounds and exams due to my geriatric pregnancy, I know the baby is fine. I just needed to feel like a sexy fuck toy for a little while and not some big pregnant geriatric whale.”

“That’s an unfortunate choice of words,” Mac said, wincing. He sat on the bed, took her hand in his, and gazed into her intensely blue eyes.

“Sexual frustration doesn’t bring out the best in anyone. I get it, baby. I’m sorry. I will trust you to be honest with me and tell me what you need and how much you can handle.”

“Thank you, my wonderful husband. Get those clothes off and come cuddle me; I’m ready for romance now.”

“With pleasure, my beautiful wife!”

Chapter One Hundred Five

The next morning, Avery noticed that Grace was in a jaunty mood. He was grateful as his usually charming boss had been a bit snippy lately.

“Would you care for some sparkling water, Grace?” he asked, eyeing her tentatively.

“I’d love some, thanks for asking,” she answered cheerfully.

“I think we are out in the fridge up here; I will head down to the kitchen and bring some up.”

“Thanks, you’re a doll, Avery.”

He bumped into Bentley on his way down to the first level of the six-story house that contained the New York office of Stewart Enterprises.

“Hey, Uncle Bentley. So, that issue I mentioned yesterday about some workplace friction? Totally gone today, so I must have been mistaken that I’d done something wrong. I’m glad I took your advice and just let it ride for a bit.”

Bentley chuckled. “They both are much more chipper this morning. I’d wager that Grace put her foot down with Mac and got properly laid.”

Avery’s eyes bugged out of his head. “How do you know these things?”

“It’s just a hunch, nephew. But I’ve worked with Mac for a long time, and I know how stubborn he can get. I think he’s been a little too cautious with his pregnant wife. Good thing she is even more stubborn than he is. I believe we will have a much more peaceful day today.”

Avery tried not to feel embarrassed. He knew Mac and Grace were sensual, but he didn’t like the vision of his bosses having sex in his head. Still, he was relieved that he hadn’t done anything to make either of them unhappy, especially Grace. While they were both his bosses, it was Grace he interacted with most often. She was the best boss he’d ever had. So, if pregnancy hormones and a lack of what she needed behind closed doors had her acting a little cranky lately, he’d cut her some slack. As long as she wasn’t upset with his work performance, everything else was fine.

He returned with a glass of ice and a bottle of Lime Perrier and poured it for her.

“You rock, Avery. I’m sure I don’t tell you enough how much I appreciate you. I know I’ve been a little crabby lately.”

“Have you? I haven’t noticed,” Avery said coyly.

Grace raised her eyebrows, and they both laughed.

“Okay, perhaps a tad crabby.”

“Thanks for being so understanding. Pregnancy hormones are a bitch.”

“I imagine you’re ready to be done with the whole pregnancy thing,” he said sympathetically.

“You have no idea,” Grace laughed. “So, what needs my attention today?”

“I have the monthly reports from Max Becker, Franz Huber, and Lars Van den Burg. All of the U.S. offices have sent theirs as well. Still waiting for the rest of the European offices to send me theirs, but there are a few days left until the end of the month. I thought I’d wait until Monday to follow up with any branches we haven’t heard from by then.”

“Good plan,” Grace agreed. “What else?”

“I have a few contracts that need your approval, but I imagine you’ll want to look them over first.”

“I can spend some time this morning doing that. Anything else?”

“Your baby shower thank you card envelopes are all addressed, stamped, and have return address labels. All you need to do is finish the cards, and I will mail them for you.

“Thanks. I will finish those up during the extended lunch break Mac insists I take if you don’t mind dropping them in the mail for me this afternoon or tomorrow morning. I really appreciate your help, Avery.”

“It’s my sincere pleasure, Grace.”

Grace looked out the window at the ominous clouds. The sky looked like it was ready to downpour at any moment. She sighed. “I guess we won’t be taking a walk this afternoon.”

Bentley stepped into the office suite at that moment and saw the look of disappointment on her face. He knew that Grace looked forward to her daily outings with her husband. He dropped off the reams of paper that had been delivered and knocked on Mac’s door.

“Come in,” Mac said as he hung up the phone with the Paris office manager, Andre Boivin.

“Everything okay, sir?” Bentley inquired.

“Nothing major. Andre’s report will be late again this month, which doesn’t thrill me, but I did find it interesting that he called me instead of Grace.”

