Her Convenient Dom (Dominant Men Book 2)
Page 22
"Music to my ears," Harper answered, laughing. Happily signing the paperwork, she looked at Parker.
The nurse pushed her to the entrance in a wheelchair, while Parker went for the car. Driving home, he reached over and took her hand. "Glad to be going home?"
"Yes, honey, I'm so glad to be able to be in the fresh air again." She opened the car window and yelled, "Hello, world, I'm back!"
When they reached the house, he slowly walked her in through the front door, where they were met by John.
"Harper, it's so good to have you home." The older man hugged her and said, "I'll get your things out of the car."
"Let's go in the den," Parker suggested.
"Okay, where are my babies?"
"They'll be along soon. I told Ellie to not let them rush you the minute you got here."
John had returned with the bags, balloons and flowers. He had also given the signal to the others.
A parade of family, coworkers, and friends walked into the den. Grace was leading the way, carrying a cake.
"Oh my, what's all this?" Harper asked as her eyes welled up with tears.
"It's your welcome-home party, planned by your loving husband," Parker told her proudly.
My loving husband… did he just say 'loving'?
Turning to the group of well-wishers, she smiled. "Thank you all for being here to welcome me home."
To her husband, she said, "Come here, you." He obliged and bent down, so she could kiss him.
Ava and Aiden could be contained no longer. They ran to her, bestowing hugs and kisses of their own.
As each person came to her and said a few words, she was amazed at the number of people who had come to welcome her home. Bonnie and Jared, people from the office, Jim had come from Hilton Head to join Annie, even Dr. and Mrs. Kellum. She spoke with each one of them.
The food was delicious, and when the party was nearing its end, she thanked them all again.
"I hate to cut this short. You all can stay as long as you like, but I need to get my wife settled in her own bed. She needs her rest. We don't want to tire her out on her first night at home." Parker helped her to her feet, and she waved goodbye to the group gathered in her honor.
When they'd reached their bedroom, a nightgown had been laid out for her, and he helped her into it before she lay down and he pulled the covers over her.
"You didn't complain about the nightgown," she observed, watching his face for a reaction.
"And I won't for the next few weeks. After that, watch out," he teased. "You take a nap if you can, after all that excitement. I'll keep the kids out as long as I can, but they won't stand for it much longer. They'll want to say goodnight before they go to bed."
"Okay."
"You're so agreeable," he teased.
"Get out of here, unless you're going to join me for a nap."
"Well, maybe just until you fall asleep." He crawled in next to her, holding her until she fell into a light slumber. He kissed her forehead and whispered, "It's so good to have you home, my love."
After leaving her to rest, he went back downstairs for a bit to tell the others goodbye. He returned to their room to find her awake.
"Hi, I thought you had abandoned me, already."
"Not a chance, but I think I'm going to have to let Princess Ava and Master Aiden come in for a while. Are you up to it?"
"Of course, I am. Bring them on up."
He returned a few minutes later with her two babies.
"Come sit with Mama on the bed," she invited.
"Is it okay?" Ava asked.
"As long as you're careful with Mama's arm, it's okay," Parker told her.
"Come on, Aiden." Ava held her hand out to her baby brother and led him to the bed.
"It's okay, Aiden, don't be afraid," Harper told him.
He carefully climbed up on the bed. Harper pulled him to her, hugging him tightly. "I've missed you so much, my little man. And you, too, Princess Ava."
Parker joined them, and the four of them talked and played for a while. Parker read to the children, and finally he told them it was time for them to think about bed.
"Mama needs to rest tonight. You can see her tomorrow. She'll be up and around then."
"Goodnight, little ones. I love you."
"I love you, too, Mama," Ava replied.
"Me, too," Aiden said, waving goodbye.
"I'm so tired of lying around. I can't wait to see Dr. Phillips," Harper told Parker, one night at dinner.
"I'm sure you are. But you're getting your strength back, so I'm sure it won't be long before you're back to one hundred percent." He tried to reassure her, knowing she was about to go stir crazy. He too was ready for the day when she was back to being his normal, fun-loving Harper.
Finally, the day of her appointment with Dr. Phillips arrived, and she dressed carefully for the appointment. Her arm was still a little sore, but she hoped to get the cast off soon. As they were preparing to leave the house, Parker received a call from Detective Carter.
