Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
“We’ll cross that bridge when—or if—we come to it. We’ll hire full-time security for you and Crissy if we have to.” I rub what I hope is a soothing hand in circles between her shoulders. “And I’ll be here watching your back as often as you’ll have me.”
She pulls away, looking up at me with a stunned expression. “What do you mean? I thought we were getting married tomorrow. Don’t you want to live together after the ceremony?”
I blink faster, my words clogging in my throat as I study her face, unable to tell if she’s serious.
Finally, she has mercy on me and whispers with a soft giggle, “Got ya.”
I exhale. “You have one hell of a poker face, woman.”
“I do. I’m very good at poker. When I can remember the rules. But don’t worry, I realize a wedding pact made moments after I was almost murdered by my ex isn’t a binding agreement. Neither of us were in our right minds.”
The reminder of how close I came to losing her makes me hug her until her feet come off the floor. “I don’t know about that. I’m always in my right mind when I’m with you. My rightest mind, the one that knows what’s really important.”
“And it isn’t money or fame or having the most successful restaurant in the city or the perkiest boobs on the block,” she whispers against my neck as I carry her into her room and shut the door.
“Your boobs are the perkiest and the best.” I set her back on her feet at the foot of her bed and reach for the bottom of her sweater. “At least, I’m assuming they still are. Maybe I should check, just to be sure.”
“You should absolutely check,” she says, lifting her arms to make it easier for me to pull off her sweater and the t-shirt underneath.
And then there’s nothing but her lacy white bra between my favorite breasts in the world and my mouth and I’m suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of gratitude so intense it brings me to my knees. I drop to the carpet in front of her, molding my hands to her ribs as I kiss her stomach. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I don’t want to imagine a day without you. Let alone the rest of my fucking life.”
Her hands shake as she strokes my hair from my face. “Same. Now, please get naked. I need you so much.”
I need her just as much, a fact I prove by making the rest of our clothes vanish in nanoseconds.
And then, she’s on top of me, riding me in the darkness, but I don’t mind the shadows. She makes her own light, this woman who whispers, “Love you, love you so much, Cam. So much,” as she comes on top of me, followed quickly by, “More, please. From behind.”
Flipping her over, I give her what she’s asked for, promising with every stroke of my body into hers that I always will. I live to serve her, pleasure her, enjoy her, and share as many adventures and laughs and everyday miracles with her as I can fit into a single lifetime.
I’m hers and she’s mine and it’s only a matter of time before we make forever official.
By the time we collapse in a tangle of exhausted limbs, I’m already making plans for how—and when—to propose, drifting off to sleep with visions of a summer rooftop and the sun in Natalie’s hair dancing through my head.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Natalie
Five months later…
I’m piping the last cartoon star on Jess’s Super Mario-themed “Happy Birthday and Congrats on Finally Quitting your Shit Job” cake when a light breeze sends my ponytail swishing back and forth, tickling the back of my neck.
It’s almost time.
I can feel magic gathering in the air as I glance up to see Crissy racing across the roof to the tent I set up to protect the birthday buffet from the June sun. She’s moving so fast I can hardly believe this increasingly sporty kid was once the accident-prone toddler I couldn’t turn my back on for five seconds without her taking a spill.
She’s growing up so fast and strong and with hardly any fallout from her first—and last—meeting with her father. The fact that Phillip was sentenced to twenty years in prison a few weeks ago without chance of parole hasn’t hurt things, but that’s a minor factor. The real reason she’s thriving is because Cam and I are always there for her, making her feel safe and loved.
We’re already a family.
All that’s left to do is to make it official.
Crissy skids to a stop dangerously close to a tray of macarons and hisses in a dramatic whisper, “He’s here! They’re on their way up the stairs right now!”
My heart and stomach swap places and my hands start to shake.