Chapter Eleven
Three days before we were due to move, I stood in my room, packing up everything that would be sent in the moving truck, when the doorbell rang.
“Annalina! Can you answer the door please?”
My mother entered the room at the same time I heard my daughter running down the steps to do as I asked.
“I wonder who that is,” my mother said. “It’s nearly nine at night. Did you invite someone?”
I looked up from my position on the floor where I was taping a box shut. “I’m not expecting anyone.”
My mother shrugged. “Maybe it’s one of your brothers.”
Just then my daughter let out a squeal and came pounding up the steps.
“Mom!” She came into the doorway, her grin mischievous. “Someone is here for you and they have a package!”
“A package?” I dropped the tape to the floor and stood up. “Do I need to sign for it?”
She nodded.
I left the room and headed downstairs. They trailed behind me as I tried to recall if I’d ordered anything.
Only to stop short at the sight of Bradley in the entryway.
In my entryway. Far from his place.
What the hell?
When my daughter giggled behind me, I registered that I’d said the words out loud. My face warmed at the realization.
Bradley smiled, not seeming to mind my reaction, and shrugged out of his coat. “I’ve surprised you. I’d say I’m sorry and should’ve called…but I’d be lying.” He hung it on the coat rack, his eyes never leaving mine.
“W-what are you doing here?” I closed the distance, stopping just inches from him, resisting the urge to throw my arms around him. “I thought you were working extra long hours this week?”
Excitement coursed through me, replacing the initial shock of his appearance. My body hummed when he closed the last few inches of distance and placed his hands upon my shoulders, leaning in to kiss my mouth softly. Brief as it was, the sweet greeting had me wishing we were alone.
“I couldn’t spoil the surprise by telling you anything else, now could I?” He asked, darkened grey eyes finding mine, leaving me with the feeling his thoughts were on par with mine.
“Right.” I smiled, then stepped back. “Did you have anything with you?”
I didn’t see a package like my daughter stated, until Bradley turned to the side and pointed at the stuff by the door.
There, laying on top of his luggage, was a dress bag from a bridal store.
With a gasp, I walked closer.
My bridal store; the one I’d ordered my dress from.
I picked it up and whirled around. “You didn’t look—“
“No,” he cut me off with a chuckle. “Of course not. But your daughter — along with your mother — called the shop and asked them to let me have it since you were all done with the fittings.”
My eyes widened as I looked at my mother, who stood with an impartial look on her face next to a beaming Annalina.
The fittings were finalized a week ago. My plan had been to wait until the morning of the flight to pick it up, figuring it would be easiest to get it on the way to the airport. I’d given my mother permission to deal with anything in regard to the wedding, just in case she needed to, since everything else kept me quite busy.
What I couldn’t believe was that her and my daughter had been talking to Bradley behind my back for weeks now. And planning things!
Also, I didn’t understand one thing, so I decided to ask even though confusion coursed through me in that moment. “Why would you pick up my dress, when I was planning on picking it up on the way there?”
That was when they all laughed, as I stood there looking at them, dumbfounded and clutching the dress to my chest. Bradley approached me and gently took it out of my hands, holding it out to my mother behind him. She took the dress and turned to Annalina.
“Let’s give them some privacy. They’ve got a lot to talk about.”
My daughter looked at me, a look of disappointment on her face, her desire to witness the conversation about to happen apparent. My mother led her away, however, but not before she threw me a grin over her shoulder and clapped her hands with palpable excitement.
I felt foolish as we stood alone near the front door, the sense I was missing something obvious irritating me.
“You look as if you’re about to bite me,” Bradley mused, his darkening desire-filled eyes dropping to my mouth. “Not that I would complain.”
I wanted to smile, but resisted the urge.
When he took a step closer, leaving us barely an inch apart, I put my hands on his chest firmly. “What am I missing here? Why are you here?”
He lifted his eyebrows, my questions clearly not what he expected me to say.
“Well,” he began, licking his lips which only made me stare at his mouth in return. “You see…your mother and daughter and I have been talking the last few weeks. And the day after tomorrow…”
He trailed off, his hands finding my waist before sliding up and down, making my body hum to life. I straightened, willing the reaction I had whenever he was near to go away as I met his eyes with mine, pursing my lips and lifting a brow to indicate that he should finish his sentence.
“We’re getting married,” he finally said.
My mouth dropped open. “We’re…getting married? The day after—“
I recovered from my shock, but not quick enough. I tried to push away, he saw it coming and locked me in his embrace, my body pulled snug against his.
