Fated Hearts (Southern Bride 8)

I laughed. “I guess it would have been.”

She crinkled her nose, and it was the most adorable thing I’d ever seen. “I hate to tell you this, but you were played.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

Annalise moved and sat up, facing me as I straightened and leaned against the headboard. “I never told Patty I was leaving today.”

“But…you were home. What were you doing home if you weren’t packing up to leave?”

She laughed and covered her mouth before dropping her hand to her lap. “Today’s my day off. I told Patty I’d be home all day painting the spare bedroom.”

I felt my mouth drop open. “They lied?”

Annalise shrugged. “I’m going to guess it was Patty who pulled that one out of thin air. It was her idea to have Rick come to the charity dinner last night, hoping it would make you jealous.”

“Whaaat?” I said as Annalise giggled. “Well, that shit worked. If it wasn’t for Truitt, I probably would have punched the little bastard.”

She covered her mouth again and laughed. Then she reached for my hand and laced our fingers together. “For what it’s worth, I was going to call you today. I didn’t like how we left things last night.”

I pulled her to me, and she snuggled against my side. “You’re not second. I want you to know that. I think part of the reason I was so freaked out about us was because of the way you made me feel. The feelings I have for you. Before you walked into my life, I had zero desire to be exclusive with anyone. But the thought of you being in another man’s arms…it nearly drove me mad last night. I just needed to figure out how to put the past behind me and learn to trust my heart in someone else’s care.

“And that night in the spare bedroom… I wasn’t myself, and it had nothing to do with Kerri or anyone else. You looked at me, and I saw how you felt about me clear as day. I was lost in that moment. I couldn’t bear for you to look at me like that, with such love and trust in your eyes. I did want to just fuck you senseless, but for all the wrong reasons.”

She looked up at me and smiled. “Thank you for telling me that.”

I shrugged.

Annalise ran her finger over my jaw. “I think I always knew we’d be together. Even back in Chicago, something told me that it wasn’t going to be the last time I saw you.”

Leaning down, I kissed her forehead. “Like you said, fated hearts.”

She brought her hand to my chest again. This time, she placed it flat over my heart and sighed. “I cannot wait to see where our journey takes us next,” she whispered.

Moving quickly, I flipped her over and moved on top of her. Her legs instantly opened to me, and I teased her entrance while I kissed her.

“You know where I see it going?” I asked, placing soft kisses over her face and neck.

“Where?” She giggled and squirmed under me.

“A wedding.”

Her body froze. “A wedding?”

“Yep, but not just any wedding. A princess deserves a fairy tale wedding. After all, everyone does say you look like Cinderella.”

She moved her fingers lazily over my back. “She wasn’t a princess until she married the prince.”

I shrugged. “Minor detail.”

With a soft exhale, she said, “I like that thought process. Not anytime soon, though, right?”

“Oh, I don’t know. How long does it take—” I pushed inside of her— “to plan a wedding?”

Annalise’s breath grew faster. “I’d say…six months?”

I lifted her legs and moved faster. “Six months it is, then. That’s probably good because according to my mother, my sperm is dying every day, and if we want kids, the wedding should be sooner rather than later.” I pushed in deeper and rotated my hips.

“Roger,” she gasped, her fingers digging into my shoulders.

“Do you like that, princess? The idea of my baby growing inside you?”

Her eyes sprang open and she screamed out my name as her orgasm hit.

When she finally came back to me, I leaned over, kissed her gently, and whispered, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Annalise - Six months later

PATTY AND MY mother both stood back and looked at the gazebo that I had decorated with the help of Saryn and my sister, Meg.

My mother clucked her tongue and then said, “I don’t know. Something’s missing.”

Sighing, I looked at Meg for help, but she slowly backed away. Saryn had also taken off. It hadn’t taken her long to realize that the combined force of my mother and Patty was not something anyone wanted to deal with.

“Mom, nothing is missing. This is how I want it.”

“White flowers? No color?” Patty asked.

“Yes. White flowers. The chairs have blue and white hydrangeas on them, and the reception tables will have colorful floral displays. I want to keep the wedding simple.”