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Vegas Pregnancy Surprise
Shirley Jump
Vegas baby bombshell! Following a fun girls’ weekend in Vegas, Molly Hunter’s discovered she’s pregnant! From the second she spied him, Molly was bowled over by millionaire Linc Curtis. They shared an instant bond and got swept away in the moment. Molly’s always dreamed of finding Mr Right and having a family.Now she’s expecting, but Mr Right’s in another city. And he’s certainly not expecting – to be a dad! It’s time for Molly to return to Vegas to deliver her surprise news!
Molly’s blog—pre-original Las Vegas weekend
You ever wish you could have a shaker for your life? Something that would take all those little ruts that have gotten so comfortable, turn them upside down and send you in a new direction? Sometimes I wonder if that’s what I need to move forward, to make a change. Who knows? Maybe this upcoming weekend in Las Vegas with Jayne, Alex and Serena will be just what the doctor ordered.
But…
I worry about the reputation that city has. You know—the whole getting wild and doing things you’d never do in real life while you’re in Las Vegas. Wild is the exact opposite of how I’d describe myself. Stepping out of that comfort zone…
Well, I just won’t. I’m going there for Jayne, and to have a good time. But not too good a time. Surely for a couple of days I won’t do anything too crazy. Right?
Status update for Molly Hunter’s internet networking profile
Molly Hunter had a great time in Las Vegas, even if it was about a hundred steps out of her ordinary life!
(About an hour ago)
Jayne Cavendish: That weekend was great! Thanks so much for going along!
Alex Lowell McKendrick: Even if some of us ended up with a surprise wedding afterward! Hope you all can come back to Vegas soon. I miss you!
Molly Hunter: I miss you too, Alex! It’s not the same here without you and Serena!
Serena Warren: Ditto! If you guys come to Vegas, we could have a great reunion! And who knows…? You might find the loves of your lives, Molly and Jayne!
Molly Hunter: Not looking for him right now. Maybe down the road.
Jayne Cavendish: I ditto that!
Alex Lowell McKendrick: Vegas is a city that is full of surprises, gals. You never know what might happen while you’re here!
Vegas Pregnancy Surprise
By
Shirley Jump
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Dear Reader
I had great fun writing this continuity with the other authors, and creating characters who are dealing with the aftermath of one crazy night. We’ve all had a crazy night (or two!) and I think we can all relate to Molly and Linc’s story.
I also like the whole idea of taking a gamble on love. Love is a risk, no matter how you come across it in your life or who with. You’re opening your heart, opening your soul, to another person, and that means you run the risk of two outcomes—happiness or hurt. I’m always rooting for the first one, being a romance author. I believe in taking those risks and then seeing how that gamble pays off. Molly and Linc took a risk, and then another when they get back together to deal with the consequences of their one crazy night.
The other thing these books are about is friendship. The authors I wrote this continuity with are some great friends of mine in real life, and I was honored to be a part of this series with them. They’re the kind of women you could sit down and have a cup of coffee with, and before you know it, four hours have passed while you’ve been chatting.
So grab a cup of java for yourself, sit down and enjoy Molly and Linc’s story!
Thanks for reading, and as always, feel free to visit my website: www.shirleyjump.com, or write to me at PO Box 5126, Fort Wayne, IN 46895 USA. I always love to hear from readers!
Shirley
Girls’Weekend in Vegas
Four friends, four dream weddings!
On a girly weekend in Las Vegas, best friends Alex, Molly, Serena and Jayne are just supposed to have fun and forget men—but they end up meeting their perfect matches! Will the love they find in Vegas stay in Vegas?
Find out in this sassy, fun and wildly romantic mini-series all about love and friendship!
Meet the girls:
Alex
SAVING CINDERELLA!
by Myrna Mackenzie
June
Molly
VEGAS PREGNANCY SURPRISE
by Shirley Jump
July
Serena
INCONVENIENTLY WED!
by Jackie Braun
August
Jayne
WEDDING DATE WITH THE BEST MAN
by Melissa McClone
September
Chapter One
TWO pink lines.
Molly Hunter stared for a good thirty seconds at the long white stick displaying its message like a beacon atop her peach tile bathroom counter. Put it down, picked it up, stared at the double pink message some more.
It couldn’t be. Had to be…impossible.
Nausea sent her stomach on a renewed roll and pitch, as if daring her to disagree. For the past couple of weeks she’d been waking up nauseous, tired, but with three of her summer school students out sick over the last month with the flu, she’d attributed her touchy stomach to them. Not to—
Oh, God. To that night in Vegas.
Two months ago. Had it been that long? How could she not have noticed?
Easy. She didn’t have a boyfriend, or a husband, and the chances of her getting pregnant were slim to none. Except this time Slim had apparently been an overachiever.
Her mind rocketed back to the bar, to a gorgeous man with blue eyes and dark hair. A man she knew only by his first name.
Linc.
“No last names.”
“No commitments.”
“Nothing but tonight.”
One crazy, insane night when Molly Hunter, who never did anything without a plan, without thinking things through, had thrown caution to the wind, and let a nearly electric attraction rule her every thought.
Ever since that night, she’d done her best to try to forget the intoxicating man she’d met in Vegas, and she’d thought she’d done a pretty good job of it. He’d been a momentary attraction, a crazy aberration in her life, and even though every once in a while her thoughts drifted to where he might be or whether he was thinking about her, she told herself leaving that one-night stand where it was—in the back of her thoughts as a delicious one-night memory—was the best thing all around.
