by T. C. Clark
“About last night,” she said slowly as if she didn’t want to deal with another agreement.
“Let’s forget last night. We are together right now, and I know you have reservations. I should have started with I love you. I know you’re probably thinking I’m telling you this because I want us to get married, but I’m not. I know what you mean to me, so it makes marriage an easy step to take. But I want you to be happy.”
“Maks…”
“You don’t have to say it back, I know it’s what you feel,” he said softly.
“How do you know it’s what I feel?” she asked, amazed at the happiness she could see on his face. Last night she’d dreaded talking to him, and now it felt as if everything was going to be okay.
“I don’t think I could have hurt you as much as I did if you hadn’t been a little in love with me. We are lucky that we found this, and I can’t wait for you to see that. I have your love and a baby on the way. The next time marriage comes up, you will have to be the one to offer it. Don’t worry, we can figure this out together, I promise you that.” He stood up and stretched. “Now we need to get ready for work.”
“What do you mean we?” She was curious about the plan he’d come up with tonight.
“I bought a studio in town,” he admitted, pulling out some papers and placing them in front of her. It was really close to her office, and she knew that was on purpose. She had a feeling she was going to be seeing a lot more of Maks.
“How did you do this so fast?” she asked.
“I started the process the day after our first night together in Colorado. I was ready then.”
The papers confirmed what he said. “And where will you be living?”
“With you, unless you can convince me you’re not in love with me,” he challenged.
Her watch beeped, it was her alarm for work. She walked over to grab her purse. She was still frowning when he turned her around and kissed it from her face. Her arms linked behind his neck and he pulled her in close.
“We will make this work. You can trust me, Leslie.”
She looked at him for a minute as if she was trying to comprehend what was happening and then she leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “I love you, too. I don’t know what that means or if this will even work, but you deserve to know everything.”
He couldn’t make her believe everything was going to be okay. He would have to show her. He pulled out her phone from her purse and handed it to her. Her eyes widened as he began to unbutton her blouse.
“We will have to learn how to compromise. It will take time, but I believe in us.”
“What are you doing?” she moaned as his hand found her skin.
“Oh, it’s called compromising. I read about it in a book. We are about to compromise all over this place.
“Maks…”
“Call Alex and let him know you’re going to be late and I’ll deliver you there myself in an hour. We just found out we are having a baby and we need some time to celebrate.” For once, she did as he asked without a second thought. She wanted this, too. She’d missed him, and now that he was officially hers, she wanted to claim him, too. They wouldn’t be perfect, but she would follow her instincts and pray for the best. She finally had the man she wanted, and she intended to keep him.
Six months later…
Leslie was still fidgeting in her seat as the waiter walked up. She’d been upset all night. He wondered if she was having another contraction. Maks’ had rushed her to the hospital the first time she’d complained about the pain and had been told by a weary nurse that it was a natural part of pregnancy.
They were surrounded by his family. He didn’t know why but Nikos, Alex, and Julian had been messing with him all night. He loved seeing his family together. Right now all of their wives were in different stages of pregnancies.
Ada, Nikos’s wife, was busy playing with their little girl. Nikos watched her carefully, her due date was only a week away. Bella and Tara were busy talking about a childhood story where they stole their grandmother’s car. Everyone was laughing and having a good time.
Nikos had rented out the room to celebrate the all of the new members of the family because that’s the kind of thing he did now that he was happily married. The Stravanos brothers had finally found their place in the world.
When Leslie stood, he did as well.“
“What’s wrong?” he whispered, rubbing her back. His eyes rested possessively on her swollen stomach. He’d never been into pregnant women before. But seeing Leslie big with his child fucking turned him on.
“Nothing… um, could you sit back down? You’re way taller than me and that’s going to make this awkward.” The command was accompanied with a gentle push. He sat back down with a frown on his face.
She struggled, but she went to her knees, and Maks’ eyes widened when he realized what was happening. They’d both been living so easily together that the marriage talk had been shelved for a while.
“I needed time to know this was real…that you were real, and that you belonged to me. I was worried that my love wouldn’t be enough, and I’ve seen what happens when that plays out. But I know now it is enough. This is real. You are a kind, beautiful, loving man, and you are mine. I’m sorry it took me so long. But I know the truth now. I love you, Maks, and I’m asking you to marry me.” For a second, he didn’t speak, reeling from her small speech. When Nikos cleared his throat and scowled at him, he moved.
He dropped to his knees and took her mouth. He couldn’t hear his brothers whistling or his new sisters laughing. He could only feel the pressure of Leslie’s lips under his. He continued the kiss until they were both out of breath.
“In case that didn’t answer it for you, yes, I will marry you, Leslie.” She burst into tears, and he pulled her into his arms. He held her to him. She was secure in his arms with their child resting between them—this is what life was meant to be. Maks sent out a prayer and a thank you to whatever was running the universe. They’d given him a second chance at a family, and he recognized the gift for what it was.
Author Note: I hope you enjoyed this novella. If you did please, please, please leave me a review, as an indie author that helps me out so much. The next novella is the final installment for the wallflowers series and its a bit of a doozy. Aidan’s story is directly related to my upcoming series about the Sanctuary members, the first one will come out on April 30th. It will be longer than a novella but priced the same :) I’m probably not going to be doing a pre-order on this one. But it will be ready on that day. So for updates check out my Facebook or Instagram page @ Author TC Clark or follow me on Amazon. See you next month…..
