Thank You For Loving Me

by Lori Ryan

  He pressed a soft kiss against her skin. “It’s up to you. It was your idea to get to know each other better before becoming physical. If that’s what you want, I’ll support you in it.”

  Devlin twirled in his arms and stared up into his hazel eyes now darkened with desire. “We could do both, couldn’t we?”

  “You mean talk while I make love to you?”

  “Make love?” She whispered.

  “That’s what it’s called, if you love me, right?”

  Devlin’s eyes went wide. She didn’t dare dream that he loved her.

  Max lifted her into his arms and walked them toward the stairs.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To talk,” he said, making his way up the stairs then down the hall and into his bedroom. “We’ve really got to find a place of our own. I don’t feel comfortable making love to you in my mother’s house.”

  He’d said it again. Making love.

  “What did you just say?” she asked

  “Do you have something against the words ‘making love?’” He lowered her to his bed and sank down on top of her.

  “That’s not what I was talking about.”

  Max slid his hands under her blouse, pushing up the material of her bra until his thumbs brushed over her bared nipples.

  His lips trailed the same pattern as his fingers. “What were you talking about?” he asked between kisses.

  “What, what you just said…about living together…” she stuttered, her eyes fluttering closed as her body nearly exploded from that one touch.

  “God, your body is so responsive to me.”

  And only you, she wanted to say. “Max?”

  “What? We’re talking.”

  Devlin remained quiet, needing him to hear her.

  Max pushed up and looked down at her. “What?”

  She held his gaze for several heartbeats but shook her head. She didn’t have the right to ask.

  “I love you, Devlin Darby.”

  Her mouth spread wide and tears pooled in her eyes.

  “Now is that enough talk for one night?”

  She nodded, needing him more than she ever thought possible.

  Chapter Forty

  Max slid Devlin’s shirt over her head and tossed it to the side, along with her bra. He looked down at her plump breasts. They seemed like they were growing bigger nearly every day.

  He lowered his head, taking one puckered nipple in his mouth as his hand slid down to the waist of her jeans. He slowly pulled away and glanced down. Her pants were already unfastened.

  “Someone’s anxious.” He laughed.

  “I swear I’m not showing yet, but they feel tight when I have them buttoned.”

  Max glanced down at Devlin who was wearing something akin to a scowl. “Are you growing out of your clothes?”

  “No!” She shot back an indignant glare.

  Max carefully undid her brace and set it aside. “Ankle okay?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She smiled. God, that smile. He felt himself go hard. “But the rest of me’s not.” She practically purred.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I need you.”

  And now his dick was stone. Max wiggled the jeans down her hips and tugged them off.

  She laughed. “Apparently I need new jeans too.”

  “I’ll buy you knew ones. Maybe a T-shirt that says ‘I’ve got his bun in my oven,’ and it will have finger pointing to me.”

  “Gee, thanks.” She snorted. “My mom will love that.”

  Max sat upright on his bed and looked to Devlin’s stomach. The thought she was carrying his child was slaying him.

  He hovered over her stomach.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, running her hand through his hair.

  “I want to talk to my baby.”

  She laughed. “Um, okay. But just for the record, your baby momma is kind of…” she rubbed her legs together.

  Max leaned over and kissed her stomach. “Hello baby, this is your daddy. You’ve probably heard me before, but forget that. I’m an idiot and said some mean things to your mommy.”

  Devlin laughed. “Mommy did some stupid stuff too, baby.”

  “Just to let you know, Mommy and I will probably say and do more stupid stuff over the next forty to fifty years of your life.”

  “Or longer,” Devlin added.

  “Or longer,” Max agreed. “But anyway, I just wanted to let you know that no matter what you hear us say or do, no matter how much we argue or disagree over the next forty years, we both love you very much.” Max rubbed his hand over Devlin’s abdomen as if he could feel the baby. His gaze lifted and his eyes found hers, staring back at him. “And we love each other too.”

  She smiled, that expression that both stopped his heart and made it beat faster at the same time. “Are you done with story time yet?” She quirked a brow.

  Max stood but bent down and kissed her stomach one last time. “I also want to say I’m sorry for the sounds you’re about to hear Mommy make. Trust me, I’m not hurting her.” Max drew his shirt over his head and unbuttoned his jeans. “You might hear her say stuff like, ‘please, stop,’ and ‘oh, God,’ but I promise, she’s fine.”