"Okay, I'll be there." Parker hung up and, looking at her sadly, said, "Baby, I'm sorry, but is it okay if John drives you to your appointment?"
"Of course it is. What's going on?"
"Carter wants to see me. He says it's finally, really over. I need to hear what he has to say, so I'll see him while you see Dr. Phillips. By the time we're both finished, hopefully, we can begin our lives again."
"That sounds like Heaven to me. You go ahead. I'll be fine." She raised her face up for a kiss and went in search of John.
Harper arrived at Dr. Phillips's office and instructed John to wait for her. She signed in at the desk, and the nurse soon took her to an examining room, where she was told the doctor would be in shortly. She sat on the exam table, waiting nervously for the doctor to come in with her test results, hoping he'd release her from his care and remove her cast. She would be glad to finally put this whole ugly incident behind her.
Dr. Phillips came into the room wearing a friendly smile. "Hello, Harper. How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling well, thank you. I've been walking, eating, resting, all the things you told me to do,"
"Good to hear. I have your test results. Is your husband going to be joining us?"'
"No, he received a call from Detective Carter right before we left the house and had to meet with him, but it's all right. You can tell me whatever you need to tell me."
The doctor smiled and said, "Harper, I'm pleased to report that the test results have all come back normal. I believe you can resume a normal routine now. We'll get that cast off, too, sooner than expected. You'll need to wear an elbow brace part time for a while, but that will be much more comfortable than the cast. Do you have any questions or concerns?"
"I only have one question, doctor. Is it okay for me to get pregnant, or should I wait?"
"Harper, I see no reason why you can't conceive a child and have a normal pregnancy. If that's in your immediate plans, I wish you the best of luck, my dear. What a wonderful way to rebuild your life after what's happened to you."
Breathing a sigh of relief, with tears in her eyes, she replied, "Thank you, Dr. Phillips, you have no idea what that means to me."
"After what you've been through, yes, I think I have a pretty good idea." He shook her hand and left the room.
After the technician had removed her cast and instructed her on the use of the elbow brace, she walked her to the desk, where she told the receptionist, "Mrs. Bentley is as fit as a fiddle. Dr. Phillips is releasing her today, unless she has a problem."
"That's wonderful news, Mrs. Bentley. Congratulations, you must be thrilled."
"You have no idea." Harper smiled at the girl.
She walked out of the office and to the parking garage with John. Once in the car, she breathed another sigh of relief, before asking John to make a stop at the pharmacy. She made a purchase and went home to wait for Parker.
"What's going on, Detective?" Parker asked Detective Carter.
"And what exactly does this mean?"
"There won't be a trial. The prosecuting attorney offered him a deal, and he took it. He confessed to lesser crimes of manslaughter and second-degree attempted murder, rather than first degree murder and attempted murder. He'll be in prison for several years, not eligible for parole until he is a very old man. You and your family can rebuild your lives now. You can finally put this behind you. You won't have to testify against him."
Parker sighed and said, "If that's possible. I feel so responsible for what happened to my first wife and to Harper. I'm so grateful I didn't lose her, too."
"It wasn't your fault, Mr. Bentley. Liam and Lorena Laramie were pawns. Johnson was the criminal. You didn't even know he existed. But take my advice. If you're ever going to move on and live a normal life, you have to try and let it go."
"Thank you for all your help. I'll be forever grateful to you and your department."
"Just doing my job. Good luck, and tell your wife I said hello. I hope she gets good news today at her appointment."
"So do I. Thank you again." Parker shook the hand of the man who had helped put an end to the terror his family had faced.
As he drove home, he knew what he had to do when he met with Harper. I'm going to tell her what I should have told her the day I asked her to marry me.
He let himself into the house and ran up the stairs to the bedroom he shared with his wife to see if she was back from her appointment. He found her sitting in a chair, staring out the window.
"Harper, is everything okay?" He went to her and, kneeling in front of her, took her hand. "Baby, what is it? What did Dr. Phillips say?"
She looked into the eyes of the man she so desperately loved and said, "I got a clean bill of health. See, the cast is gone, too. I just have to wear a brace part-time for a while. What did Detective Carter say?"
