Falling in Love (Rockford Falls 5)
“Who ever said you didn’t deserve a chance?” she reared back and looked at me, her eyes flashing, “I was never the one who thought you weren’t good enough for me. That was you. You are the love of my life. Don’t tell me what you deserve. I’ll fight you if you feel some way about it.”
I kissed her then, playful and fierce and humbled to be hers.
“Then I’ll work on believing that. And we’ll make this night number one of our real life together. Can I get you some pajamas?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Could you help me out of these clothes? I just don’t think I can undress myself tonight,” I purred.
“You are not following doctor’s orders,” he teased.
“What? I’m on the bed,” I held my arms out to demonstrate that I was in fact sitting on my bed. “I’m not outdoors. I’m not lifting heavy things. I feel great. Admittedly not as great as you can make me feel when you put your mind to it.”
“Oh. I see. You’re going to try to convince me to let you exert yourself,” I said slyly. Then I pulled her t-shirt over her head. The swell of her breasts overflowing the lace cups of her lavender bra made me catch my breath. I trailed one finger down her cleavage, dipping into the crease and seeing her chest rise and fall in response. There was wonder in her sky blue eyes, the same innocent eagerness she’d met my kisses with the first Fourth of July we spent together.
I sat beside her on the bed and took her in my arms. First, I pressed my mouth to hers, then I coaxed her lips apart. As she opened for me, a happy sigh escaping her, I slid my tongue in her mouth. It was tender and unhurried, decadent. The firs kiss of the rest of our lives. At the same moment, a boom shook the house. We broke apart and saw the bold flowers of colored light and sparks bloom outside the window and fill the sky. The fireworks had begun.
At once, I was kissing her again, our lips clinging to each other, pressing, tugging and nipping, then sealing our mouths together in the filthy back and forth of our tongues as things grew heated. There was no way to express, my gratitude for having Michelle back in my life for good, and the added joy of our own miracle, the baby we’d welcome in a few months’ time. There was no choice in the matter for me. I would make love to all night, with every bit of the tenderness and wonder I’d felt as a young man with his first love. Now I would take her to bed as a grown man, a man who had made mistakes, who had regretted and grieved and owned up to his sins, bedding the only woman he’s ever loved or ever will.
Michelle reached for me, her hands on my sides, and pulled my polo shirt up so she could run her hands over my abs and my rib cage. Her fingertips tracing every line of muscle made the work I did and the weights I lifted worth every minute. She owned every inch of me, body and soul. It was almost painful to break the kiss long enough to pull my shirt over my head and throw it on the floor. I kicked off my shoes and shoved my shorts down, joining her back on the bed. Her arms were held out for me like I had been gone forever. And maybe I had been.
The slow slide of my hand down her back made her nestle closer to me. Our kiss went on and on, until I laid my palm on the curve of her belly. “That’s our baby,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. She smiled and nodded.
“How did you feel when you found out?”
“I was shocked and scared and upset. And so, so happy. Because the instant I saw the positive test result, my brain was terrified, but my heart was just turning cartwheels. I was going to have a baby to love and care for. I wanted this so much and you know I had given up hope of ever having a family. I figured it was over for me, you know? Like I couldn’t make it work with Jared Fisk who was perfect on paper, if I couldn’t fall in love with him and raise kids, then I was hopeless. So this was the most unexpected gift.”
“You were scared because you believed I didn’t want you. Not forever. Can I just say if you believed that then I’ve done a terrible job? Because there has never been a time when I didn’t want to be with you for the rest of my life. When I think about all the time we wasted because I lied to you—"