“He probably knows Grace would have given him an earful,” Bentley chuckled. “She has very little patience for his shenanigans. His reports are late more than not in recent months, and she’s put him on notice to get his act together.”

“Ah, I wish I would have known that before I granted him extra time. I know he was late last month, but I didn’t realize he’s been making that a habit. I’ll need to check with Grace to find out what’s happening.”

“If I may suggest, I think today would be the perfect day to spend some personal time with Grace and put the crib together.”

“Is she having contractions?” Mac asked, suddenly feeling panicked.

Bentley laughed. “No, she’s absolutely fine. In fact, she’s in a lovely mood today,” he said as he raised his eyebrows a bit.

Mac blushed and gave his house manager a goofy grin.

“I just meant that it looks like it will start storming soon, and the forecast calls for rain all day. I think it would be just the thing to take her mind off not being able to go outside.”

“Ahh, good call there, Bentley. How do you seem to know my wife better than I do at times?”

“I don’t know about that, sir. I think you figured things out pretty well last night.”

Mac blushed again. “It was 'do things her way or go without',” he admitted sheepishly. “I’m not stupid.”

They both laughed, and Mac thanked Bentley for the great suggestion. Mac poked his head into Grace’s office and asked, “Hey, are you busy?”

“Nothing pressing at the moment. I need to look over these contracts at some point today, but I’ll have time later. What’s up?”

“There’s something I need to show you upstairs.”

“Is this a euphemism for sex, Mac?”

Mac grinned. “No, but maybe we can fit that in too. Come on, let’s go up and see what kind of mischief we can get into.”

They took the elevator to the sixth floor that held their bedroom/bathroom suite and a private dining area that had been recently redecorated and turned into a nursery for their son. Mac led Grace into the newly painted room and invited her to sit in the slate gray rocker that matched the elephants dancing along one of the walls.

“We should probably put the crib together soon,” Grace said as she allowed herself a moment to rock in the chair and imagine holding their baby in her arms.

“How about now?” Mac suggested.

Grace beamed. “Well, since we can’t go for our daily walk, this would be the perfect day to do this. You’re so clever, my darling husband.”

Mac smiled, grateful that Bentley had been spot on with this idea. “I can’t lie; Bentley suggested it.”

“He’s a smart man. That’s probably why he has been happily married for so many years.”

Grace stood up. “I hope you don’t think I’m going to sit on my very pregnant ass while you do all the work. I want to help put our baby’s crib together.”

“Your ass looks sexy to me, baby. But I definitely want to do this together. It will make it easier if I don’t have to hold the pieces while trying to screw them together.”

“It will also go quicker, and then we might have some time to screw each other before we have to go back to work.”

“God, I love you, Gracie!”

“I love you too, Mac.”

Chapter One Hundred Six

After the crib was assembled, Grace led Mac by the hand into their bedroom. “I have another job for you,” she said coyly.

“Oh?”

“Yes, it’s past time that I did this, and I could really use your help. It needs to be taken care of before I end up going into labor.”

Mac’s brow furrowed as he watched his sexy, pregnant wife take off her skirt and panties. Then it dawned on him what she meant.

“Ahh, time for Grace’s amazing pussy piercing removal,” he said. “You want me to remove the pretty little gold ball that adorns the most delicious pussy in the world.”

“You do have a way with words, Mr. Stewart.”

Mac smiled. “I remember when I first discovered this delightful little gold ball on our first night together. I recall being ridiculously pleased by this little surprise.”

Grace laughed. “Ah, yes, I remember you mentioning that the vetting process hadn’t revealed my erotic little secret.”

Mac frowned for a moment before he touched her.

“What’s wrong, baby?” she asked.

“I also recall that, while the oral sex was magnificent that night, I turned into a thoughtless idiot and fucked you without making you cum.”

Grace sighed. “That call from Alice changed your whole attitude, and you became a complete asshole. I remember being disappointed. I wanted you so much, and then you spoiled it by being a real jerk.”

Mac sighed. “I will always regret that part. I remember how defiant you looked when you told me you didn’t realize you were on the clock, and then you spread your legs for me with zero interest or passion. Thank goodness you gave me another chance. I can’t imagine my life without you, Gracie.”

Grace took Mac’s face into her hands and kissed him gently. “I can’t imagine my life without you, either. I knew that from the start. That’s why I swallowed my pride and took the job. Well, that, and I needed the money.”