After all, she was a kindergarten teacher, who did nothing more exciting than teach remedial English to high schoolers in the summer. A conservative woman in every sense of the word. She never did anything remotely like that.
Well, never wasn’t exactly the right term. Almost never!
She’d gone to Vegas with one purpose—to help her good friend Jayne Cavendish forget about the devastating end of her engagement to Rich Strickland. The four friends—Molly, Jayne, Alex Lowell and Serena Warren—had planned a girls’ weekend of manicures, martinis and memories.
They’d done just that the first night, but then the second night they’d been more adventurous, going off in their own directions. For some of them, that time apart had clearly resulted in a bit of trouble.
For Molly—a lot of trouble. She gave the stick a solid shake, then looked at it again. Still two pink lines.
You’re pregnant! those lines screamed in their happy, friendly pastel color.
Yeah, and totally unprepared for this lifechanging event, her mind shouted back.
Oh, God. What was she going to do? What on earth was she going to do?
“Hello! Molly?”
Her mother’s bright, cheery voice carried through Molly’s San Diego bungalow. Molly scooped the pregnancy test, the box and wrapper and hurried to bury them all in the white wicker trash basket, shoving several tissues on top. She emerged from the bathroom, tightening the belt of her white terrycloth robe as she crossed into the kitchen. Rocky, her Jack Russell mix, trotted along at her heels, eying her every few steps and wagging his tail. “Mom. What brings you by so early?” She reached for the dog food, then the small stainless steel bowl beside the canister.
She avoided her mother’s inquisitive gaze. Hoping her face didn’t betray a worried flush. She could only hope that Jayne wouldn’t wake up any time soon. She couldn’t deal with her temporary roommate’s questions, too, especially since Jayne had been there that weekend.
Molly ran a hand through her hair. Had she really done that? Been so…careless? Was she really…pregnant?
“Early?” Cynthia Hunter gaped at her daughter. “Goodness, Molly. It’s ten after eight.”
Molly paused in filling Rocky’s bowl. “That late? Already?” She hurried to put the bowl on the floor. Rocky scrambled after the kibble, his tail now in overdrive. “I have to get out of here.”
“But, Molly, I thought we’d sit down and chat. Your summer school session ended yesterday. Don’t you have plenty of time to—?”
“Sorry, no!” Molly had already spun on her heel and headed toward her bedroom. She’d spent too much time in the bathroom, staring at that stupid stick, as if looking at the lines would make the result any different. She tossed her robe on the unmade, sleep-rumpled bed—she’d have to let that housekeeping detail go for today, even though it would bug her—then threw open her closet and grabbed the first outfit she saw. Gray poplin slacks, a short-sleeved lilac sweater set and black kitten heels.
Two quick light raps sounded on Molly’s bedroom door. “Do you want breakfast, honey? I can make you some poached eggs.”
The thought nearly made Molly rush to the bathroom again. “No. No, thanks, Mom.” She slid the sweater over her head, buttoned her slacks and stepped into the shoes. A quick brush through her hair, a touch of makeup on her face, and she was done—or at least close enough to pass muster.
Molly headed out of her bedroom, running through a mental list as she walked. She really didn’t need to bring anything to today’s meeting, but she liked to be prepared just in case. She’d grab that binder filled with her ideas for next year’s curriculum changes. Oh, and the grant she was working on to expand the reading program. Rumor had it there were going to be cutbacks at Washington Elementary. Molly wanted to be sure not be caught in that if the rumors were true.
She was still running through her day when she rounded the corner—and nearly collided with Jayne. “Oh, sorry!”
Jayne laughed and brushed a few stray tendrils of her short chestnut hair off her forehead. “No problem. You’re in a hurry this morning. Are you leaving early for the meeting with administration?”
Molly nodded.
Jayne assessed her. “Are you nervous? You don’t look like yourself.” The two of them headed into the living room, with Molly feeling caught between the inquisitive eyes of her mother and Jayne at the same time. How on earth was she going to hide this secret?
Well, she had to. She didn’t even know anything for sure. Not yet.
“No.” Molly let out a sigh. “Yes.”
“You’ll do fine,” Cynthia said.
“It’s not that, Mom.” Molly crossed to the small desk in her living room, gathered up the binder holding the curriculum and the folder with the grant materials, then put both into her dark brown leather tote bag. “The budget is what the budget is. If there’s funding for a second kindergarten class this year, then I’ll have a job. And if there isn’t…”
“You won’t. But I’m sure it’ll be fine,” her mother said.
Jayne dittoed her support.
Molly nodded. She couldn’t imagine not working at Washington Elementary School and seeing another flock of kindergarteners in the fall. Their inquisitive faces, blossoming like spring flowers when they learned the basics, from their alphabet to simple addition. She loved her job—and couldn’t picture herself doing anything else. She’d done the same thing, day in and day out, for years, and that was exactly how she liked her life.
If that was so, then why had she been so eager to let loose that one night? To act as if she were someone else?
A psychologist would probably say it was because she was seeking to fill a void in herself. Molly brushed that thought aside. The night had been an aberration, nothing more. She had no “voids” in her life to fill. She was fine.
She’d been in Vegas merely to support Jayne, who’d been going through a rough patch. That was all.
“You look pale,” Cynthia said, taking a step forward and laying a hand on her daughter’s forehead. “Not like yourself. Didn’t you say a summer flu bug was going around? Maybe you caught it.”
She’d caught something all right.
“You do look a little run down, Moll,” Jayne put in.
