Alone in the kitchen, I feel the absence of Elena. I hate being away from her at all. Every day when I head to work to train my clients, I wish she was by my side. Even being downstairs while she’s upstairs makes me feel the distance between us. If I had it my way, I’d spend every minute of every day with her and our unborn child. I know some people say they’d drive each other crazy if they spent all their time with their partner, but I could spend twenty-four-seven with Elena and never get bored. In the five months, we’ve been together, she’s made me laugh so much that my sides hurt, made me crave her so badly that I’m almost constantly hard, and even been good company to me when she’s asleep. After spending so much time alone in my life, I finally fulfilled now that I have her in my life.
I’m making coffee when Jenny appears and steals the first mug from me. She’s moving out in a few weeks after buying a house of her own, but for now, she’s still around to wind me up. She tsk’s at me playfully.
“You gave me another sleepless night last night, bro,” she says, pointing at the bags under her eyes. “You two were at it like animals.”
I roll my eyes with a smile. Yes, Elena, and I have a lot of sex. Yes, we’re loud. We tried to hold back at first when she moved in properly, but after a few weeks, we found ourselves unable to stop our loud cries when we pleasure one another. Jenny has just had to learn to deal with it, really, considering she lives in my home, but I know she’s not joking when she says we keep her awake at night.
“Well, all the more reason for you to move out quicker, hmm?”
She swats me. “Stop trying to get rid of me. I might be tempted to stay longer just to annoy you, you know.”
I laugh. I don’t mind my sister being around much, but I can’t wait for the day when it’s just me and Elena alone in our own home. We have a baby on the way, after all, and as much as I love my sister, she’s not really a part of this new thing I have in my life. Elena is mine and I don’t want to share her. I bet the two of them will miss one another, though. They get on like a house on fire, exchanging rude jokes and gossip until all hours of the morning. It’s good knowing that my family gets along so well with the love of my life. My parents love her, too, and they can’t wait for the wedding. The second Elena has the baby we’re going to start planning for it. I for one can’t wait to see her walk down the aisle in a beautiful white dress.
But I sometimes wonder about whether her father feels the same about the whole thing. I know that I’m probably never going to be his first choice for a husband for his daughter. He made that clear back when we met. Though he’s warming to me slowly, I do wonder if he still has some reservations about me and his daughter.
“What are you thinking about?” Jenny asks. I sigh.
“Just John. I don’t know how to get through to him. It’s been five months and I feel like he’s still distancing himself from me.”
“Which is kind of impossible when he’s here nearly every day,” Jenny adds. She’s not wrong. John takes every opportunity he can to come over and see Elena. He’s forever coming over for dinner and getting in the way of our date nights. He tries to monopolize her time. That is the curse of living next door to him, I guess. As much as I want us to get along, he needs to realize that Elena is mine. He’s had his time to be with her all her life. He watched her grow into a woman and now she needs a man to love her in a different way.
“I can’t just tell him to back off though, can I,” I grumble irritably. “He’s her father and he lives right next door. It’s just so easy for him to get involved.”
“Maybe he’ll see sense after a while. He’s just being protective, especially because she’s pregnant,” Jenny says. “It’ll turn out fine. Besides, you need to learn to share.”
“I don’t want to share her. She’s mine,” I growl. Jenny just laughs.
“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Quit being so annoying and take your girl some breakfast.”
She’s right. She deserves a relaxing day today. She’s got exams coming up, but I’m insisting that she puts her feet up today. She works too hard for a woman who’s five months pregnant. The tray I’m taking her breakfast on wobbles a little and I spill some tea, but by the time I make it to our bedroom, her breakfast is miraculously still unruined.
She’s sitting up in bed when I arrive. She blushes with a smile when she sees me.
“Aw baby, you didn’t have to make me breakfast!”
“Of course I did. I want to treat you,” I say. “Happy birthday, baby.”
She accepts the breakfast eagerly and bites into some toast. She makes appreciative sounds. “Mm, eating for two is fun. I feel like the baby is hungry today. Thanks for this.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ve got a present for you too.”
I’m pleased with what I’ve got for her. She’s going to love it. I reach in my bedside table.
“You know how we decided to name the baby Sally if she’s a girl and Samson if it’s a boy.”
Elena nods. “Of course.”
“Well, this gift works for both.”
She opens the little box that I hand to her. When she sees the charm bracelet inside, made of silver, she gasps. On it, there are already three little pendants. One with the letter E for Elena, one with the letter L for Landon, and S for our first baby. She seems to understand right away.
“Landon it’s beautiful.”
“I’m going to add to it as our family grows,” I explain. “It’s a way to always have your family with you, even when we’re apart, even for a moment.”
She has tears in her eyes as she looks at me. “Landon this is the sweetest gift. Thank you so much.”
I kiss her gently. My cock rises in my pants. She looks amazing in the mornings in her sexy nightgown and without any makeup. She always looks beautiful, but there’s something about her in the mornings that really turns me on. But we have a party to prep for, so no tumble in the sheets this morning. I have to hold back until tonight.
“You’re welcome, baby. Now let’s get up and get ready.”