“Yes,” he said softly. “Between the three of us, we worked together to give you the wedding you deserve. Tomorrow, you and I will go down to the courthouse to get the required paperwork done. There is no waiting period here; we checked.”
I was dumbfounded. And speechless. Most definitely didn’t know what to say. What could someone say to that?
“Your whole family will be there, as well.” Bradley gave me a soft kiss on the lips, then released me with a frown that matched my own. “I thought you’d be pleased.”
“Um.” I licked my lips, running my now free hands through my hair. “I’m just shocked. Where are we getting married?”
Bradley took my hand in his instead of answering the question and grinned. “Show me your room? I will answer your questions when we’re both a bit more comfortable. It’s been a long and stressful week. I’d like to relax.”
I nodded. He released my hand after giving it a kiss and picked up his luggage.
Leading him to my room, I shut the door quietly behind us once we were both inside.
It didn’t take him long to pounce, where I welcomed him with open arms.
I missed him too much to deny him even with all the questions I had.
We would talk later that evening.
Much later.
~*~
Bradley stretched out next to me, hands behind his head, eyes closed.
I knew he wasn’t sleeping. A few moments passed as we both caught our breath, our bodies cooling. I got out of bed and went to the bathroom. When I returned, he faced me, his head propped up on one arm, sheet barely covering his lower half.
The soft glow of the lamp on the nightstand gave me the perfect view of him. His lips curved up as he pat the empty space in the bed, grey eyes gleaming in all their naughty glory. I took a step forward before stopping, sliding the silk robe I’d put on before leaving the room off my shoulders. The whisper of it against my skin seemed amplified, my awareness of my own body and desires heightening all my senses.
I learned long ago not to cover myself in front of him.
His constant compliments of my body had given me confidence. After a bit, I became comfortable in my skin when with him and enjoyed getting naked. I relished his hands on every inch of me, his murmured words joining in on the worship.
In that moment, I felt bold. Wanton.
I wanted to tease him. He was in my place, my bed, my comfort zone.
I watched his eyes narrow as I lifted my arms over my head in a slow motion, placing one hand on top of the other. As I started to stretch up and back, his whole body stiffened, primed to lunge and tackle his prize. Yet he remained unmoving as the stretch took me on to my tiptoes, my eyes on the ceiling as I arched my body and let out a yawn.
“Keep it up and we won’t be doing any talking.”
“Mmm.” Releasing my stretch, I grinned at him and climbed back into bed. “Is that a threat or a promise?”
“Always a promise.” He pulled me into his arms, bringing my body flush against his as I lay atop him. “No threats necessary.”
I poked him in the shoulder, holding my finger there as I glared at him. “So, where is our wedding going to be at, mister?”
Reaching up, he gripped my fingers in his, pulling my hand away and placing it flat on his chest. “It’s a surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“Too bad.” He rolled over, keeping my body snug against his, trapping me beneath him. “Either way, you’ll love it. I promise.”
As he grinned down at me, I wanted to question him.
Ask if having me as his wife was what he really desired.
I didn’t want to upset the moment, but we were getting married in two days. And no matter what he wanted, I had to know. I’d have to hope he would understand.
Sliding my hands to grip his shoulders, I gave a small smile in return. “I…I have a few questions. I don’t want to make you mad, but—“
“No.” He shook his head, pressing a soft kiss on my lips before pulling back. “Don’t say that. When I asked you to marry me, the rules had no choice but to change. As my wife, you may ask me whatever you wish.” He gave me a rueful smile. “Of course, this doesn’t mean I’ll always answer, but I won’t get mad at you for asking.”
“Okay, well.” My lips were dry, but I tamped down the urge to lick them because I didn’t want to distract him. “I’m about to go from someone you saw one weekend every month to being your wife and living with you. Is this what you really want? I mean, you didn’t even ask if I wanted to live with you first. I couldn’t have, but that’s not the point—“
He laughed, cutting my rambling off with a wave of his hand, then brought his face close to mine. “Hold on. First,” he said, holding up one finger, “this is what I want. I don’t ever do anything I don’t want to do. Remember that. Second,” he held up another finger and wiggled them in front of my face, “as weird as this is coming from someone who met you and ended up paying you for your companionship the past two years, I would never disrespect you by asking you to live with me without marrying me first. Got it?”
“So sex with me when not married is fine, but not living together before marriage?”