"Oh, baby, I'm so happy. I've been so worried about you." He rose from his knees, pulled her up with him and held her close to his chest.
"Parker, what about Detective Carter?" she asked again.
"It's over. Johnson took a plea bargain, so there won't be a trial. He'll be going to prison for a very long time."
"Thank God. Now, we can move on with our lives. We no longer have to fear Lorena or her father or Cortez or Johnson. We don't have to worry about the company. We can concentrate on our family and our future." She looked into his eyes, wondering how to tell him the things she wanted to say.
"From your lips to God's ears." He kissed her again. Scooping her up into his strong arms, he carried her to the bed.
"I wanted to get more comfortable, Harper. We need to talk."
"Parker, is something wrong?"
"Oh, no, baby, something is right, very right. I'm going to do what I should have done months ago."
"Parker, you're scaring me."
He kissed her to reassure her. "No reason to be scared. I hope you're going to like what I have to say. It's something I should have told you, a long time ago. I had the mistaken notion that I needed to hear you say it first. None of that matters anymore. When I thought that I might lose you, I realized that."
"Parker, what is it?"
He looked into her eyes. What she saw in his eyes told her everything she needed to know.
"Oh, my sweet, sweet Parker, tell me. I need to hear you say it."
He took her hand in his and quietly said, "Harper, I love you."
With tears in her blue eyes, she replied, "Parker, I love you so much."
"You do? You really do, Harper?"
"I was in love with you even before you proposed to me. Why do you think it was so easy for me to agree to a marriage of convenience that you said would last forever? I was ecstatic. Even though I thought you didn't love me, I could live with it, as long as things stayed so good between us."
"Oh, my precious angel, I was in love with you the day I proposed. I thought the only way I could possibly get you to agree to marry me was to tell you it was a business arrangement. If you only knew how happy you made me the night before our wedding, when you told me you wanted a real marriage. We've both been so stupid. We have the perfect marriage, but we were both too stubborn to be the first to say those all-important three words. All I've ever needed was your love."
"Oh, honey, I love you so much, and I promise to tell you that, at least once a day, for the rest of my life."
"Ditto." He kissed her, showing her without a doubt that she was the love of his life. "So, you got a clean bill of health. Does this mean we can resume a normal lifestyle? You know, there is a little matter of you going out to the woods on a freezing cold day without telling anyone where you were."
"Am I in trouble?"
"What do you think?"
"We can resume a normal life, but I've been a good girl and I have followed all the doctor's orders, and—
"In that case, how about a combination good-bad-girl spanking?" he teased.
"Is there such a thing?" she asked.
"There is now," he said as he reached for her.
She stopped him before things went too far, with a reminder. "I haven't been taking my birth control pills since the accident, you know. So, I stopped at the pharmacy on the way home this afternoon and bought these." She pulled a box of condoms out of the nightstand drawer.
"Harper, what would you think if I told you to throw those damn things in the trash? Would you be upset?"
"What exactly are you saying?" she asked.
"What would you say if I told you I'd like to make a baby with you?" He grinned as he continued. "I'll leave that decision up to you, of course, but I'm ready whenever you are."
She threw the box of condoms on the floor, grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him to her and said, "I was hoping you'd say that."
He kissed her, gently pulling her over his lap. "Only you, baby, always and forever, only you," he whispered. "I love you, Harper."
He finally had the thing that had eluded him for so long—Harper's love and submission. And Harper had found everything she had always wanted in her convenient Dom.
The End
Isabella Kole
Isabella Kole lives in southern Indiana, where she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Always an avid romance reader, she began writing several years ago.
Although she has had several sweeter romances published under a different pen name, Accepting His Terms is the first erotic romance in her collection. The Desire for Discipline series includes Accepting His Terms, Submitting to Bryan and The Longing Within.
When not writing, Isabella can be found traveling around signing books and meeting her readers, working at her day job, or simply enjoying life.
You can find Isabella on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Isabella-Kole-Author/ and at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Isabella-Kole/
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Dominant Men Series
Her Blue Collar Dom
Her Convenient Dom
Her Promised Dom
Desire for Discipline Series
Accepting His Terms, Book One
Submitting to Brian, Book Two
The Longing Within, Book Three
Loving the Nobleman Series
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