When Vivian glanced at Josh again she found herself looking at him in a new light. “I love you, honey,” she said into the receiver.
“I love you too. Now stop acting like a child and tell the guy how you feel.”
Vivian choked back a laugh as she hung up the phone. Her twenty-four-year-old daughter calling her a child? Well, that was new.
“So?” Josh said. He crossed his arms over his rain-soaked T-shirt, looking expectant.
“She told me not to screw this up.”
“She’s right.”
He stepped closer, planted both hands on her hips and thrust his body against hers. From the end of the counter, Joey the bartender coughed and shuffled away toward the back room. Alone with Josh, Vivian searched his cobalt-blue eyes and asked, “You seriously want to pursue this?”
“Yes.”
She swallowed. “I don’t know if I’ll go back to San Francisco, Josh.”
“Then we’ll just have to do it long-distance.” He grinned. “I hear phone sex is wild.”
“And if it doesn’t work out?”
“Then it doesn’t work out. At least give us a chance.” He tightened his grip on her waist and lowered his head so that his lips were inches from hers. “Will you give us a chance, Vivian?”
Her chest ached, but this time it had nothing to do with fear or guilt or shame. It had everything to do with pure and simple joy. “My daughter will kill me if I say no.”
“Then you better say yes.”
She laughed again. “Okay.”
“Okay what?”
“I’ll give us a chance.”
“Now that’s more like it.” With the grin never leaving his handsome face he dipped his head and kissed her until her knees turned to jelly and her limbs turned to liquid.
Until she felt younger and happier than she had in her entire life.
Luke couldn’t stop the laughter booming out of his chest. He stared at Ellie, wondering how she could possibly think she was protecting him by breaking things off. He didn’t need her protection. He was the bodyguard here. He should be protecting her. Taking care of her. So why wasn’t she giving him the chance to do that?
“What exactly are you scared of, Ellie?” he asked quietly. “Why did you run off after the car accident?”
She looked caught off-guard. “I just told you why.”
“Because you had to leave the ballet company?”
She nodded.
“And because you can’t have children?”
She nodded again.
“Why is that the end of the world?”
Her nostrils flared. “It’s the end of my world, Luke. What will I do if I can’t dance?”
He shrugged. “Teach? Go back to college? You’ve got options, Ellie.”
“And I bet you’re going to tell me I have options about the child issue too, right? Adoption. Surrogacy.” She gave a bitter smile. “Yeah, I know about those options. So did Scott, yet that didn’t stop him from dumping me, or telling me that I was damaged because I couldn’t give him a family.”
“Well, Scott’s an idiot. You’re not damaged,” he said, fighting back anger that she could even believe such a thing.
“So why do I feel so inadequate?” Her voice sounded forlorn.
“Because you’ve been trying to deal with all of it on your own these past six months. If you’d actually let someone in, allowed someone to help you, they would’ve told you that you are the farthest thing from inadequate.”
She bit her lip again. “You think so?”
“I know so. You’ll never be inadequate, baby,” he said softly. He moved closer, lifted one hand to her mouth and brushed his fingers over her lips. “In fact, you’re so much woman, sometimes I don’t think I can handle you.”
She blinked. “Really?”
“Really.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it. Her fingers felt cold so he rubbed them between his.
“But you said wanted to be a father.”
He sighed. “I do. And if you want, we can have a child, Ellie.” She opened her mouth but he cut her off. “Biology is overrated, anyway.”
The tears in her eyes made his heart ache. “You’d be okay with that?”
He stared at her in disbelief for a moment, then dipped his head and crushed his mouth over hers, kissing her deeply. When he pulled back, he said, “Ellie, I love you. I want to be with you. I don’t care if we adopt ten kids or zero kids. I’m happy as long as I’m with you.” He took a breath. “And now that I know what’s gotten you so damn scared, there’s nothing stopping us from being together. Except you.” He met her eyes. “Do you love me, Elenore?”
“You know I do.”
Her entire chest filled with warmth at her earnest words. “Then say it.”
She lifted her hand and swept it over his jaw. “I love you,” she whispered.
He grinned. “Louder.”
“I love you, Lucas.”
“Good.” He dipped his head and planted a light kiss on her lips. “Now let’s go home.”
About the Author
To learn more about Elle please visit www.ellekennedy.com. Send an email to [email protected] or visit her blog, the Sizzling Pens, at http://sizzlingpens.blogspot.com.
Look for these titles by Elle Kennedy
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Bad Moon Rising
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