Stout (Men of Lovibond 2)

“Why would I freak out?”

“Because it’s hard core.”

“Oh. I’ve been wondering when you were going to bring it up.” Hearing she’s had it on her mind too puts me a little more at ease. “I’m sort of surprised you waited this long.”

Why would I bring it up? She’s not given me any indication she wanted to talk about marriage. “What are your thoughts about it?”

“I would do it if it’s what you wanted.” Really? That’s a very blasé answer about something as serious as becoming husband and wife.

“You would do it just like that? You wouldn’t even take time to think it over?” I would expect someone like Adelyn, a daughter of a preacher, would need to put much more thought into the decision. She isn’t a religious fanatic, but I can’t see her being okay with a divorce.

“Well, to me it’s just one more way of making me yours.”

“Well, yeah. It’s the biggest possible way to make you mine. You’d take my name. That would definitely mean you’re mine forever.”

“Huh?” She twists so she can see my face. “I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing.”

I’m confused. “What are you talking about?”

“I thought you were asking me for anal sex.”

Fuck. “No. I was talking about marriage, but now that I know you’ll let me fuck you in the ass, I may go for it.” Adelyn’s breath hitches. I assume it’s at the mention of marriage since she’s the one to bring up back door action.

“Oh, wow. We really got our lines crossed on that one.” She straightens so her back is turned to me. Means she doesn’t have to look at me. I think I’ve fucked up. I shouldn’t have mentioned the “m” word.

“I’m sorry. We don’t have to discuss this right now. Or ever if you don’t want to.”

“I’m a little caught off guard but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to talk about it.”

She doesn’t move but her breathing has changed. Louder. Quicker. And her chest is rising and falling faster. “I don’t want to have a conversation this important while I stare at your back.”

“Sorry.” She pulls away and rolls to lie on her side so we’re face to face. “Better?”

“Much. Thank you.” I reach for her hand and intertwine our fingers. “What are your thoughts about it? Marriage. Not anal sex.”

She giggles and it lightens the mood of the conversation. “It doesn’t work like that. You brought it up. That means you get to go first, Thorn.”

I was afraid she would say that; I guess it’s only fair I lay it on the line first.

A smile tugs at her lips and she fights to keep it suppressed. My girl’s trying to camouflage her excitement, which is adorable, but her hazels give her away.

“My life has been one big party. I’ve had a hell of a time boozing it up and going through women, especially the last three years. I’m tired of flings and empty relationships. I’m ready to start preparing for a life with a woman who wants to be mine. Only mine. One who wants to eventually take my name and one day have children with me. I don’t mean I have to have these things tomorrow or the next day. But that’s the life I want when the time is right for her and me.”

Adelyn is unblinking as she watches me speak.

“I want a faithful wife who loves me and our children.”

Adelyn looks dazed by my admission. I may be a little stunned by it myself. That wasn’t where I intended to go. I didn’t want to scare the shit out of Adelyn, but my heart stole the driver’s seat from my head.

“What do you want?”

I’m tense. Every second feels like hours. If she says she wants the complete opposite, this could end right here and now.

We’ve only known each other three months, and I am not ready to walk away from her.

I didn’t think that over completely, and the realization makes me wish I’d kept my fucking mouth shut.

But what if the chance I’m taking pays off? What if she wants the same things in life? What if she wants me too?

Her eyes betray her again when they pool with tears. Happy tears. I know because that smile she’s been fighting is winning the tug of war. “This woman you’re talking about. The one who is only yours. The one to eventually take your name and give you children. This faithful wife who loves you and your children.” A tear rolls down Adelyn’s cheek as she places her hand on my face. “I want to be her.”

I want to be her.

There is nothing more precious than hearing the woman you love say she wants to be your wife and mother of your children.

“Fuck, Max, I love you. Want you to be that woman.”

“I can be that woman for you, Thorn.” She has given me so much more than she knows. Her trust. Her care. Her body. Her soul. Her heart.

Now . . . her future.

I pull Adelyn close and wrap my arms around her. Every nerve ending on my body is firing. I’ve never felt more alive than in this moment.