She kissed him again, passionately this time. As she broke off the kiss, she rested her forehead against his. “We were both very different people back then,” she whispered. “Broken people with damaged hearts. But look at us now. We mended each other’s broken pieces and built a life together based on love, trust, and respect.”

“You never cease to amaze me. My whole world became better the moment you let me into your heart and back into your bed.”

“Since you’re so into oral sex right now, how about you remove the little gold ball for me and then use that magical tongue on me?”

“Only if you let me slide into that hot little pussy once I’ve made you cum.”

“Well, if you insist.”

Mac opened Grace’s legs and gently removed the gold ball that glistened with her juices. Setting it aside carefully, he used his tongue to tease little circles around her hard little nub and slick labia. Her hips rocked gently at first, and then she bucked like a bitch in heat while he took her over the edge by sliding two fingers inside her.

“Oh, fuck, yeah!” Grace screamed, forgetting it was the middle of the day and that some of the staff might hear her.

Mac stood and removed his pants quickly. He pulled Grace to the edge of the bed and slid inside her wet silky pussy.

“Yes. God, yes!”

“Mmm, your so fucking tight, baby!”

“You’re so fucking big! Fuck me faster, baby. Please!”

“You’ll have to muffle your screams with a pillow this time. I don’t want people racing up the stairs to see what’s wrong with the pregnant lady of the house and find me fucking the shit out of her hot pussy.”

Grace laughed. “I’m pretty sure they already heard my screams a moment ago. They pretend well, but I’m sure they know we still fuck like rabbits and just ignore the sounds.”

“You’re so sassy,” Mac teased. “I’m gonna have to fuck my sassy redhead good and hard.”

“Yes!”

He positioned himself so that he could pump hard but not quite as deep as usual. He hoped it would be enough to satisfy Grace. When he saw her eyes roll back in her head while he picked up the pace, he figured he must be doing something right. God, he loved the feel of her wet heat as he slid into her again and again!

As his balls tightened, he held back, bringing her over the edge first. Using his thumb on her clit, he felt her body quake with a series of outrageous orgasms that eventually took him with her. His balls felt like they exploded when he shot his seed into his wife and cried out with her.

As they were catching their breath, Avery was texting his partner Nialls during his lunch break on the third floor.

Well, Grace isn’t crabby anymore. And if the noises I’ve just heard are any indication, she’ll come back to work in an even better mood. LOL.

Nialls chuckled as he replied.

Good for them! But now you’ve got me wondering if their antics are making you aroused and if I will need to take care of you when you get home today.

Avery grinned.

Uh, duh! Why do you think I’m texting about my bosses having wild, passionate sex in the middle of their day?

Maybe Grace will let you go early today?

I can always ask.

Yes, please ask. I’m so hard for you right now, Avery.

Gimme an hour!

When Mac and Grace returned to work looking giddy, Avery figured it was as good a time as any to ask if he could leave early.

“Of course,” Grace said. “You’ve been a sweetheart to my bitchiness lately. You’ve earned a little comp time. I hope Nialls can take off early too.”

Avery blushed. Nothing got by Grace. She knew he was asking to leave early for a booty call with his man. And when she wiggled her eyebrows, he laughed and shrugged.

 “Um, yeah, I think he said something about getting home a little early today,” Avery said, trying to act cool and calm.

“Go, fuck his brains out, and leave your phone in silent mode. Nothing wrecks good sex like an ill-timed phone call.”

Mac laughed. “She’s not wrong.”

Avery tried not to be embarrassed that his bosses were condoning an afternoon tryst with Nialls and allowed himself to take advantage of their good nature.

“Thanks! Um, I will see you tomorrow then.”

After Avery left, Mac shook his head and laughed. “Our poor Admin will be scarred for life by us.”

“Nonsense! He knows he has the best bosses in the world,” Grace retorted.

“Again, you’re not wrong. You very rarely are, my dear. How about we dig into our work for a few hours and then have dinner and dessert in bed?”

“Sounds like a plan!”

Chapter One Hundred Seven

However, Dominic Jordan had other plans. Grace spent the next few hours reading over the contracts Avery had left for her to sign and then finished up her thank you cards. She left them on Avery’s desk and was about to place a call to Paris to give Andre a piece of her mind about his lack of follow-through after the call they’d had last month. He’d begged for more time, citing issues with his marriage. Grace had been considerate about his situation, but he’d made a poor habit of getting behind, which was starting to affect morale in the Paris office. However, when she picked up the phone to make the call, she felt the baby kick hard as a gush of liquid drenched her chair. Instead of calling Andre, she dialed Mac’s number.

