Page 98 of Tempted

Chapter Thirty-Three

Victor cradled his sleeping son against his chest, inhaling that wonderful baby scent. He was big for a newborn at nine pounds and twelve ounces. It was no wonder Jasmine was passed out in her hospitable bed from exhaustion. Glancing in his wife’s direction, Victor made sure she was still sleeping soundly. His wife! Jasmine Brooks was now Mrs. Victor Meade.

Was it only yesterday when he’d set his plan in motion to bind her to him for the rest of their lives? Everything had been running smoothly and when Jasmine said yes to his proposal, he’d experienced bliss. Being calmly informed her water had brokenVictor had gone from cool calm and collected, to a panicked mess.

Jasmine had assured him that during her first pregnancy, she didn’t deliver Star until hours after her water broke. So they went ahead and had a brief but poignant ceremony where they recited vows that came straight from the heart. After filling out the proper paperwork, everyone huddled up in their cars and raced to the hospital.

The delivery wasn’t an easy one, at least not for him. Victor was more upset to see Jasmine in so much pain. She took everything in stride, however. The only indication that the labor was a strain on her at all was how tightly she squeezed his hand whenever she either had a contraction or when she was pushing. Several hours later and long after everyone else had gone home, Jasmine delivered their beautiful son. Victor was allowed to cut the umbilical cord. When his son was placed in his arms, however, he burst into tears.

He was so perfect, with all ten fingers and toes. And he had a healthy set of lungs. And now as Victor sat here holding the newborn while Jasmine rested, he felt a contentment that was foreign to him. He couldn’t remember ever being this happy or when everything in his life had run so smoothly. He and his children were closer than ever. Work was no longer his refuge and most importantly Jasmine was his wife. And they had a beautiful child together.

Victor wasn’t a perfect man and he knew he’d make mistakes along the way, but with Jasmineby his side everything would be alright. No problem was too great and no task was impossible.

His son squirmed in his arms and released a loud yawn as he revealed pink gums. Victor rocked his son gently hoping he wouldn’t cry, otherwise he’d have to wake Jasmine up.

As if sensing his mother’s need for sleep, the baby rammed his fist in his mouth and stared up at his father with cloudy eyes.

“Hey, son.” Victor ran a finger along the baby’s soft skin. “How are you little guy? Your mommy is sleeping now so we have to be really quiet,” he whispered. He leaned over and placed a kiss on the top of his son’s forehead. The baby was already a handsome little devil with a head-full of dark curly hair, smooth round cheeks and perfect little features. Maybe Victor was biased because this was his kid, but the Meade baby was probably the best looking kid in the nursery.

“You weren’t supposed to come into this world for another couple weeks. I’d planned on taking your mother away for a few days so we could have some time alone before you arrived. But I’m glad you’re here. I don’t blame you for wanting to come out early. You have such an amazing Mommy. For a while, it was a little touch and go with me and your mother. I didn’t think I’d be allowed to be a full time father to you but I’ll make a promise to you right here and now. You, your mother and your brothers and sisters will always be my top priorities. You might get mad at me and I may get mad at you but I’ll always love you.” He gave the baby another kiss.

The baby removed his fist from his mouth long enough to coo his approval. Victor continued to rock his son for several moments before the baby began making sucking noises with his mouth. As though realizing no meal was forthcoming, his little face crumpled, turning a bright shade of red. He let out a wail so loud, it would have waked the dead.

Jasmine stirred in her bed, a slow smile coming to her face. “Sounds like someone is hungry. Here, give him to me.” She held her arms out.

“I was hoping he’d let you sleep a little longer but I guess his hunger won’t be denied.” Victor chuckled as he carefully placed their son in the crook of Jasmine’s arm as she undid the front of her hospital gown. She guided her nipple to the baby’s mouth. It took a few seconds for him to latch on but when he did, he began to suck fervently.

Victor smiled indulgently as he stroked the back of his son’s head as he fed. There wasn’t a more beautiful sight than his wife feeding their child. His other three had been bottle fed so he didn’t realize something so natural could stir such primal feelings within him. His heart was so full of love he could barely stand it. He didn’t think he deserved it. But for some reason, the woman he loved saw fit to give him another chance and he had no plans on blowing it again. “Greedy little bugger isn’t he?”

Jasmine smiled. “He’s not a little bugger. He’s mommy’s perfect little angel.”

Victor raised a brow. “Should I be jealous of my own son?”

Jasmine giggled. “Of course not silly. You know I love you.”

“Say that again.”

“I love you.”

With a groan he leaned over and gave her a kiss. The baby whimpered in protest at being wedged so tightly between his parents. Victor stroked his son’s head. “Sorry little guy. I can’t seem to help myself when I’m around your mother.” Victor returned his attention to his wife. “I will never tire of hearing you say that. I love you so much Jasmine, and when I think of how I treated you I—”

She shook her head. “Don’t finish that statement. Whatever happened is in the past now. We both made some mistakes and I’m not innocent in this entire debacle. All we can do is move on, live and learn from this experience and be happy.”

Victor caressed the side of Jasmine’s face with the back of her hand. God, she was beautiful. “You make me very happy.”

“And you make me happy. I don’t know why I fought this so hard. But I can’t help but think things won’t be so smooth and easy going forward.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Not everyone will take kindly to you being married to someone like me. I’m not just talking about race either. When they realize I was once your nanny, they’ll think I married you for your money.”

“Jasmine, I don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks about us. Yes we will probably come across some bigots along the way but the important thing is we love each other. My kids—our kids are crazy about you and my mother loves you like a daughter. And we have a beautiful baby boy together, who by the way, we should probably think of a name for soon. We can’t keep referring to him as the baby.” They’d ruled out Victor Jr. because they didn’t think it would be fair to Adam and Tyler.

“You’re right. With everything going on I haven’t really focused on naming him. Star and I came up with a few possibilities but nothing really stands out. Speaking of the kids, didn’t you say your mother would be bringing them by later this morning?”

“Yes, they’re very eager to see him.”

“And how’s Star? She seemed a little anxious to leave with your mother last night.”

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