"You can," I whisper. "You can do whatever you want. I just want you to be happy. We can spend all the time together your want."
"Making love to you now would make me happy but only if you have the energy."
I push past him and leap to my feet, pulling my dress over my head. "I'll race you to the bed." I scream as he charges behind me pulling me into his arms.
***
"I would have given you the shares if you would have asked." I run my finger down his chest. It's covered in the light mist of sweat from our lovemaking. "Anything I have is yours. I thought you knew that."
"Everything but that jewelry store I gave you." He pinches my side and I scream out in delight.
"We've been over that. You follow the customers around and then get angry with them when they leave without buying a piece."
"Here's the thing, beautiful." He pulls my leg over his torso so he can rest his hand on my ass. "You're the most amazing jewelry designer in the world. One day people are going to pay thousands of dollars to own one of your designs. The people who walk out of the shop now are missing the big picture. I'm just trying to explain it to them."
I roll my head back in laughter at his words. "Not everyone in the world thinks I'm as great as you do. You know that, don't you?"
"They're idiots." He shakes his head. "How could anyone in their right mind not realize how gifted you are? It makes no sense to me."
"I love that you think I'm special." Even I hear my own words and realize how grossly understated he's going to think they are.
"Special?" He jumps to his knees, pushing me back into the bed sheets. "You're the breath to my life, Ivy. You are the reason I get out of bed every single day. You are my world."
My heart leaps at his words. This is the closest I've felt to Jax in so long.
"You're my world too." I pull my arms over my head and look into his eyes. "I can't be without you. That's not an option for me anymore."
"You'll never have to be." He leans down, his large body hovering over mine. "I'll never let that happen."
Chapter 21
"I'm going to take good care of her, Ivy." Brighton gives me a brief hug. "I promise you that."
I nod as I watch Liz's bed wheel past me. I know I should stop her and say something. My mind is telling me it's the right thing to do but my heart. My heart is telling me to let her go.
"Ivy." Apparently her heart isn't ready for this to be over yet.
"Yes, Liz?" I turn towards where the stewards have stopped her stretcher near the door to the hospital.
"I’m sorry." Her eyes fill with tears as the words leave her lips. "You were the best friend I ever had. I'm sorry I messed things up."
I know it's taking most of the strength she has to say the words. I know it's pulling on a part of her emotions that she usually keeps buried deep within.
"I know, Liz." I reach to run my hand along hers. "I know."
She only nods in silence as they wheel her through the door to the waiting ambulance.
"We'll be in Paris in two days. It's the best place for her right now. The doctors there are doing remarkable things for people like Liz."
I smile at Brighton's cheery disposition. Taking on the task of not only helping Liz to recover from her injuries but helping her to overcome her addiction is a huge step for them both. I can tell he truly does love her and I hope, with everything that I am, that she can love him back just as much.
"We're here if you need us." Jax's voice flows over my shoulder as I feel his hand pressing into my back. "I've missed you, Brighton. Come back and visit soon."
His words were almost identical the last time Brighton fled to Europe. The difference today is that there's heavy meaning behind them. They've moved past their differences. Jax no longer sees Brighton as a spoiled artist and Jax is more than an arrogant businessman to him. They are brothers now. I move out of the way to allow them one last embrace before Brighton boards the ambulance.
"I didn't think you'd make it in time to say goodbye." I grab hold of his hand and cradle it in mine. "What kept you?"
"I was talking to Gilbert." He tucks his smartphone into the pocket of his jeans. "He found a buyer for your shares and my shares. They'll run the company with integrity. Bailey's going to have a bright future."
I smile at the mention of her name. I've never met her and I likely never will but that little girl had changed the entire landscape of my relationship with Jax and I was forever grateful for that.
"I promised Mrs. Adams that we would stop by her new place on our way home." I motion towards the parking lot. "She wants to show me the cat that her boyfriend bought her."
"I can't believe she's shacking up with that guy." He pulls me closer into a tighter embrace. "She's a hussy."
I roll my head back in a burst of laughter at the mention of the word. "That's her word for all the single women who used to live in our building."
"So you were one too before you sold your apartment?" He cocks a brow and the serious look on his face only adds to my amusement.
"You saved me from my life as a hussy." I perch on my tiptoes to pull my lips across his. "Jax…" my voice trails as I feel a rush of heat course through me.
Chapter 22
"If you're going to faint, the hospital is the place to do it, beautiful." Jax's gorgeous face is the first thing I see when I pull my heavy eyelids open. I gaze past him a monitor that is beeping out a pulse rate.
"What?" I try to sit up and he gently eases me back onto the stretcher. "What happened?"
"You fell into my arms when I was kissing you." He trails his lips across my forehead. "It was all very romantic."
I smile a weak smile. "I must have been dehydrated. I was so busy at the shop before I rushed here to say goodbye to Brighton."
"That's not what it is." He leans closer, his hand gently rubbing my cheek. "That's not it, beautiful. My beautiful, Ivy."
I see the tears in his eyes. He was right. I am sick. I should have listened to him and gone to the doctor when he told me too. I should have taken better care of myself. I should have done so much more when I had the chance.
"Or maybe it's mom now." The words are barely audible.
"What?" He didn't say that. He didn't call me mom.
"I'm going to be a dad and you're going to be a mom." His hand effortlessly glides softly over my stomach. "We're having a baby."