He nodded. “That’s correct.”
“You’re strange, but I’ll take it.” I wrapped my arms around his neck as he shook his head. “What?”
“Marriage isn’t something I take lightly.” He pressed his mouth against my lips, gliding his tongue across once before murmuring against them, “When we met, I had no intention of our arrangement ever being more than what it was. However, once I decided I wanted you in my life more than merely once a month, it meant marriage for me. After all, I love having sex with you and if I want you around more, then being my wife is the only way I would allow that to happen. I don’t care what other people do; for me, anything else would be disrespectful of you and your daughter.”
“I see.” Smiling at him, I bit my lip for a moment, then asked the next thought on my mind. “Have you…ever been married before?”
His body tensed at the question, but his eyes never left mine. “What would make you ask such a thing?”
“The day you proposed, you said you loved someone before.” I lowered my arms from around his neck, then slid them down his arms and back up to his shoulders, repeating the action a few times before stopping. “Plus, at your age, it wouldn’t shock me to find out you were married before.”
I expected him to close me out and refuse to answer the question, but he surprised me.
“Yes. However, other than saying she was the one who ended our marriage, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay, I understand.”
“Thank you.” He kissed my lips once more before asking, “Anything else on your mind?”
Yeah, there was. And it was a big one, but I remembered my conversation with Amanda and knew I had to ask.
I dropped my eyes from his, moving my hands from their position on his shoulders down his chest, enjoying the feel of his hot skin against my palms. Resting both hands over his heart, I warred with myself for a moment, mentally preparing for whatever answer he gave me in case it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. Especially since I was marrying him no matter what. Then, dragging my eyes back up to his, I went for it.
“Will you,” I paused, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, “want children with me?”
“As opposed to with someone else?” Even as he joked, his body tensed again as his heart thudded a bit faster underneath my touch, and a flash of something in his eyes I didn’t catch before he dropped them to my lips.
“It’s okay,” I said, moving my hands back up to his shoulders, trying to soothe him for reasons even I couldn’t explain. “You don’t have to answer.”
“You want more children?” His words when they finally came a minute later were so soft I almost missed them. “It’s not long before Annalina will be an adult. More children would mean starting over.”
I shrugged, wishing he’d bring his eyes back up to mine, but since his eyes were on my mouth, I smiled and teased, “Afraid being so old will mean you can’t keep up?”
“No.” He chuckled then, brushing our mouths together for an instant, then raised his eyes to mine. It seemed he controlled whatever he was feeling as his eyes were gleaming with amusement. “I’ve not thought about having children in a long time, figuring the days for that passed years ago. But, of course, I should’ve considered the fact you might want more.”
“Well, I’m marrying you, so it will be a mutual decision.” My voice came out controlled, but inside, my heart jumped into my throat as my eyes filled with tears. “Not like with Annalina’s father. She wasn’t expected, and I struggled throughout my pregnancy because I was so young, but I loved her the moment I laid my eyes on her. And every moment since, through every struggle, she’s been the light of my life. Even if I had the chance to go back and do it all differently, I wouldn’t, because I wouldn’t have her and she is worth it.”
“That she is.” He swiped away a tear as it slid down my cheek and smiled down at me. “She and I spoke a lot on the phone the past few weeks while planning things. I don’t know many teenagers, but she’s a smart, funny girl and she adores you. I thought her reaction would be much different when it came to her mother getting married; I know enough to know most teenagers are moody.”
“Oh, she’s moody all right.” I laughed for a moment, then grew serious. “I think…no, I know she wants a dad. She knows her father died, and a piece of her is missing, even if she’s told me she doesn’t care. And if I thought you were anything less than a good man who would be that to her, we wouldn’t be laying here.”
He nodded. “Thank you. I knew you felt that way, but it’s nice to hear you say it.”
“You’re welcome.”
Grinning down at me, he said, “I will be proud to call her my daughter, as proud as I’ll be to call you my wife. And as for more children, I’m not against it. Let’s take it one day at a time, all right?”
I liked that. One day at a time.
Such a concept was novel to me. Even with the money he’d paid me, I still always had a lot to worry about. I knew marriage didn’t mean my worries would go away, but it did mean they would change. And I trusted he would take care of us if anything happened.
Maybe love wasn’t what he felt, but he was a man who took his responsibilities seriously.
So that’s why I nodded, and with the end of the conversation, he distracted us both with something way more entertaining.