Baby's Team

Copyright © 2023 by Janie Marie All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This work is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and besides the author herself, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales are entirely coincidental. Copyediting: Emily Vaughan Paperback ISBN: 9798386741150 Imprint: Independently published ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BSVGL3M7 Cover Photo: by Lucas Andrade from Pexels CONTENTS Commissioned Art Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Epilogue 1 Epilogue 2 Epilogue 3 Epilogue 4 Epilogue 5 Epilogue 6 Epilogue 7 Ryder Godson’s Bonus Epilogue Acknowledgments Also By Janie Marie About the Author COMMISSIONED ART Follow Janie for news regarding art prints and swag. Instagram/Tiktok: @janiemarie1617 CHAPTER ONE 10 weeks “Jane’s knocked up.” Ryder’s life-altering words ceased all dinner conversation at the Mortaime-Leodegrance household. With a shaky smile, Jane met her mother’s and stepfather’s shocked stares. She didn’t blame them for looking like they’d just witnessed a car crash. After all, Ryder, one of her four boyfriends and her baby daddy, wasn’t supposed to blurt out the news yet. The plan had been to have dinner with her parents, get them in a happy mood, then tell them she was pregnant. Not that she expected either of them to be thrilled. Hell, Jane was still on shaky ground with her mother. It wasn’t easy to move on from learning your mother deliberately tried to ruin your chances at love. She forgave her, yes, for her sanity. But she would never forget that her mother resented her because her father loved her. She would never forget that her mother had tried to sabotage her love life. Jane remained civil, though, despite her mother’s previous actions, as she’d finally accepted her daughter had four boyfriends, three of whom—Ryder, Tercero, and Luc—were brothers. The other, David, was Jane’s stepbrother. Kingston finally blinked. “I’m sorry. For a moment, I thought you said you were having a baby with my daughter.” Ryder grinned like the damned Cheshire cat. “See, you thought your hearing was going with your old age.” If Jane could facepalm, she would have knocked herself out. But Tercero, who called himself boyfriend number three, was seated beside her, dropped his hand onto hers. Her quiet boy gave her a supportive little squeeze, no doubt aware his brother was about to verbally spar with her stepfather. It was a game for Ryder. He liked to fight and saw her stepdad as a formidable opponent. Kingston stood, knocking his chair over, crystal blue eyes ablaze as he roared, “You got my little girl pregnant!” “She’s my girl,” Ryder said, unfazed. “Now she’s gonna be my hot baby mama. I’m King Daddy.” “Oh Jesus,” Sarah whispered, holding her head between her hands. Ryder made a face at her. “Sarah, the name is Ryder Godson. You better remember that when you gush to your friends about your daughter being pregnant with my adorable ass baby.” “Jane,” Kingston snapped, the vein in his forehead pulsing as his face grew redder, “is this true? Or is this some joke you two are playing?” He glanced at Tercero before darting his gaze to her again, sitting when his legs seemed to give out. “Oh Lord, I can tell it’s true.” “Damn right it is.” Ryder leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “I told you I was making babies with her, Pops. Happened sooner than we hoped for, but that’s expected of me. I’m so fucking impressive that my little mini me destroyed her birth control.” Jane let out a nervous giggle. Ryder might talk like a fool around Kingston, but he was completely serious about being a dad and prepared for this baby. He only acted like a silly idiot because he liked to make her laugh. Right then, she wasn’t sure if he was trying to see her laugh or cry. Perhaps she should’ve seen his silliness coming. He’d already done the serious and romantic stuff when she realized he’d known about the pregnancy. He hadn’t taken her anywhere. He’d merely kicked David and Tercero out of the apartment because it was something he needed to do with her alone. She loved that the others understood Ryder. He might be the strongest and most fierce of their group, but he was delicate about her, and they respected him. They wanted her to experience the preciousness of the sweet side only she saw with her bad boy, and stepping aside for him to do so was one of the best forms of love they could give her. So that night, after Luc dropped her off at the apartment she shared with Ryder, David, and Tercero, she was greeted with one of Ryder’s most romantic and sweetest gestures. He had the whole place set up with a mixture of calla lilies and blood-red roses. Every space that could hold a vase held fragrant and beautiful flowers. Then he had a classic teddy bear and a stack of pregnancy and parenting books that the local bookstore recommended. She’d almost fainted when he smiled and got down on one knee. He’d surprised her earlier by embracing the others, texting that they would all be fathers