The Butterfly Effect (Boggy Creek Valley 1)

Ben made a little sound, and Aiden laughed softly. “You want to know what it was, huh? I’ll tell you. One day at school, a piece of paper slipped from her notebook and I picked it up. I went to call after her until I saw what it was.”

I wrapped my hands around my waist and slowly slid down the wall while I fought to hold back the tears.

“She had written my name and drawn a heart around it. Underneath it she wrote, ‘My only true love.’”

I dropped my forehead to my arms and let the tears silently fall.

“When I found out she was getting married to your daddy, I almost threw it away. I was so angry, Ben. I won’t lie to you about that. But I understood why she was doing it. I had told her, you see, that night in your granddaddy’s barn, that I could never be with her. So I couldn’t be mad at her for moving on. But I knew in my soul she would always be the woman I had given my heart to. When I found out she was getting divorced…I’m sorry little guy, but I was so happy. So very happy. I wanted to ask her to wait for me, to give me a few more years and I’d be back for her. Fate had other plans, though, and it brought us back together sooner. And now my entire life has changed because of your mommy. Do you know why, little man?”

Leaning my head back against the wall, I pressed both of my hands over my mouth and listened to Aiden’s soft voice. Did he have any idea how I had never stopped loving him? How he had always…would always own my heart?

“She saved me, Ben. You saved me too. Both of you have taught me that the future holds such beautiful possibilities, and even though the past still haunts me, I’ve got my future now. I’ve got you and your mommy. So you see, Ben, I would really like to make your mommy mine. I’ve waited a long time and let someone else have her first, but no more. What do you say, can I marry your mommy?”

Just when I didn’t think my heart could possibly take any more, my son spoke.

“Mama, Dada, bird.”

With my hand pressed tightly to my mouth and the tears flowing endlessly down my face, I heard Aiden’s own emotion-filled voice.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Aiden

Ben lay in my arms asleep as I slowly stood and placed him in his crib. I covered him with his little blanket and then quietly made my way out of his room. When I walked into Willa’s room, she was sitting on the end of the bed. She lifted her head, and my heart nearly fell to the floor when I saw her tears.

Rushing to her, I dropped down and took her hands in mine. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She nodded and tried to speak, but it came out in a jumbled mess and I couldn’t understand a thing she said.

I cupped her face in my hands and smiled. “Hey, take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on.”

When she hiccupped, I chuckled. My God, she was beautiful. Even with tears running down her face as she rubbed the back of her hand across her nose, she was the most stunning woman I had ever laid eyes on.

“Talk to me, sweetness.”

“I…I…love you, Aiden. I’ve always loved you. I…I can’t…well, I can’t say I’m…sorry…for marrying him. I got…I got Ben.”

Frowning, I leaned down and looked in the eyes. “What are you talking about?”

She sniffled and then closed her eyes, drawing in a long, deep breath before slowly letting it out. “I heard you talking to Ben. I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you.”

My heart slammed against my chest and I quickly stood, picked her up in my arms, and carried her around the bed. “Don’t you dare, Willa. It’s you and me and Ben now. It’s us, forever. No looking back at the past, okay?”

She nodded as I untied her robe and let it fall open, giving me a view of her perfect body. I placed a finger on the side of her ribs and slowly moved it up and under her breasts, which caused her to suck in a breath of air.

“So beautiful,” I whispered before I leaned down and took one of her nipples into my mouth. Her fingers sliced through my hair, and she let out a low moan. “All mine.”

“Yes,” she hissed as I moved to her other breast. “Yours. I’m yours.”

After kissing nearly her entire body, I stripped out of my clothes, climbed on top of her, and placed my fingers between her legs. She was wet and ready, and my cock throbbed with the need to be inside of her.