She’s wearing the bracelet proudly when the guests arrive. She keeps showing it off to people when they enter the house and I feel a rush of love for her. Knowing how much she loves the bracelet reminds me of how much she loves me and the family we’re building. She’s still buzzing about it when her father arrives.
“Look, Dad,” she says, thrusting the bracelet in his face. “The present that Landon got me for my birthday.”
He studies the bracelet and there’s a sadness in his eyes. Maybe it’s because his own initials aren’t on the bracelet. Still, to his credit, he pretends to be interested.
“That’s lovely, darling. Landon, can I borrow you for a minute?”
I nod, wondering what the hell he could want to talk about just the two of us. He heads upstairs without an invitation and I try not to be irritated as I follow him.
He stands in mine and Elena’s bedroom, glancing at all of her things dotted around the room. He sighs.
“It’s strange to me, seeing her things somewhere that isn’t our home,” he says. I’d never considered that. It’s a sign of her moving on, I suppose. She never fully moved back in with her parents after he kicked her out. I suppose he never expected her to move on so quickly from the whole thing. Maybe he thought his little girl would come home for a while longer. But she chose to stay with me. Maybe that’s why he has a hard time warming to me.
“She’s twenty-two today. I can’t believe how fast the years have gone,” he says. He looks directly at me. “Look, I just wanted to say that I’m going to give you more space from now on. I guess I’ve just been clinging on to the fact that she’s my little girl for too long. And I know I need to give you both space.”
I shrug. “I understand. It’s just we don’t really get much time alone.”
“I know. I think I’ve been trying to protect her. I’ve had my guard up still, but she doesn’t need that from me anymore. She’s in very capable hands
with you,” he says. He reaches out to pat my shoulder. “I had doubts about you. I didn’t think it would last. But you’ve been so good to her. I know it might seem sometimes like I’m getting in your way, but I just miss her. I thought she’d be back in my house in no time. But now I see that you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to her. If I ever come across as cold, I’m sorry. I promise. I’ll give you the space you need now.”
I feel bad for the guy. Elena is the best thing in his life as well as mine. He raised her and now she’s leaving her need for him behind. I put my hand on his shoulder too.
“You’re family now. You’re always welcome here,” I say truthfully. He manages a smile.
“I don’t deserve this, after the way I treated you.”
“Families fight. We get over it,” I say gruffly. “Come on, let’s go and watch Elena celebrate her day.”
It wasn’t a long conversation, but it was an important one. I feel like we’ve cleared the air. Now, we can both focus on the thing that’s most important to us…
Elena.
I catch her in the crowds, laughing and smiling. She’s radiant, particularly now that she has our baby inside her. She looks up and catches my eye and I realize that I need nothing else in the world than her. I want her with every fiber of my being. Every possessive bone in my body just wants to own her, love her, cherish her.
And now, for the rest of my days, she’s mine.
“It’s time for the cake!” Elena’s mother cries, carrying the cake in through the kitchen. I join in as everyone sings Happy Birthday, as I making my way over to her. When I reach her she clutches my hand hard and looks into my eyes with a sweet smile.
“I know what I’m wishing for,” she murmurs.
“You’re not supposed to tell me,” I tease, but she tells me anyway. She leans in close to my ear.
“I wish we will be together forever,” she whispers. “And that we’ll have so many children together that our house will always be filled with noise. I wish that we have the perfect life together.”
“You don’t need a birthday wish to make that happen,” I growl. “I’m going to take care of you, baby. I’m going to give you everything you could possibly want in life. I’m going to love you, make babies with you, and take you all over the world. We’re going to have the life you’ve always dreamed of. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispers. She kisses my lips softly and everyone in the room awws at the sight of us together. They might not have wanted us to be together at first, but now they can see that we’re inseparable. We’re a perfect couple, the type of pairing that everyone aspires to be like. As she turns to blow out her candles, her hand still gripped in mine and I close my eyes to make my own wish.
I wish that we can stay this perfect forever.
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
EIGHT YEARS LATER...
Elena
Nine years of bliss. That’s how long Landon and I have been together. Nine years ago today he moved in next door to me and my life turned upside down. There was so much uncertainty at the time. My father didn’t want us to be together and I thought it was all going to be too much. But since then, everything has been so perfect. We’ve made a life together that I adore. I love him more and more each day.
And then there are the kids. S turned out to be a girl, our firstborn named Sally. Then we had Samson next, or Sam for short. Now, our youngest, Annabelle, has a new pendant on my bracelet with her initials on it as well.
Three kids. One marriage. One home right next door to my parents. It’s the perfect life I never imagined for myself until I met Landon. I thought maybe I’d be alone forever, unable to find someone to love me the way I deserve. Now, as I wake up next to Landon on our nine-year anniversary, I know that’s not true.
His body is warm next me and I snuggle into him. Annabelle slept through the night so we have a rare moment of quiet to just be together. He wakes up and reaches for me right away, pulling me in for a kiss.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he growls. He calls me that every single day and it feels damn good. I have someone who appreciates me exactly the way that I am.