"A baby?" I know what the word means. I don't understand how he can be saying it in relation to me.
"A baby, yes." He nods slowly. His expression is so soft; it's so loving and tender.
"I'm having a baby?" I need to sit up. I need to think about this.
"We're having a baby in six months."
"I'm that pregnant?" I look down to where his hand is resting on my body. "How?"
"You know how." He winks. "It all makes sense now."
I search his eyes for an answer. I need to understand. I pull my hand to his cheek and that's when I see it. Shimmering in the fluorescent light of the sterile hospital room is a ring. A large diamond ring is perched on my left hand.
"Jax." I can't say more than that. I can't think straight.
"I asked you to marry me when you were passed out." He shrugs his shoulders. "I just assumed you were speechless because you were so happy."
"You had this with you." I motion towards the ring. It's so exquisite. It's one of the designs I've sketched.
"I've been carrying that in my pocket for the past three months." He pats his chest. "And I've been carrying the question in here since I met you."
"We're getting married," I say breathlessly. I feel as though I'm dreaming. Nothing seems real.
"We're having a baby too." He leans down to kiss my stomach. "Our baby, my beautiful Ivy. Our baby."
"A baby." The words come out in a tumble of tears.
"This is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing." He reaches to cover my lips with his. "Taking care of my wife and baby is my life. This is where I belong."
"This is where we all belong. Together. The three of us." I slide my hand around his neck as his lips glide over mine.
Epilogue – 1 year later.
"He's not going to walk for months, Jax." I toss the tiny sneakers onto the floor. "You have to stop buying him things he doesn't need."
"Like that's going to happen." He kisses my cheek as he wraps his arm around my waist. "I can't stop. I want him to have everything."
"He just needs you. Like this." I pat his chest. "Open and loving. You're the most amazing father."
"I am pretty good at this house husband thing, aren't I?"
I pull my eyes around the apartment and wince when I settle on dirty dishes, blankets strewn everywhere, a few baby toys and a laundry basket overflowing with clean clothing. "You're learning."
"I'm happier than I've ever been." The words bounce through me with the excitement that he's attached to them. I've never seen him this content.
"I love knowing that you're exactly where you want to be." I lean in to him, enjoying the quiet solace while our son naps.
"When you leave for work every day and I get to hold that little prince in my arms and tell him stories about how I met his beautiful mommy, I feel like I'm on cloud nine."
"Tell me the story," I tease.
He pulls me towards the couch and motions for me to settle into his lap. "It's like this." He runs his hand along my arm. "I say, Jackson, once upon a time not that long ago, this beautiful woman with pretty blonde hair was staring at a painting at an art show. She thought it was the ugliest thing she'd ever seen and that's when daddy fell in love with her."
I jump to my feet. "Very funny, Jax."
He bolts to his too. "That's a true story."
I race down the hallway trying to suppress the giggles. Everything stops when I feel his hands on my waist pulling me into our bedroom.
"Jax," I whisper into his kiss. "I love you."
"I love you, Mrs. Walker." It's the nickname he's called me since we married right after Jackson was born. Holding my newborn son in my arms while I pledged my undying love to the man I adore had made me finally feel whole, complete and anchored.
I close my eyes as I feel him undo the sash on my dress.
This is my life.
This is my everything.
A Special Surprise for Obsessed Readers:
Ivy and Jax's journey has taken them on a path that included betrayal, loss and uncertainty. I love the characters and sharing them with you has been amazing for me. Saying goodbye to them now isn't easy and it's not something I'm going to do quite yet.
You have all made my adventure into self-publishing such a rewarding and fulfilling one. I wake up each morning unsure of whether I’m actually living a dream. It's humbling and I'm honored by all the feedback and encouragement I've received.
As a gift to all of you I'm going to be writing another novella that centers on Ivy and Jax. This will be a free gift to everyone who is a member of my mailing list. (This is the simplest way for me to share the file.) This will be released right before the holidays and it will pick up a year after we've left Jax and Ivy in Still Obsessed. (You didn’t really think Jax would settle down that easily, did you?)
As Ivy's career blossoms, Jax begins to question his own value and he makes a few choices that will impact his connection to his wife and to their family.
This book will not be available for sale. It is strictly a free gift given to my readers.
If you'd like to receive this novella, please join the mailing list here.
I promise I won't send out emails about anything that is unrelated to my books.
Jax and Ivy will be back in late November with a special story just for all of you.
Xo
Thank You
Thank you for purchasing and downloading my book. I can’t even begin to put to words what it means to me. If you enjoyed it, please remember to write a review for it on Amazon. Let me know your thoughts! I want to keep my readers happy.
It’s hard to imagine that Jax & Ivy are over, but like all good things, they need to come to an end. Obsessed was my first serial and will always hold a special place in my heart. I hope it does for you as well.
Stay tuned to my website, www.deborahbladon.com, for more information on More Exposed and Pulse – Part Three. Big things are coming up!
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Thank you, for everything.
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About the Author
Deborah Bladon has never read a romance hero she didn't like. Her love for romance novels began when she was old enough to board the bus, library card in hand to check out the newest Harlequin paperbacks. She's a Canadian by heart, and by passport, but you can often spot her in New York City sipping a latte and looking for inspiration for her next story. Manhattan is definitely her second home.
She cherishes her family and believes that each day is a gift for writing, for reading, and for loving.
Still Obsessed Page 6
