by Hope Ford
“A ring? Kent, I’m not leaving... we don’t have to rush things.”
I pick her up in my arms and carry her to the bedroom. “I’m not rushing things. This is what I want. I want to be your husband. More than anything, that’s what I want.”
As soon as I lay her down on the bed, she starts to pull her clothes off. “What else do you want? Do you want to have babies with me?”
All the air leaves my lungs. I kneel down on the bed next to her and put my palm over her belly. “I would love to have babies with you.”
She’s smiling one instant and unsure the next. “What if I want to wait a few years?”
I shrug. “It doesn’t matter. Whenever you’re ready, baby, I’ll be ready.”
She pulls me down for a kiss. Her tongue swipes across my lips, seeking access. I open for her, tasting her. It would be so easy to get lost in this kiss, but I pull back enough to see her eyes. “Are you going to marry me, Ava?”
She pulls me down until I’m lying on top of her. “Are you asking?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say yes, but I don’t. I want it to be special, and I want to have a ring when I do it. “No, not yet. But it’s coming.”
She juts her chin at me. “Well, I guess I’ll wait to answer you when you officially ask then.”
I kiss down her shoulder and suckle her breast. “Maybe I can spend the next twenty-four hours convincing you then.”
She threads her fingers through my hair and holds me at her chest. “I’d be good with that.”
And that’s exactly what I do. I love her all night long, showing her exactly how good we can be together.
Epilogue
Ava
Three Years Later
I stand on our back deck and look out at Kissme Bay. We moved here right after our wedding. I lift my hand up and look at the ring on my finger and can’t stop the smile from forming on my face. It’s a beautiful solitaire, and Kent didn’t waste any time. The very next day after telling me he loved me, he went with me into the city. I took him to meet my family, and thankfully they didn’t try to pressure me into staying. Obviously, Bailey believed me when I said how happy I was, and he had told the rest of the family.
Kent had talked to my father privately while we there, and as soon as we left, we went straight to a jeweler. We barely made it out of the store before Kent was on bended knee asking me to marry him. I said yes. There’s no way I would tell him no. I didn’t want to, and I can’t imagine my life without him in it.
We still work at the fire department. We tried working shifts together and sometimes we have to – we don’t have a choice – but for the most part, we work separately. Kent is so protective of me, I don’t want it to interfere with his job or mine.
I curve my hand around my belly, thinking of the secret I have right now. The front door slams, and I drop my hand to my side, waiting on Kent to find me. I know he will. That’s what he does as soon as he gets home.
He walks out the door onto the deck, and I go straight into his arms. “How was your day?”
I smile against his chest. “Good. I missed you.”
He pulls my hair back away from my face. “I missed you too, baby.”
He tries to kiss me, and I’m lucky that after three years he still can’t keep his hands off me. But I hold my hand up to his chest to stop him. With all seriousness, I tell him, “We need to talk.”
Whether it’s my tone or the fact I stopped him from kissing me, I don’t know. But he frowns. “What’s wrong?”
I grab his hand and pull him over to the outdoor sofa. I try to sit next to him, but he pulls me onto his lap instead. I struggle to move, but he only holds me tighter. “Whatever you have to tell me, you can say it from here.”
I blow out a breath. “You sure are bossy.”
He instantly feels guilty, and then so do I. He’s worked really hard to give me my space and let me do my thing without interfering. I know it scares him when I leave for my shift, but I feel the same way about him. I always have to remind myself of what he’s gone through and the loss he’s had. Of course he’s going to worry about me.
“I take it back. I like it when you’re bossy... most of the time anyway.”
He doesn’t smirk or laugh at my joke. “Tell me what’s going on.”
I sigh. “Well, we haven’t really talked about it in a long time, but what would you think about me cutting back a little bit at work?”
His forehead creases as if he doesn’t quite understand. Almost like he’s nervous to answer.
I pull at the shirt on his chest. “Be honest with me. Would you be okay with it?”
“You’re serious?”
I nod. “I’m serious.”
He shrugs. “Well, then do it. I want you to do whatever makes you happy.”
I kiss him quickly on the lips. “Great. So I need to run out and talk to the chief about it.”
I go to get up, but he holds me against him and laughs. “Hold on. What’s going on? I mean, I’m good with whatever you want to do, but this isn’t you. You love the fire department.”
I loop my arms around his neck. “Yeah, I do, but if I have to go on desk duty, I know I’m going to hate it, so I thought I’d go to part time.”
He shakes his head. “Whoa! Desk duty! Who’s putting you on desk duty? Did Chief Malone say that?”
I run my finger across his cheek. My big man is mad. He gets like this any time he thinks someone is messing with me, and I know I should put a stop to it, but it sends a thrill through me any time he gets possessive like this. “No, Chief Malone didn’t say that. But I figure that you’re so protective of me... I can imagine when the little one gets here. Plus, I don’t want to put the baby in any danger.”
He turns completely white. “Baby?”
I search his eyes, hoping I’ve read this right. He said before that he’d be ready when I was. But we’ve never talked about it again. “Yeah, baby. I’m about two months along.”
His hands tighten on my waist. “We’re having a baby?”
I nod, and he stands up, still holding me tightly against his chest. He stops suddenly and lets me go, safely standing me up on my feet. “Oh my God, I’ve been manhandling you since I got home. Are you okay? Is the baby okay?”
I shake my head and give him my fiercest look. “Kent Graves, I’m telling you right now, you better not change how you treat me. I love your obsession with me, the way you hold me and how you’re demanding.” I tremble just thinking about it. “I love the way you take me.” I point my finger into his chest. “Don’t stop any of it. I can handle it. I want it.”
He bends down and kisses me. “I want it too.”
“So you’re happy about the baby?”
“Fuck yeah, baby. I’m happy.”
“Me too,” I tell him, right before I grab his hand and take him inside to the bedroom. I can talk to the chief later. Right now, I need to love my man and remind him just how much I love him.
THE END
Cherry Falls Romance
Welcome to Cherry Falls!
Get ready for a stand-alone series of interconnected steamy romances set in the quaint town of Cherry Falls! Created by Hope Ford and Frankie Love, this romantically fictitious place is surrounded by mountains, faces the beach, and is a short drive to the countryside.
Cherry Falls is filled with returning characters and iconic destinations that will begin to feel like family. When you leave the city, and drive into Cherry Falls, it’s like you’ve finally come home.
The cherry on top? Each book delivers a swoon-worthy, sexy romance!
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USA Today Bestselling Author Hope Ford writes short, steamy, sweet romances. She loves tattooed, alpha men, instant love stories, and ALWAYS happily ever afters. She has over 100 books and they are all available on Amazon.
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