"Yeah," I said. "I'm keeping mine. It might be filled with fucked up memories, but they're my memories. Besides, as much as I adore you I don't want to live with you just yet. It would be nice to just date like normal people and then when we're ready we can move in together."
Peter nodded. "Makes sense."
"You're not upset, are you?"
He shook his head. "Not at all, baby. I don't mind dating without living together. You need time to adjust back to being home. Besides, you're welcome to come and spend a night whenever you'd like."
"Same here," I smiled. "Whenever you'd like to visit me I'll be more than happy to have you." I pursed my lips. "Whenever I get like beds and stuff again."
Peter cracked up. "You're the cutest fucking thing in the world."
"Is that why you love me?" I asked as I batted my lashes.
"Oh, that and so many more reasons baby."
I grinned. As much as I loved the fact that I would have a house of my own, I knew that one day the ranch would be my home. I loved Rory. I loved the cattle. I could see my life as it unfolded there with him and I couldn't think of a time when I was happier.
Epilogue
Joanne
One Year Later
I smiled at the class of kindergarteners in front of me. They seemed happy as they played with the sand and water table that I'd set up. So far we'd produced several sandcastles and were having a contest on who could make theirs the biggest. I grinned as I helped out pushing a seashell in there and making a moat for the next group.
"Ms. Davis, can we add glitter?"
"I don't think that's a good idea. It'll get everywhere," I laughed. "How about tomorrow when we do art we play with the glitter?
"Okay!"
I loved kids. They were so sweet and open to compromise. In our class, I'd taken on a few special needs children as well. I checked on them and they seemed just as happy to participate in sandcastle building. I loved it. There wasn't a soul on earth who didn't want to build a house in the sand.
"Alright guys," I called as I looked at the clock. "We don't have too much time left. We need to clean up and get ready to get picked up."
I helped the kids as we cleaned up the mess that we'd made. I'd never been so happy. Dealing with cute kids who wanted to help and loved me as their teacher felt like heaven. I was glad that I got to change their lives in any small way that I could.
The bell rang and I smiled as they ran for their parents. As I watched their small arms wrapped around their parents, I smiled. Slowly, I ran a hand over the small bump in my belly. One day, I'd have a little one just like that.
I gathered my things and headed outside. Peter honked his horn and waved from where he'd parked. I grinned. He hopped out of the truck and dashed over to me quickly to take my bag and files before he kissed me happily.
"How was work?"
"Amazing," I cooed. "My students are doing so well and I'm damned proud of them."
Peter grinned. "I'm sure you are. Let's get you home."
"Yes, please."
We drove back to his place and I smiled. I'd kept my mother's place for almost eight months before I decided to rent it out. That way, at least it was always mine and I still made an income off of it. In my eyes that was a smart business investment. People loved it too. Especially families. It was in the perfect spot for parks, pools, and fun while being remote enough to be quiet and safe. I was glad that the house got the chance to be filled up with good memories.
"I already started dinner," Peter said with a grin.
"Ooh, what are we having?"
"Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, and greens."
I groaned. "You're trying to make me put on an extra hundred pounds I swear."
"Just a little. I know how much you love a good meal."
"True. And it sounds amazing."
Peter knew me too well. I loved when he cooked for me and it was usually something amazing and pretty fattening with veggies thrown in. We had to switch cooking nights or I was afraid we'd both end up being five thousand pounds from the good food that we ate.
When we reached home Peter glanced around. "I need to check on the cattle again."
"I'm going with you."
He put his cap on my head and tugged it down before we wandered through the light snow that was on the ground. I smiled and walked over to the cattle. We'd bought even more since we'd expanded the ranch and I adored all of them. I rubbed one of their heads and smiled before I reached for a bag of feed and quickly stopped.
"Not helping me out today?" Peter asked as he added water to the troughs.
I frowned. I hated the thought that I wouldn't be able to help him, but I loved the reason why. I shook my head.
"Let's go in the house. I need to talk to you about something."
Peter raised a brow. "Something good? Or something bad?"
"Good I swear."
We finished up before Peter laced his fingers with mine. Once we were in the house we stripped out of our winter clothes and I smiled. I'd never get tired of being at home. It wasn't just Peter's place anymore. It was mine too.
"What's going on?" He asked as he trailed to the kitchen.
I walked after him before I gripped the back of a chair. I didn't have the right words to explain to him what was going on. Instead, I dipped into my pocket and pulled out the ziplock baggie. I laid it on the table.
"Look."
Peter stopped making us coffee and walked over to the table. When he glanced down at the white stick with its two pink little lines his eyes widened so much they nearly bugged out of his skull. I chuckled at his reaction before he glanced up at me.
