A Christmas Surprise: Bundle of Joy Series Read online

  Her eyes opened wide. “I’m so sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. I know it’s none of my business, but I’m guessing it hasn’t been smooth sailing on the dating front?”

  I raised my eyebrows. She was right, on both accounts. The dating front hadn’t exactly been smooth sailing, and it most certainly was none of her business. Still, she had a sweetness in her eyes and I figured it wouldn’t do much harm to entertain her for a bit. “You can definitely say that,” I admitted.

  She nodded her head. “Been there. I think I might have something that can help.”

  I sighed, immediately regretting my invitation to entertain her. This wasn’t my first rodeo on a New York subway. I started going through the list of things I expected her to follow up with. Have you accepted religion into your life? Do you have any spare change? Want to buy my mix tape? “Trust me, the only help I need is stopping my friend from trying to set me up on blind dates.”

  Her head tilted to the side as she smiled. “Plenty of people met their mates through blind dates. I wouldn’t completely rule them out. I mean, you never know, right?”

  I chuckled a little to myself. The girl sitting across from me couldn’t have looked much older than twenty-five. I still remembered how naïve I was at that age. That is, until life smacked me in the face with a runaway ex-fiancé. “I suppose, but I’m not really the one who enjoys throwing darts in the dark, if you catch my drift.”

  Her lower lip pouted as her gaze drifted to the floor. I thought that was the end of it, until I heard her nails tapping against the cover of the book on her lap. She looked back up to me.

  “Well, if that’s how you really feel, I definitely think this is a book you should pick up.” She held the book in front of her so I could see the cover. “When you throw darts in the dark, sometimes the light comes back on to show you hit your bull’s-eye.”

  I rolled my eyes. I hadn’t even read the cover of the book yet, but I could already tell I wouldn’t be surprised if it was some New Age spiritual mumbo-jumbo, or a collection of those moody Instagram poems that people confused for being deep. My eyes dropped down to read the title of the book aloud. “The Omega and Alpha’s Guide to Dating: Love Without Swiping Right.”

  Her eyes beamed. “You should definitely give it a read.”

  For second, I sat there with a straight face. Then, my lips tugged up and cracked into a smile. A chuckle escaped the back of my throat, and before long, I was gripping my stomach as I burst out with laughter. “You can’t be serious?”

  She leaned back against her seat and forced a smile. “Totally. I’d give you my copy, but it’s how my date and I are going to recognize each other. We each have a copy and we’re going to be meeting for the first time next to City Hall station.”

  “Look, I know you’re just trying to be helpful, but you do know you aren’t going to find the path to love inside of a dating manual, right?”

  The girl shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, but I do know that nobody finds what they’re looking for in places they’ve already checked.”

  I repositioned myself in my seat and angled my body so I could rest my head between the window in the back padding of the chair. I hug my messenger bag against my body and pulled out a pair of headphones.

  I wet my lips with my tongue and plugged the headphones into my phone. The girl had bought into a gimmick, but I couldn’t blame her for it. She was still young and had a lot to learn about love and life. “Well, thank you for the suggestion, but when it comes to books, I’m more of a science fiction type of omega.”

  She gave me a smile and brought her attention to the book as she flipped around the pages. I turned on my music and let my eyes slip shut.

  Suddenly, my eyes jolted open to see a crowd of people exiting the subway. I unplugged my headphone and checked the time. A voice spoke through the speakers. “Last stop, City Hall station.”

  I jerked up from my seat and wiped my lips against the sleeve of my shirt. It felt like I only had just shut my eyes, so I was confused to say the least at where the time had gone. It was when I reached down to pick up my bag that had slid back down on the seat next to me that I saw the book the girl was pushing on me resting on top of it. Only, she wasn’t there anymore.

  Picking up the book, I rushed out of the subway and began scanning the crowd of people, hoping to find her. I didn’t want her dumb book. She couldn’t have made it far, but in the sea of people, I doubted I would be able to recognize her even if she was only a few feet away.

  I walked over to an empty space near an out of order scanning station and stepped on my tiptoes for a better view. The only reason I looked for her as much as I had was because I had absolutely no intention of even flipping open the cover. I still thought it was silly, but if she enjoyed it, I’d rather her hang onto it and believe its silly promises than me tossing it into the trash. “Where the fuck did you go?” I muttered.

  2

  Clay

  I ran a finger along the curvature of my jaw. At thirty-seven years old, I couldn’t believe that a first date could make me this nervous. I wiped my palms along the sides of my pants. Then again, it wasn’t just a first date, it was a blind date. “Blue tie or black?” I muttered to myself, holding both pieces of fabric to my neck.

  I dropped them both onto my bed and took a sip of coffee before setting my mug back down on my nightstand. I’d never met Charlie, my blind date, but Nick, a good friend of mine asked if he could set us up.

  At first, I was hesitant, but Nick assured me he thought we would be a perfect match. To be honest, it felt really strange. He had told me so much about Charlie that I felt like I already knew him. Hell, if I felt like I already knew him, then what sense did possibly make for me to feel as nervous as I was?