“Hey, baby, why are you calling me when you’re in the next office?” Mac asked, confused.

“Um, I need you to come in here. My water just broke.”

Mac made a mad dash into Grace’s office.

“Holy crap, Grace. It’s three weeks before your due date. We need to get you to the hospital.”

“Let’s stay calm. I will call Randall to pick us up. I need you to get my go-bag and probably a towel or two, so I don’t get the seat wet in the car.”

“I’ll call Dad on the way to the hospital. He and Addie were supposed to arrive next week anyway, but maybe they can move up their travel date.”

“If not, tell him not to worry. The baby will still be here when they get here,” Grace laughed.

Mac dialed his father’s cell phone on their way to the hospital.

“Hi, Dad, I have some exciting news.”

“So do I, son. You go first,” Dominic said.

“Grace and I are on the way to the hospital; her water broke!”

“Oh, well, that makes our exciting news even better. We were able to get a last-minute flight and should land at JFK tonight.”

“Seriously? That’s awesome! But why? We are thrilled, but you weren’t scheduled to come to New York until next week.”

“We had a hunch this baby was going to come early. After all, you were an early baby.”

Mac felt a warm tug at his heart that his father remembered that detail. Back in those days, they both thought he was Uncle Dominic. It was amazing that this kind and loving man was his true father instead of his twin brother, Marcus, who was a complete ass.

“I’ve got to go, Mac. Grace can fill you in. I will text you when I land.”

Mac looked at Grace with questioning eyes. “What’s going on with my Dad and Addie? Why are they really coming early?”

“Well, we were going to have a surprise wedding on the rooftop terrace this weekend, but it looks like DJ has other plans.”

“They’re getting married?” Mac asked.

“Don’t sound so stunned. Surely the fact that they wanted to tie the knot isn’t surprising to you. They love each other, and Dominic has waited a damn long time to find his soul mate.”

“I think it’s great, but why the surprise?”

“Dad was worried you’d make a big fuss, and he only wanted this to be the four of us and the minister.”

“So, what happens now? I mean, clearly, we won’t be able to have the wedding tomorrow at the house.”

“Take my phone and text the minister and tell him we will have to reschedule,” Grace said, handing Mac her phone. “Reverend David Abbott.”

Once they reached Mt. Sinai Hospital, they headed to the second floor to the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Center for Labor and Birth. They got settled in one of the birthing rooms and waited for Grace’s doctor to arrive.

Dr. Francis ordered an ultrasound to check on the baby’s position. While they waited for the technician, she asked Grace, “Any contractions yet?”

“No, should I be worried?”

“No, this baby wasn’t due for another three weeks. He probably got rambunctious and kicked a little too hard, breaking your water. It happens. If his position looks better than last week and he is head down, we can induce labor to get things rolling if it doesn’t happen spontaneously in the next couple of hours. If he hasn’t turned yet, we may need to do a C-Section.”

“Oh?” Grace asked, feeling disappointment looming. She knew it shouldn’t matter. In the end, she just wanted whatever was best for DJ.

“Let’s wait to see what the ultrasound shows.”

Twenty minutes later, the technician arrived and squeezed the cool gel on Grace’s abdomen. She moved the wand around and smiled. “Relax, mama. Baby is just fine. He may have broken your water while he was moving into place. His head is right where it’s supposed to be, heading right to the birth canal.”

Grace let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Mac. “I know it would have been fine if we needed to have the C-Section, but I really wanted to have this baby naturally. I’m glad he decided to cooperate!”

Dr. Francis confirmed that Dominic Jordan was indeed in position and asked Grace what she wanted to do. “I can send you home and wait for the contractions to start. Or we can induce labor. We can also wait a few hours to see if labor starts on its own.”

“That’s what I want to do,” Grace blurted out. “I want to wait a little while and see, and then if we need to induce, then so be it.”

Dr. Francis nodded and smiled. “That was what I was going to suggest if you were on the fence. Get comfortable and enjoy these last precious hours of being just a couple. Pretty soon, you’ll be mom and dad. While that is a joyous thing, it’s also exhausting! I will come to check on you in a few hours. The nurse will attach a fetal monitor to ensure the baby isn’t in distress. Then she will keep track of your vitals until I return. She’ll call me immediately if I’m needed before I come back.”