"Does this mean…?"
"Yeah," I smiled. "I'm pregnant."
"Oh my God!" He whooped as he ran over and snatched me up into a hug before he twirled me around. "I'm going to have a kid! Oh man, I hope it's a boy like me. No, wait. I hope it's a sweet little girl I get to spoil. Damn, I don't care either way I'm just so damn happy!"
I stroked his hair as he sat me down and hugged my legs. I laughed and placed a kiss on his hair. Relief flooded me. I was sure that he'd be happy, but my mind had conjured up all kinds of awfulness. Now that I knew how much he loved it, I smiled.
"I'm so glad you're happy."
"Of course I am!" He shouted. "We're pregnant. I've been dying for this news since forever." He shook his head. "I guess it's perfect timing."
"Why's that?" I asked.
Peter didn't say a word. He turned off the pot before he turned to me. Slowly, he pulled a black box out of his pocket and lowered himself to one knee. My mouth hung open as I stared at him in shock.
"W-what's this?"
Peter opened the box and I stared at the dazzling ring that he'd brought for me. "Joanne," he said as he swallowed hard and tried to remain composed. "Will you marry me?"
My eyes watered. I couldn't make my throat work, but I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him so tightly I was sure he couldn't breathe. Still, he held and comforted me as I sobbed like a baby. When I pulled back I rubbed my sleeve across my cheeks.
"I love you so much," I cried.
"And I love you, baby," Peter said. "Don't ever forget that."
Peter pulled me into his arms and kissed me so hard I had to hold onto him for dear life. I couldn't imagine life without him. I was so damn glad that I'd decided to find my way home.
I pulled back and Peter slipped the ring onto my finger. It looked radiant in the light of the kitchen like it boasted a thousand diamonds. It looked like something a princess should have worn, but it was on my finger instead. I didn't even know what to do with that.
Peter kissed my hand and I blushed under his attention.
It was enough to rev him up. I watched as his eyes narrowed and he switched from sweet, quiet man to absolute beast. Not that I wasn’t going to enjoy it. His body belonged to me and I was happy to have it whenever he wanted to give it to me.
“Be gentle,” I l
aughed as I held onto him tightly and was scooped into his arms.
“I give you absolutely no promises,” he grunted.
I wouldn’t have wanted anything else.
The End
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More By Annabelle Love
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Cherishing Her
I didn’t feel threatened by his presence. I didn’t feel scared or worried… and I’d been nothing but for the last two years.
I could tell someone had hurt her.
I could see she was trying to fly under the radar, to go unnoticed.
I’d been around women that shared similar fates too much in my life not to have seen that look on her face.
But I saw her, I noticed. It was like a siren’s call.
How could I resist her, from the first day she stepped into my office? …that’s when everything changed.
Someone had hurt her, and that, in turn, made me want to hurt that someone.
If she'll just let me in enough to tell me who it was…
When I find them, there'll be hell to pay.
I had to make her mine… my Jessica.
Mine to keep safe.
Mine to protect.
Mine to love, to show her what a real man is like.
Mine to cherish.
***Cherishing Her is stand-alone read with no cheating, no cliffhangers, steamy scenes, and a guaranteed HEA. (Note: Contains themes which may be distressing to some readers. Recommended 18+.)***
Chapter 1
Max
“Who’s that?”
Pointing my finger through the wall of glass, my aim was a pretty young woman with hair like silk.
Okay, so I know that must sound trite. Hair like silk? What was this? A shampoo commercial? But seriously, I’d never seen hair like it.
Not only did it gleam under the bright lights of the reception area outside my office, the colors were insane. But crazier still was the notion that it was all natural.
There was way too much work there for that to have been anything other than the good Lord’s masterpiece.
There were so many golds and bronzes and shades of silvery white that my eyes were captured by the majesty of it. Sure, it could be a seriously expensive hair job at the salon, but fuck. That was the purview of rich housewives and mistresses; neither of which I had so that didn’t explain the stranger roaming around the ante office before me.
Derek, my PA, snorted. “She’s my assistant while Mary’s out.”
I blinked at that. “Who’s Mary?”
Derek sighed, but then, he had a habit of doing things like that. The man had been with me long enough for me not to mind. On anyone else, I’d have gone insane. Issued warnings, dire threats of employment loss, but Derek had been with me so damn long that I couldn’t find it in me to get too riled up at his antics. His sighs were as much a part of the furniture as my desk or the sofa opposite me that I slept on more than I did my bed at home.
Derek was caustic, sarcastic, and just Alpha enough not to knock swords with me without letting me get too big for my boots.