  I scratched the back of my head while looking back and forth between the blue and black ties. The only sense I could really make of my nerves was that I somehow imagined this Charlie was everything Nick said he was. And the way Nick described him, he really did sound perfect for me.

  “Just pick a damn tie. It’s going to be hidden under your blazer anyways, why are you making such a big deal of this.”

  Screw it. I picked the black tie up from the bed and secured it around the collar of my shirt in a double Windsor.

  Suddenly, somebody knocked on the front door. I was just about to go answer, but when I turned around, I kicked the leg of the nightstand. My mug of coffee tipped over and splashed back up against my white dress shirt.

  My face scrunched up as the pain from stabbing my toe shot up my leg like a jolt of lightning. “Ah, for fuck’s sake,” I groaned.

  I grabbed a clean towel from the linens closet and began trying to dab out the stain while I made my way to the front door.

  Nick raised his brows when I swung open the door to greet him. “Christ Clay, the hell have you been doing in here? You should’ve already left by now.” He glanced down to the large stain on my shirt. “And please tell me that’s not what you’re going to wear.”

  I rolled my eyes. Of course, this wasn’t what I was going to wear, I’d look like a god damn slob. Suddenly, my hesitation of going out on a blind date started to resurface. “Look, maybe I should just reschedule. I’m already going to be late and what kind of impression would that give?”

  He shook his head and exhaled deeply. “Probably a better impression than canceling last-minute. Besides, what are you even going to say? You can’t make it because you spilled coffee on yourself?”

  My lips pressed together as I glared at him. I could probably come up with a better excuse by clicking a random suggestion of words when texting. “I’m just not sure it’s a great idea. The whole blind date thing, you know? It just feels like a whole lot of extra added stress.”

  “Just try to not let it get to you so much. You and Charlie have so much in common, if you do just meet up on a different date, I can guarantee you’ll be kicking yourself for not meeting him earlier. Besides, you’re just s
tressed because this is your first date after your—”

  I stopped dabbing at the splotch of my shirt and looked back up to him. “Since my divorce?”

  Nick nodded his head. “Yeah. Sorry.”

  I could feel a knot start to form in the pit of my stomach. I’d been divorced nearly two years now. I was completely over my ex-husband, but that didn’t make this anymore easy. The whole idea of having to get to know somebody new was exhausting. “Fine, I’ll go.”

  I unbuttoned the stained shirt and tossed it into a laundry bin in my room and grabbed a clean shirt. I fastened the buttons back up and swapped the black tie out for the blue one. “And why the hell did you choose City Hall of all places for us to meet for the first time? There’s literally thousands of people crossing through every minute, you couldn’t pick somewhere little more private? How are we supposed to even find each other with so much going on?”

  Nick started to laugh. “I don’t know, I thought meeting at City Hall for the first time would be romantic. And I already told you how you’ll find each other. You’ll both be holding the same book.”

  My eyes widened. I still didn’t know why he’d chosen a book for us to hold to recognize each other; there would probably be hundreds of people walking around, each with a book tucked under their arm. What was I supposed to do, ask each of them what they were reading? “You don’t think it would be easier if you just gave me his number?”

  “If I give you his number before you met, you would have texted him beforehand as well.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. Obviously, that would be called getting to know someone. Sort of seemed like the standard thing to do. “Well, what would the harm have been in that?”

  Nick rolled his eyes. “The harm in that is that it’s easier to talk to somebody when you don’t have to see them. When you don’t have to see them, it’s not exactly uncommon that people exaggerate who they really are.”

  Once my shirt was completely buckled and my tie secured into a double Windsor, I walked back into the living room. “So, what do you think?” I raised my arms to my sides and angled my body in a few different positions.

  “You look fine and you’ll do great.”

  “All right then,” I said. “Wish me luck.” I slipped on my shoes and reached for the door.

  “You don’t need luck, you just need to be yourself,” Nick called out to me as I raced towards the subway station.

  My chest started to burn as I raced into the tunnels. I was by no means out of shape, but my aching lungs and cramped thighs reminded me how crazy it seemed that people would do this whole running thing just for fun.

  Just as my docking terminal came into sight, the doors of the subway began to swing shut. Precautionary lights flared to keep back. I glanced down at my watch. Dammit, the first time the subway actually left on time.

  I rested a hand on either one of my knees and kneeled to catch my breath. “Great,” I muttered to myself, between heavy breaths. Now, not only would I be late for our first date, I’d be covered in sweat.

  3

  Elliott

  As a last-ditch effort, I raised the book above my head and started to wave it around. I probably looked like an idiot, but being in a New York City subway station, I probably didn’t even seem that out of place.

  Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved New York. I loved the atmosphere, I loved the people, hell, even the sounds of traffic somehow became soothing over time. As much as I loved it though, it would be a lie to say it didn’t draw in some of the more interesting characters, to say the least.

  “Where the fuck did you go?” I muttered. “Last chance, I swear this book will go right into the trash.”

  Just then, I heard a voice call to the side of me. “I’m not that late, am I?”

  A wave of confusion washed over me. I looked over in the direction of the voice to see a man approaching me. My eyes blinked heavily a few times. “I’m sorry?”