The next several hours seemed surreal to Grace. While getting to the hospital had seemed urgent, everything had slowed down while they waited. But while she felt calm, Mac was a wreck, worrying about the baby despite the fetal monitor, which showed no distress whatsoever. Dr. Francis came by and said things looked good and that Grace was starting to dilate a bit but that it would likely be a bit longer before the DJ was ready to enter the world.

When Dominic and Addie arrived, Mac breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Dad. I know everything is fine, but I’ll feel a lot better when this baby is born.”

Dominic laughed. “Relax, son. It won’t be long now. Addie checked with the nurse, who said they will likely induce if contractions don’t start in another two hours.”

When Mac and Dom entered the birthing room, Addie was helping Grace get out of bed. Grace had a devious look in her eyes that had Mac puzzled.

“What’s going on in that clever brain of yours, Gracie?”

“Let’s all go for a walk. The nurse suggested I get up and walk around to see if that gets things rolling.”

“Whatever you want, babe,” Mac said smiling.

Addie helped Grace slip on a white silk robe over her hospital gown. Mac was sure he hadn’t seen it in Grace’s bag but shrugged it off.

“So, where are we headed? The cafeteria? The visitor's lounge?”

“The chapel,” Grace replied.

Mac’s brow furrowed. “Are we going to seek a higher power to start the contractions?” he laughed.

“Maybe,” Grace said coyly.

When they reached the hospital chapel, both Mac and Dom were surprised to see a minister standing at the altar.

“What’s going on, Grace?” Dom asked his daughter-in-law.

“Well, Addie and I figured I needed a little commotion to start labor. I figured, what better commotion than a wedding? I’m sorry it’s not the rooftop terrace, but I didn’t want you two to have to wait any longer to get married; you’ve both waited long enough.”

Addie smiled sheepishly. “We have the marriage license and the rings. It doesn’t matter to me where we get married, Dom. I just wanted Mac and Grace to be our witnesses. This way, DJ’s grandparents will be married when he arrives.”

Dom was overcome with emotion. “I love you, Adelaide Jean. I’ve waited my whole life to find you. Let’s do it; let’s get married in a hospital chapel!”

The ceremony was sweet but brief, which was a very good thing. When the bride and groom kissed for the first time as man and wife, Grace felt the sharp pain of her first contraction.

Mac and Dom held on to either side of Grace as they ushered her back to the birthing room. But it was still several hours before Dominic Jordan decided to show his face to the world. Mac was in awe of his wife as she pushed out the seven-pound, two-ounce baby boy just after midnight. His heart pounded as he cut the umbilical cord and held his son for a second before the doctor scooped him up to assess his Apgar score. Three minutes later, Dr. Francis pronounced him a healthy boy with a good set of lungs and laid him on his mother’s chest.

“The skin-to-skin contact is good for bonding, but let’s get a little blanket to cover him up, so he doesn't get chilly,” she told Mac.

DJ settled almost immediately as his mother kissed the top of his head, full of dark hair like his father.

“He’s so beautiful,” Grace said, crying softly. “I never thought I’d ever be this lucky to be married to my best friend and have his baby in my arms.”

“He’s incredible. I didn’t think it was possible that I’d ever find someone who could make my life complete. But here we are, the three of us, and I couldn’t be more content and in love,” Mac replied.

Dom and Addie peeked in and sighed. “Look at my son with his wife and their son,” Dom said, misty-eyed.

Addie squeezed Dom’s hand and rested her head on his shoulder. “Life is pretty wonderful right now. Let’s go to the cafeteria and give them some time alone. I’m pretty sure we are supposed to eat cake as newlyweds.”

Dom laughed. “Let’s go find some cake for my bride.”

Meanwhile, Grace slid over to make room for Mac in the bed. They held their baby boy between them and marveled over the son they had made together.

“You’re amazing, Grace Remy Stewart; a force to be reckoned with, and our son will be just like his mother,” Mac said as he kissed her temple.

“But he looks just like his daddy, and he will grow up to be a great man just like you.”

“Thank you, Grace, for everything. For answering the ad to be my escort, for giving me another chance when I was an idiot, for falling in love with me as I fell in love with you, and for making me the happiest man in the world by becoming my wife and now the mother of my child. I love you beyond words.”

Grace sighed as they held their son together. Life had certainly taken a fantastic turn since the day she walked into McKinley Stewart’s office.

“I love you too, Mac. I can’t wait to see where life takes us from here.”

Stay tuned for the third book in the Mac and Grace trilogy coming soon, In a New York Minute.