As he pounded into her, his lips pressed up against her ear and he whispered in a rough voice, “I love you, Heather. I love you.”
Her heart exploded before she did as she was gripped by an emotion she had never even known existed. A heady combination of lust and love made her lightheaded. As her orgasm ripped through her it was like her heart and her body were in perfect harmony, love making every part of her body yield to every sensation his body was giving her.
He groaned loudly and started breathing heavily, letting her know that he had found his own release as well. Simon rolled away from her and gathered her in his arms.
She lay her head on his chest, the sound of his rapidly-beating heart making her own heart skip a beat. In this moment, she knew that his heart belonged to her and her alone. “I love you, too,” she told him softly.
Simon took her hand in his, brought it to his lips, and kissed her knuckles tenderly. “What did I do to deserve you?”
“You probably did something good in a previous life,” she said.
“I must have been a saint in a previous life to deserve you.”
It was the second-most wonderful thing anyone had ever said to her after ‘I love you’. And as she closed her eyes, the sound of his heart beating in time with her own lulled her into dreamless sleep.
HE WAS LUCKY THE CARETAKER had stocked the fridge and freeze with easily-prepared meals, because fish sticks really were the best he could manage. Simon was setting them out on two separate plates when Heather stepped into the kitchen wrapped in nothing but a bed sheet. Her hair was all mussed and there was still a pink glow in her cheeks from their lovemaking. Seeing her in this state of undress was already making his heart pound.
“That smells good,” she said sleepily.
With a smile he crossed over to the sitting area and set their plates on the table. “What would you like to drink? Fruit juice or white wine.”
She laughed. “White wine with fish sticks. That sounds like something we would eat, doesn’t it?”
He grinned. “White wine it is.”
Heather walked over to the dining area and sat down at the table.
He grabbed some utensils, a pair of glasses, and a bottle of wine from the wine rack. After he set the utensils and glasses down he poured the wine.
She grabbed one of the golden-brown fish sticks on her plate and popped it into her mouth.
“How is it?” he asked.
“Delicious,” she said around a mouthful of food.
Simon laughed. There was something about this newfound domestic tranquility that he loved. There was no urgent complication to distract them. No work-related disaster. The only thing they’d have to focus on for the weekend was each other.
In the days leading up to this trip, he had to admit he had been nervous about spending a weekend alone with her without any distractions. He had gotten so used to sharing her with the world that he had forgotten what it was like when it was just the two of them. It wasn’t that he minded sharing her. After all, Finn was important to her, and Simon was starting to care deeply about her son. It was just that Simon liked having her all to himself sometimes.
He tasted the wine before digging in to the food. “You know, this isn’t so bad.”
“If you spend a few more hours with my mother in her kitchen, you’ll be learning to cook in no time.” She smiled. “Hey, maybe we could take one of those kids’ cooking classes with Finn one of these days.”
“Count me in,” he said. “It could be like a family bonding thing.”
“Family...” Her voice trailed off as she looked him dead in the eye. “You said earlier this week that you think of me as more your family than your father. Do you really think of me and Finn that way? Do you think of us as your actual family?”
His chest went tight as he was suddenly bombarded with a barrage of emotions. “I do. Not that I want to impose that on you or Finn so soon after the stress of the custody battle—”
“I’m not sure how Finn feels about us being a family,” she said. “He’s still so young.”
Disappointment settled in his gut. He had said too much. Pushed things too early. Inwardly he cursed himself for getting the timing wrong. Of course Finn would need time to even begin to process what was going on. And Heather probably needed some space.
“But, I do know how I feel,” she continued slowly. “You’re the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.” The blush in her cheeks intensified. “I hope that isn’t putting too much pressure on you.”
“Of course not,” he said, the hope in him mounting. “I want us to be together forever. I’m sorry if my thinking of us as a family is pressuring you.”
She shook her head. “It isn’t. I think we’re well on our way to becoming a family. Me, you, Finn, and my parents.”