Read Online Vivian by Bernadette Marie - Free Book Online Page B

you’ll be mine for now. Let’s heal together. Let’s move on together. Let’s see what comes.”
    Oh, this man was a peach. What had she done in her life to have God deliver him to her door—literally?
    “ So I’m your girlfriend?”
    “ Dear Lord, if you’ll have me.”
    Vivian released her hands and wrapped them around his neck and he in turn around her waist.
    “ I feel like I’m ready for this. The last time I was with Adam I got Ava. So it’s been a real long time since I’ve been with a man in any kind of relationship.”
    “ I’m true to my word. I won’t mess around. If things don’t work out it’ll be something we decide.”
    “ And if they do?”
    His cheeks reddened again. “Well, wow. I guess we could talk about baby brothers.”
    Vivian pulled him into her arms tighter and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re going to make it much easier for all of us to heal.”
    “ I can’t think of a better way to celebrate love that you once felt than by doing it all over again.”
    “ I’ll never be Linda,” she said as if he needed to know.
    “ I’ll never be Adam.” He kissed her gently. “But they need to know him. They need to know the good and joy of him.”
    She nodded. That would take some work. She’d been mad for too long. “You’re right. I’m going to work on that.”
    He kissed her again. “Okay, now that that’s settled can I have a pillow and a blanket for the couch?”
    There was more than a little disappointment that ran through her. “You don’t want to share my bed?”
    “ Not yet. They need to get used to us first.”
    He was making it very easy for her to move on from her pain. She could easily tumble in love with this man just by the way by the way he thought.
    “ I’ll get you a pillow and a blanket then. I hope you don’t mind My Little Pony. ”
    He chuckled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
    As she turned out of his arms to find the bedding, he reached for her. “Have a date with me.”
    “ Okay, how?”
    “ Would we be able to talk Amelia and Penelope into watching all the girls?”
    Now she chuckled. “That’s a tall order for anyone.”
    “ I know.”
    “ I’m sure I could arrange it.”
    “ I may not want to sleep in there tonight to make things appear appropriate, but don’t be fooled, I’m a man and in that bed with you is exactly where I want to be.”
    Her heart beat nearly jumped out of her chest and the rest of her insides went to goo. There’d be no way they’d say they wouldn’t watch the girls, she’d make sure of that. Because for the first time in her life she was pretty sure a man wanted to make love to her. It wouldn’t be first love sex, angry makeup sex, or expected sex. Just the thought of it had her giddy with anticipation.
     

Chapter Ten
     
    When Vivian’s alarm sounded at the unholy hour of five o’clock in the morning, she promptly turned and silenced it with a shove off the nightstand.
    Perhaps the horrible act of getting up and getting to work by six-thirty wouldn’t be so bad when she actually lived in the house in which she’d worked. But for the next few days, at least, this was her new routine.
    Penelope had solidified three more enrollments. By nine o’clock, there would be seven children under the age of five in their care. When the thought began to terrify her, she remembered that two of those kids were hers and two of them were Clayton’s. The day would be just fine.
    Clayton, his image ran through her head and she sighed. Then she realized it wasn’t just his image, he was standing in her doorway in his pajama pants, a cup of coffee in his hands.
    “ I thought you could use a kick start. Something told me you’re not a morning person.”
    He walked in, slowly extending his arms out to hand her the mug.
    “ You’re an angel,” she sighed as she took the mug and lifted it to her lips. “I have never had coffee brought to me in bed.”
    There was a low growl that came from him which had