like I told you, but he doesn’t talk a whole lot.”
“That’s the feeling I got,” Alex said. “Oh, and I recalled seeing him at the airport the morning I flew out of here, though he claimed he didn’t remember.”
“He’ll come back tomorrow, then we’ll know,” she said, getting up from the small chair and walking to the bed where she sat beside him. “Thanks for the anchovies and pickles,” she whispered.
He looked into her eyes. “I know how you love anchovies,” he said.
She smiled as she bumped his shoulder with hers.
“I’m sorry about not telling you that Nate and I made those plans,” he added.
“We got used to keeping things to ourselves,” she said. “We have to unlearn all those bad habits.”
“Are you going to get mad at me every time I try to protect you?”
“Probably,” she said. “I know how you feel,” she admitted. “I feel the same way. We’ve had our problems, Alex, but I’ve never stopped loving you.”
He smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.” He raised his hand and ran his fingers through her hair, his gaze devouring her. She closed the distance between them and touched his lips with hers. His were tender, his mouth hot and sexy.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he murmured.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she whispered, and realized as the words left her lips that they were true. She missed the man she’d once known, the man who had loved her, the man she’d trusted with her life and happiness. And now it seemed he was willing to try to find that man again. She knew she’d grown distant, too. They both needed to work.
“I want to make love to you,” he said against her ear.
His warm breath traveled through her body like a renegade spark, awakening torrid memories of endless nights of bliss as it burned under her skin. The temptation to give in to her desire for him sent her heart racing and it took a few seconds to trust herself to speak. “I’m not ready,” she whispered at last. “I need to think with my head, not my heart and certainly not my body. You know what you do to me.”
He smiled slowly. “It’s mutual.”
“We’ll get there,” she said softly, and then took a chance that the changes she sensed in him were real. “Being pregnant has reminded me how much I want children,” she said, meeting his gaze. “Alex, if I lose this baby, then I want to adopt. You wouldn’t even talk about it before, but that’s the decision I’ve reached and I hope you’ll at least discuss it with me.”
“If you lose this baby,” he said, his voice thick, “then I’m open to adoption.”
“Just like that?”
“Let’s just say that spending one hundred and three nights alone with nothing to do but try to stay warm gives you plenty of time to think. And what I realized was that life is a gift, that living with someone you cherish is a gift. I don’t get to call every shot, I have to roll with the punches, we all do. If adoption is the best way to grow our family, then I’m on board. Let’s get the pitter-patter of little feet running around here.”
She blinked away warm tears. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He shifted his weight and settled back on his side of the bed. “Come here,” he said, and she scooted up beside him. He pulled her against his chest and flicked off the light.
His skin was warm and musky smelling. He kept running his hand up and down her bare arm, kissing her hair and she closed her eyes, trying to relax. Eventually, she could tell by his breathing that he’d fallen asleep and she was glad.
She’d known the minute he walked in the door tonight that a party was the absolute last thing in the world he wanted. Whereas she’d found the noise and laughter of friends and family comforting after the dire news Agent Struthers delivered, she suspected Alex had found it intrusive.
Thank goodness they’d have tomorrow before the rat race of his job and the last few weeks of teaching hit full force. It seemed forever
“That’s the feeling I got,” Alex said. “Oh, and I recalled seeing him at the airport the morning I flew out of here, though he claimed he didn’t remember.”
“He’ll come back tomorrow, then we’ll know,” she said, getting up from the small chair and walking to the bed where she sat beside him. “Thanks for the anchovies and pickles,” she whispered.
He looked into her eyes. “I know how you love anchovies,” he said.
She smiled as she bumped his shoulder with hers.
“I’m sorry about not telling you that Nate and I made those plans,” he added.
“We got used to keeping things to ourselves,” she said. “We have to unlearn all those bad habits.”
“Are you going to get mad at me every time I try to protect you?”
“Probably,” she said. “I know how you feel,” she admitted. “I feel the same way. We’ve had our problems, Alex, but I’ve never stopped loving you.”
He smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.” He raised his hand and ran his fingers through her hair, his gaze devouring her. She closed the distance between them and touched his lips with hers. His were tender, his mouth hot and sexy.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he murmured.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she whispered, and realized as the words left her lips that they were true. She missed the man she’d once known, the man who had loved her, the man she’d trusted with her life and happiness. And now it seemed he was willing to try to find that man again. She knew she’d grown distant, too. They both needed to work.
“I want to make love to you,” he said against her ear.
His warm breath traveled through her body like a renegade spark, awakening torrid memories of endless nights of bliss as it burned under her skin. The temptation to give in to her desire for him sent her heart racing and it took a few seconds to trust herself to speak. “I’m not ready,” she whispered at last. “I need to think with my head, not my heart and certainly not my body. You know what you do to me.”
He smiled slowly. “It’s mutual.”
“We’ll get there,” she said softly, and then took a chance that the changes she sensed in him were real. “Being pregnant has reminded me how much I want children,” she said, meeting his gaze. “Alex, if I lose this baby, then I want to adopt. You wouldn’t even talk about it before, but that’s the decision I’ve reached and I hope you’ll at least discuss it with me.”
“If you lose this baby,” he said, his voice thick, “then I’m open to adoption.”
“Just like that?”
“Let’s just say that spending one hundred and three nights alone with nothing to do but try to stay warm gives you plenty of time to think. And what I realized was that life is a gift, that living with someone you cherish is a gift. I don’t get to call every shot, I have to roll with the punches, we all do. If adoption is the best way to grow our family, then I’m on board. Let’s get the pitter-patter of little feet running around here.”
She blinked away warm tears. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He shifted his weight and settled back on his side of the bed. “Come here,” he said, and she scooted up beside him. He pulled her against his chest and flicked off the light.
His skin was warm and musky smelling. He kept running his hand up and down her bare arm, kissing her hair and she closed her eyes, trying to relax. Eventually, she could tell by his breathing that he’d fallen asleep and she was glad.
She’d known the minute he walked in the door tonight that a party was the absolute last thing in the world he wanted. Whereas she’d found the noise and laughter of friends and family comforting after the dire news Agent Struthers delivered, she suspected Alex had found it intrusive.
Thank goodness they’d have tomorrow before the rat race of his job and the last few weeks of teaching hit full force. It seemed forever
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