She rolls her eyes, and I turn my attention back to the tiny bump straining against her t-shirt.

“I’m going to teach you how to ride a motorcycle.” I sweep my hands across her belly. “Momma is going to be so scared at first, but I just know you’re going to be a pro at it. I hope you like sports too, little guy, because we watch a lot around here.”

Wetness splashes on my face, and I look up to see tears freely falling from April’s eyes.

“Okay. So no sports,” I tease, trying to make the situation lighter.

I lean up, pressing my lips to hers. I know she isn’t sad. This woman hasn’t had very much kindness in her life. Agreeing to help her raise the baby and seeing that I’m actually excited to be a part of that has to be hard for her.

“You’re so good to me,” she whispers against my lips, and all I can do is smile and kiss her harder.

She has changed everything about me. It doesn’t matter that we’ve been apart more than we’ve been together since she showed up here, I feel this unexplainable connection to her. I had no idea I could feel this way. I knew I’d fall for a woman at some point in my life, but I had no idea it would be this powerful, this encompassing.

She buries her face in my neck, more tears wetting my shirt, and I just hold her as best I can until the tears stop flowing.

Eventually, she settles down, pulling away and wiping tears from her cheeks.

“Gosh, I’m just so hormonal.”

“You’re beautiful,” I tell her, pressing one more kiss to her lips before settling my head back on her lap.

I reach around until I find her hand and drop it on top of my head. Her fingers start moving immediately, and I sigh in ecstasy.

“So about our putt-putt date—”

“I feel like talking about it will make someone rush in here and say you have to leave again.”

“We usually have at least three days off before we have to leave again. It’s a rare occasion when we have jobs so close together. On average, we’re home more than gone, it’s just those long trips seem to take forever, but then again, the last five days have felt like months.”

“Okay. I can do golf tomorrow after work.”

I want to growl. I don’t have a problem with her working, but she doesn’t have to. I’ve told her as much, but she’s working with Ivy, who is a teacher at the high school.

“Watch out for horny seniors,” I mutter, jealousy over boys potentially checking her out making my blood boil.

Hell, not only seniors, even the damn freshmen are closer to her age than I am.

“Would it help if I tell you that you have nothing to worry about?”

“A little,” I grumble. “But they’re gonna hit on you. Hell, some of them are going to be legal, possibly older than you.”

She chuckles.

I lift my head to look her in the eyes. “If you leave me for a teenager, I’ll never survive.”

“Good thing I’m a married woman now, huh?”

I spring up from the couch. “I’ll be right back.”

I run from the room and dig around in my top dresser drawer until I find what I need. I skid to a stop in front of her, smiling wide as I hold the item out.

She glances from the ring in my hand to my face twice before frowning.

“I don’t expect a ring from you.”

I drop to one knee like we haven’t already said our vows and look her in the eyes.

“April Fosse, you’re my wife, and I want everyone to know it.”

She rolls her eyes like she’s unbothered by my offer but they’re shining with tears. I slide the ring on her left hand and press my lips to it.

“I had planned to give that to you sooner, but we had to leave so quickly.” I turn my face away from hers, and before she can demand that honesty thing we agreed on, I explain, “I was so afraid you weren’t going to show up at the magistrate’s office. I left the damn thing here at the clubhouse, and I didn’t have time to come back and get it.”

“It’s beautiful,” she whispers, holding her hand close to her chest.

“It was my mother’s.”

That really gets the waterworks going. I lift her in my arms, cradling her to my chest while she cries.

“Jesus, Apollo. You’re doing it wrong. You’re supposed to make your woman moan, not cry,” Grinch mumbles as he walks through the clubhouse.

April starts to shake harder, and I’m seconds away from putting her down and beating his ass until I realize she’s laughing now.

“My friends are idiots,” I mutter.

She nods her head in agreement, pulling her head back a few seconds later.

Tags: Marie James Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net