“Hey, baby,” I whisper back. “Happy Anniversary.”
“Happy Anniversary.”
We kiss again and I get this feeling that we’re leading up to something else. Just as he begins to climb on top of me, though, Annabelle starts crying on the baby monitor.
“Damn guess we’ll have to wait until later,” Landon says. We’ve had sex every single day since we met without fail, so today will be no different. No matter how long a day it’s been, or how busy we are, or how tired we feel, we always make time for one another. That means making love every single day and nine years on, it still makes me feel as good as the first time.
“I’ll go and see her.”
“It’s okay, you stay in bed,” Landon tells me with a kiss on my lips. It’s so damn sexy that he’s such a good father. He helps out as much as he can around here, especially now that he’s retired. We’re still living in the house where we met, but I work part-time as a pharmacist while he stays at home with the kids. He said he enjoyed his career as a personal trainer for the stars, but the best career he’s ever had is being a father. This is the life he craved before he met me and now he’s found the perfect woman for him to raise a family with. And she just so happens to be me.
“Thanks, baby,” I tell him as he goes to see Annabelle. “I’ll get up and make breakfast.”
It’s a Saturday morning. The kids will be running amok all day, but I don’t mind. I like the chaos. I get up and make scrambled eggs with bacon, a family favorite. By the time Landon has got Annabelle settled, Samson and Sally have come downstairs and made a mess with their toys in the living room. As I cook, I watch with a smile as Landon sweeps both of them up in his arms and swings them around to make them laugh.
“Keep going, Daddy!” Sally giggles, as Landon dizzily sets them on his feet. He shakes his head.
“Absolutely not. If you don’t puke first, I definitely will. Come on, let’s get some breakfast. What do you say to your Mom?”
“Thanks for making breakfast, Mommy!” Samson says angelically, smiling and revealing his gappy teeth.
“And Happy Anniversary,” Sally says sweetly. I smile.
“You two are the cutest. Now eat up your breakfast. We’re going to have a movie marathon in our pajamas today, my special treat for our anniversary.”
The kids are all too happy to comply. Landon offered to take me out for dinner, but all I really want is to spend today with my beautiful family and relax. My dad could’ve taken the kids for the day, it’s not hard when he lives next door, but they make this day even more special. We spend the day watching corny movies with endless snacks.
I doze off a few times in Landon’s arms. In truth, I’m exhausted by motherhood. At two months old, Annabelle is hard work, and the other two are growing up so fast. I love it and I’m so desperate not to miss a second that sometimes I forget to sleep and take care of myself. But this is the perfect way to spend a day, half asleep but surrounded by all the people I love most in the world.
The movie day turns into a movie night. We order pizzas and the kids drink too much soda which makes them run around like mad things. Landon plays with them until they’re tired out and then he carries them off to bed, all before nine pm, which is a miracle in our house. He smiles at me as he returns to the living room to find me snuggled up on the sofa.
“I think we wore them out,” he murmurs. He climbs on top of me on the couch and I feel myself getting wet within seconds. There’s always some part of me that wants him twenty-four-seven, but I can’t resist for even a moment when he gets all up close and personal with me. We kiss and my arms circle around his neck, pulling him closer. I can feel his cock pushing against me with a sense of urgency.
“I want you,” he growls in my ear, and I giggle.
“Even after nine years and three babies?”
&nbs
p; “Yes,” he growls seriously. “In fact. I want you more. You’re the sexiest baby mama I could have ever ask for.”
“Even with all my stretch marks?”
“Yes, they make you even sexier. They remind me of what you’ve made for us, a family,” he growls. He kisses me passionately. “You’re everything to me, Elena. And guess what. I’m nowhere near done. I want more kids. I want more nights like this with you. I want to fuck you every single day because it still feels as amazing as it did the first time.” He kisses my neck and I gasp with pleasure.
“Landon.”
“Let me put another baby in you,” he growls. “I don’t want to wait another second. I want my cock buried deep in you. I want to come inside you and make a baby. Hell, let’s have twins or triplets.”
I laugh. “I don’t think we get a say in how many we get.”
“But can I have at least one?” he teases, nipping my skin with his teeth and then looking deep into my eyes. I take a deep breath. It’s exhausting having this many kids, having more would be even more tiring, and so soon after having Annabelle. I thought we were going to wait a while before having any more kids.
And yet I want it more than anything in the world. He doesn’t need to persuade me. I made up my mind a long time ago. Wherever he’s concerned, I’ll always say yes to everything he wants to do, because I want whatever he wants. Having another baby with him seems like a dream come true.
“Let’s do it,” I whisper. He smiles wolfishly as he kisses me again. He sweeps me up into his arms and I giggle as he carries me up the stairs to our bedroom. I know right away what’s about to happen and I feel my arousal take me over. How can it still feel so good after so much time? Why do I still feel like a schoolgirl falling in love for the first time every time I look at him? After everything we’ve been through, why have we never had a bad day, or argued, or made any wrong turns where our relationship is concerned?
I guess this is the definition of true love.
Hot Neighbor: An Instalove Possessive Age Gap Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 199) Page 7