Adelyn is my heart. My home. Right here. Everything I’ve ever wanted is within my reach. And I’m never letting her go. “You already are. You have been since we met. It’s just taken us until now to figure it out.”

She wants me. In Jimmy and Christie, I saw revolting specimens of parents. Husband and wife. In Mom and Dad, I’ve known what I want to find. My soul mate. My forever. Fuck, Adelyn Maxwell will be my forever. Yes.

Adelyn Maxwell

“Happy Birthday, Jillie.”

“Thank you, love.”

I place her pink-and-lime-green-wrapped gift on the table. The Jimmy Choos she’s been lusting after for months. “I’m so sorry we have to squeeze your birthday celebration into an hour over lunch.”

“It’s okay. I’m only turning twenty-eight. And it only happens once in a lifetime. No big deal.” I know she’s kidding but I still feel like shit. Especially when I was involved in organizing a surprise thirtieth birthday party for my boyfriend.

Jill, Kristin, and I always go out on the town for our birthdays. Jill’s completely slipped my mind when I agreed to go to Savannah with Oliver. “I’ll make it up to you. We’ll do dinner and dancing next weekend. Everything’s on me.” I pass Jill’s gift to her. “And if an all-expenses-paid birthday night doesn’t do it then I bet this will.”

Pink and green paper flies as she rips into her gift. “Oh, Jimmy. Fuck me running in these glamorous shoes.”

The shoes are beautiful. A work of art covered in crystal, gold, and bronze studs. “Like ’em?”

Jill leans over and squeezes me. “I lurve them. Thank you so much. And now I have no choice but to forgive you for ditching me on my birthday.”

“Feel free to forget my birthday and ditch me next month if it means I’ll get Jimmys like those. Size seven medium by the way.”

“Deal.”

Jill slips out of her shoes and into her new Jimmys. “So what kind of trip is this? Business or pleasure?”

“Both. Oliver has a business meeting in Macon, then he’s taking me to Savannah afterwards.”

Jill gets up to model her heels. They look dynamite. “Oh, so gorgeous. And a perfect fit. I wish I had a mirror to see how they look.” Jill holds out her leg and points her toe. ?

??Take a pic so I can see how they look on me.”

I snap a quick photo and hold out my phone for Jill to see. A huge smiles spreads on her face. “Oh, man. I’m not even going to wear these into a public bathroom. They’re too good for that.”

Kristin picks up the scattered pieces of wrapping paper from the floor. “So when we go out you’re going to have drinks and then hold your pee while you wear four-inch spiked heels? Should be entertaining to see you walk.”

Jill is a counselor. She makes decent money, but her income could never afford her things like this. “They’re just shoes, Jillie.”

She sits in her chair and slips off the heels, returning them to their box. “I know. But I’ve never had any this nice. I don’t want piss on them. Not even the bottoms.”

Kris rolls her eyes. “Back to this Savannah trip. Isn’t Oliver from there?”

“He is.”

“Oh. Hometown visit. Sounds like things might be getting serious.”

I’d say yes according to this morning’s conversation. “Things could be getting very serious. I think I’m sorta-kinda-maybe-pre-engaged.”

Kris is bringing her water up for a drink but stops mid motion. “What does sorta-kinda-maybe-pre-engaged mean?”

She looks as shocked as I felt this morning. “Out of the clear blue, Oliver brought up marriage this morning. He told me he wanted to talk about something hard core, and he was afraid I would freak out. All I heard was hard core so my mind immediately assumed he wanted to talk about getting a little bum action.”

“Bum action? Good Lord, Addie.” Jill sounds appalled, which doesn’t surprise me at all. I can totally see her being missionary only. Except she’s not even doing it that way. She hasn’t been on one single date since Tommy died.

“Anal sex.” Kristin giggles. “That must have been an interesting way to introduce the marriage discussion.”

I’m sort of glad it went down the way it did. “It was a little amusing when we realized I was talking about one thing and he was talking about something entirely different. It took some of the pressure off the hot topic.”