  His deep blue eyes, dark hair, tanned skin, and strong jaw-line immediately caught my attention, but it was his slim muscular frame that kept it. It wasn’t until he was standing directly in front of me that I realized my jaw was hanging slack. I licked at my lips and wiped the back of my hand along my lips to make sure I wasn’t drooling.

  He kept his eyes locked onto mine. His strong pine and cinnamon scent engulfed me.

  “Clay,” he introduced himself, tugging his lips up into a smile. “Sorry I’m late, it’s not an excuse, but you know how the subway can get.”

  His deep caramel voice filled my head as I lingered on every syllable he spouted.

  “You must be Charlie. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” He raised a book to his chest. “I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t think it would be this easy to spot each other.”

  I glanced down to the book he was holding. It was the same book the girl on the subway was reading. The book she was carrying so she and her blind date spotted each other. The book that I was now holding. “Charlie?” I repeated.

  A bolt of clarity shot through my body. I raised my brow. This Clay guy must have had me confused with his blind date. “I’m sorry, but I’m not—”

  Before I could finish my sentence, Clay spoke up again. “Isn’t it awkward meeting a blind date for the first time?” he said. “I mean, what’s the proper etiquette here? Are we supposed to shake? Hug?”

  Clay took a step closer. “You know what? Let’s just go for it.” He snaked an arm around my back and pulled me in for a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

  Frazzled, I stood there in shock, unable to pull away, but not sure I even wanted to if I could. I wrapped an arm around his upper back and returned the hug. When we pulled away, I squinted my eyes. The situation was so overwhelming, I wasn’t even sure what to say.

  Suddenly, my phone started to ring. I snaked it out of my pocket and glanced down at the caller ID. It was Adam again. I swiped to accept the call and raised the phone to my ear. “Hey, sorry about earlier. Our call totally dropped.”

  “No worries,” he replied. “You make it there all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m here now.”

  Clay slid a thumb into the pocket of his pants and rocked on his heels. “I hope that’s not your emergency escape phone call already,” he said cheerfully.

  “Wait,” Adam said. “Are you with somebody right now?”

  Before I could answer, Clay reached over and took my phone. He brought it to his ear.

  I was completely stunned and my jaw hung slack. “I’m not who you think—”

  Clay raised his brow and cut me off again. He lowered my phone to his chest and blocked off the speaker. “Sorry, who’s on the other end?”

  “Uhh, my friend Adam.”

  He smiled. “Perfect. “He brought the phone back up to his ear and spoke into it. “Yes, Adam?”

  “Yeah?”

  “This is Clay, I just want to assure you I’m with Charlie now, and everything is perfectly fine. Just to give you a quick update, things are going well.” He looked over to me. “Would you say so as well? That things are going well, so far?”

  With my brow raised, I shrugged my shoulders. “Everything’s fine, but I’m not—”

  He nodded his head and spoke back into the phone before I could explain I wasn’t who he thought I was. “And rest assured, I’m totally—not—a—crazy person. I’m positive that after our date, Charlie will give you a call back, and hopefully tell you it was a perfectly adequate first date.”

  With that final statement, Clay hung up the phone and passed it back to me. “So, should we grab a coffee and walk around the park for a bit?” he asked.

  My eyes opened wide. This was my chance to finally communicate the whole misunderstanding. There was something different about Clay. I had never met another alpha like him before. I should’ve explained everything right then and there, so why couldn’t I get the words out now?

  Obviously, Charlie, the person I was sitting across from on the subway, and coincidentally Clay
’s blind date, was nowhere to be found. I figured what harm could come from grabbing a coffee? I could explain everything then and we could share a few laughs. I shrugged my shoulders. “Sure.”

  Clay took a few steps forward and began heading towards one of the exits. I was still frozen in my tracks when Clay looked back over his shoulder.

  His lips tucked up into a smile and his warm, inviting eyes met mine. “Well, I’m waiting for you,” he said, giving me a teasing wink and waving his hand for me to follow along.

  I tucked the book into my bag.

  4

  Clay

  Charlie walked next to me as we made our way out of the station and onto the street.

  There was a sweet little artisan café just a couple blocks away. It had been a long time since I had a first date, but a coffee and a walk in the park definitely sounded like first date material.

  Just then, I felt my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out.

  My lips tugged up in excitement. “It’s Nick,” I exclaimed, glancing over to the omega he had set me up with. I answered the call. “Ehh, Nick. What’s going on?”

  “Just checking in on you, did you end up making it on time? Is Charlie with you? How’s it going?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at the barrage of questions. “Yeah yeah, I’m with Charlie. I ended up missing my train, but it all ended up working out. It’s going well, we’re just on our way to grab a coffee. Want to talk to him? I can put him on the phone for you.” I glanced over to my date.

  He looked back at me with wide eyes and an alarmed expression cloaking his face.

  “No, that’s fine. I’m sure he’ll tell me all about it,” Nick replied, letting out a laugh. “Just wanted to make sure you got there alright, and didn’t decide to chicken out.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Definitely glad I didn’t. Anyways, I’ll give you a shout later.”