Ember In The Heart

I smiled, that damn ache in my chest easing. “Yes. But you have a lot of groveling to do, Mister.”

Foster grinned, standing up to pull me into his arms. He hugged me so tight I could barely breathe. “Anything, anything.” He kissed my temple, then my cheek and then my lips.

A long, deep, hungry kiss that was only broken as the erupting cheers in the room finally registered with us.

Cheeks hot, I laughed, a little embarrassed by the public display as the room full of practical strangers celebrated our romance.

Well … not the whole room.

They waited until all the guests had left hours later. We’d felt their eyes on us during the rest of the evening but they never approached. I was tense. Foster kept whispering assurances in my ear. The man hadn’t stopped touching me since I’d agreed to give him a second chance. He’d apologized to Jade for hijacking their celebrations but my big sister was genuinely ecstatic for us.

“Here we go,” Colt murmured at us.

Everyone had left except the four of us and the Darwins.

Colt took Jade’s arm and strode toward the exit, nodding at the Darwins as they departed.

Foster’s hand tightened in mine. “It’ll be alright,” he promised.

But I wasn’t certain. There was a part of me that couldn’t trust Foster completely just yet. I knew he sensed that when his expression hardened with determination. “One day you’ll never doubt me,” he vowed.

I squeezed his hand and took a deep breath as Madeline and Edward halted before us. Foster’s mother looked uneasy, whereas Edward was clearly furious.

“What is the meaning of this?” Edward gestured between us.

“I think that’s self-explanatory.” Foster pulled me closer into his side. “I love Ember. We’re starting a life together.”

Oh wow. Just hearing him say it again…

“You can’t be serious about this?” Edward sighed heavily, his gaze cutting to me. “Look, I’m sure you’re perfectly lovely. But tying my son down to you is incredibly selfish—”

“Dad—”

“No. She will hear this. You’re what? In your mid-thirties?”

“Thirty-six.”

He huffed. “Eleven years older than my son. How will that look when you’re fifty and he’s still not even forty yet.”

“I don’t care. I love her.”

“I’m talking to Ember.” And he was. Prodding my insecurities. My own concerns. “You’re not from the same community as Foster. You’ll be pulling him and Georgie away from the life they’re used to.”

“Bullshit, Dad.”

“Foster,” Madeline admonished.

“No, I won’t stand here and listen to you disparage the woman I love.”

“And what about children?” Edward scoffed, ignoring his son. “Don’t you want more children? A woman of thirty-six is past her prime.”

That was it.

That was when I saw red.

“Past my prime?” I stepped away from Foster, bristling with rage. “I hate to shock you out of the nineteenth century, Mr. Darwin, but women are having babies in their thirties with a lot more ease than they were a hundred years ago. Children aren’t out of the question. What is out of the question is your participation in our relationship. Your son is man. A father. It’s time you saw that.”

Foster tugged me back into his side. “Ember’s right. This is our decision. And I have no reservations about it. I love her. Georgie loves her. There is nothing you can say to change it.”

“I’ll cut you off.”

The words sliced through the air, cold and harsh.

“Do it,” Foster answered without hesitation. “I’m a successful man in my own right. I don’t need your money. I don’t need your blessing. It would be nice but it’s not a requirement.” His gaze moved to his mother. “I would think as my parents you’d just be happy that I’m happy.”

Madeline’s expression softened but Edward barked out a hard scoff.

“We’re not sticking around to listen to this ridiculous sentimental nonsense. When you come to your senses, you’ll know where to find us.” He turned and marched out of the room.

Foster’s mom wavered, tears filling her eyes.

“Mom?”

She grimaced and then hurried to follow her husband.

Silence fell between us. I squeezed his hand, hating the forlorn look on his face. However, as soon as he turned to me, the melancholy melted away. “You okay?”

“Are we together?”

I nodded, torn between joy and concern.

Foster grinned. “Then I’m more than okay.”

I hugged him, loving the feel of his strong arms so tight around me. “I think your mom will come around.”

“Yeah maybe.” He turned, his lips brushing my ear. “I know I don’t deserve it yet … but I can’t wait for the day you tell me you love me back.”

My pulse pounded in my ears as I eased away from him.

The smart, sensible part of me knew I should hold back.

But I’d never been the kind of woman who lied to herself or others. “I love you,” I assured him. “I love you so much.”

His answer was to kiss me with a fierce wildness that had me trembling from top to toe. “We need to find a bed. Now, he growled, guiding me toward the exit.