Considering Avalon had just hit the Fortune 500, it was very likely my boots were going to start getting too small for me.
Derek said it was his moral duty to keep me in line.
As the bastard was my best friend’s kid brother, I hadn’t knocked him out when he’d said that. Hell, who am I kidding? The last time I knocked someone out, it was by accident.
If knocking my head into a quarterback could be considered an accident…
There’s a reason I was nicknamed ‘The Wall’ back in college.
“Mary was my assistant,” he explained slowly, literally in slow motion. Jeez, the man treated me like I was mentally challenged sometimes. “You know? The one with the huge basketball tucked under her dress for the last three months?”
I’m anything but mentally challenged; Avalon’s status proves that, but still, I blinked.
Again.
Because what the fuck was he talking about? “She was pregnant?”
“Yeah, dumbass. She really was.” He shook his head. “Wow. You really didn’t notice? I mean, I know we’re not supposed to notice anymore. Heaven forbid we look anywhere else than a woman’s eyes, but she was huge.” He rubbed his chin, the scratching noise came as his nails rasped over his stubble—it was Movember, and the idiot was refusing to shave. He looked more hobo than chic in my opinion. “I wonder if she was having twins or something.” He shot me a look. “Seriously. You didn’t notice? I mean, she was this stick thing with this huge bump. How couldn’t you notice?”
I processed his bewilderment, rifling through my memory banks for the elusive assistant who I must have seen at some point but seriously couldn’t remember. “Redhead?”
Derek’s sigh sounded put upon, and I laughed despite myself. “No. She had brown hair. Dammit, Max. How can you be so smart and so dumb?”
“Attic theory,” I mocked.
“You know that’s bullshit.”
“I disagree. If I don’t consider it important, then why retain the information?”
“She was my assistant. That’s pretty important in this company. She stopped me from going crazy while we floated Avalon. Without her,” he said dramatically, “we’d never have made so much money.”
“Oh, it was all Mary, was it? Nothing to do with me?” I grinned at the idiot as I flipped him the bird.
“Okay, so yeah. You had something to do with it too.”
“Good to know. I guess that’s why I get paid so much, huh?” I asked mockingly, then, scowling, I turned back to the matter at hand. “How long has she been working here? Is she doing a good job?”
Derek turned to look over his shoulder. “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”
“Yeah. You tried it on with her?”
“And risk a lawsuit?” Derek snorted; he’d been burnt by what had happened last year, pre-float. “Nope.”
“Why? Just don’t be a lech. She’s a temporary employee. It’s not like we’re held to the same laws.”
“Well, doesn’t that make you sound like a douche?”
I laughed. “I don’t mean be a bastard or hurt her. I just mean…” I grimaced. “Okay, I’m going to stop digging my own grave now.”
Anyway, why the fuck am I encouraging him to ask her out? Hell, with hair like that, and if the whole package matches up, then I want first dibs.
“Yeah, best you do that,” Derek retorted, his tone dry.
“Anyway. You’re not interested?”
“Not really. Things are going well with Kayla and me at the moment.”
I cocked a brow, surprised enough to stop staring at the beauty in my outer office.
“You are?”
Derek was the epitome of the male slut. He’d had more girlfriends than I had, which was saying something considering I’d made it a point not to get close to any woman since Jessica had come and gone in my life.
I’d learned my lesson.
Relationships were a bitch. Especially when your girlfriend could go in the dictionary under the title: man-hating slut.
Yeah.
How someone could be both, I wasn’t sure, but Jessica had managed to achieve that.
“Don’t sound so surprised,” he snapped, sounding sulky now.
I grinned, satisfied at riling him up. “Well, I kind of am. I mean, she’s not your type, is she?”
“Why? What’s wrong with her?”
“She has an IQ?”
Derek rolled his eyes. “I don’t always go for dumb blondes.”
“Yeah. You do.” My tone was drier than the Sahara. “I’m glad you and Kayla are getting on well though. She’s cool.”
And she was. Kayla was an attorney with the office Avalon used. They’d met over a boardroom table and even I’d sensed the sparks, even though I’d been focused on the meeting at hand. So, that said a lot about the sparks.
If I barely noticed a permanent employee who worked with my PA, then noticing something like sexual attraction? Yeah, normally that shit floated over my head. But the way Kayla and Derek had been together? There was no avoiding that crap. They’d looked like they could start fucking right there and then.
Derek sniffed; apparently not forgiving me for my blunder—making me hide a smile.
“Her name’s Jessica.”
My smile died.
“Who is?”
He peered over his shoulder. “She is.”
I gritted my teeth. “You’re kidding me?”
B9 Hometown Lover Page 12