  Devlin laughed, the sound echoing through the room. There was no sweeter sound. Her laughter made Max believe anything was possible, for both of them. That no matter what, he was right where he belonged.

  He slid his pants down, standing before her in his boxer briefs. He studied this beautiful creature now spread out across his bed, life growing inside her. Life that he’d created.

  “Do you know how many times I’ve fantasized about this?” Max slipped his underwear off and slipped onto the bed, pushing Devlin’s legs apart.

  “Fantasized about what?”

  “Having a hot, naked chick in my bed.”

  “Well, technically I’m not naked.”

  “Yet,” Max said,

  “And I’m knocked up so that should be kind of a nightmare, not a fantasy.” She giggled.

  Max slid his fingers inside her panties and dragged them down her legs, his eyes searching hers.

  She looked so vulnerable in that moment.

  “We don’t have to have it all figured out, Devlin.”

  She nodded. “I know.”

  His lips brushed against hers and just as always, the connection sparked a fire that soon spread out of control. “Anything you want, just ask.”

  “I want you,” she whispered against his lips, winding her fingers in his hair. “I need you, Max.”

  He deepened the kiss as his hips settled between her thighs.

  Devlin pulled away, glancing up at him. He was hard as stone and feared his worst teenage nightmare might come true if he wasn’t moving inside her soon.

  “I don’t mean, I need you, as in sexually,” she said.

  Max cocked a brow.

  “I mean, I do need you that way.” As if to prove the point she raised her hips. “But I also need you as in, I don’t want to do this alone. Not anymore.”

  “It’s nice to be needed,” Max said, dropping kisses along her neck.

  Her legs spread wide and he clasped their hands, threading their fingers together as he slowly entered her. She arched toward him, her small sound of pleasure making him even harder.

  He pulled back and looked down at her. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open. “And for what it’s worth,” he paused.

  Her caramel-colored eyes fluttered open and she lay utterly still. “Yes?”

  “I need you too.”

  She smiled, and his hips moved of their own accord, their bodies rocking to a rhythm only they could hear.

  They wouldn’t be a conventional couple by any means but it didn’t mean their commitment wouldn’t be as deep. For each other, and their baby.

  Chapter Forty-One

  “This is a really small bed,” Devlin said, rubbing her finger along Max’s chest as they lay in his room. It was only a full-sized bed, so h
er point was a valid one.

  The early morning light was trickling in through his window. “Didn’t seem to stop you from getting creative.” He twirled a piece of her dark hair around his finger, remembering their evening. They’d had sex before, many times, but this was different. It really was making love, and it had overwhelmed Max.

  She rolled to her side, propping herself on one elbow to stare down at him. “I didn’t hear you complain.”

  He laughed. “You’ll never hear me complain. About sex with you.”

  Devlin’s stomach rumbled.

  “Up, wench.” He slapped her ass. “My baby needs food.”

  “I can’t believe how hungry I am all the time.”

  He rolled and stood up from the bed, bending over to pick up his jeans. “I’ll go make us something to eat.”

  “I’d rather you stand right there for the rest of the day.”

  Max turned and watched with amusement as Devlin surveyed his body from head to toe. “Like what you see?”

  “Yes.” She hummed.

  “Want more?” His grin was meant to tell her how he felt about the proposition.

  “Won’t your mom be home soon?” she asked.

  And just like that, his stiffy was gone. “Probably.” He really did need to find a place of his own.

  “I need to get up too, then.” She rose from the bed and searched the room for her clothes, picking up Max’s shirt instead and pulling it over her head. “My mom is probably wondering where I am.”

  Max laughed, picking up her jeans. “We sound like teenagers, sneaking around.”

  “Well, we kind of are,” she said.

  “Sit.” Max said when she moved to stand. “You shouldn’t stand without your boot. I’ll help you put your pants back on.”

  Devlin giggled. “Bet you’ve never said that to a girl before.”

  She was right, but he wasn’t thinking of any other girl than the one still half naked on his bed. The mother of his child.

  He knelt beside her and gently put her foot inside her jeans. “Be careful of your ankle,” he said, helping her tug the pants on.

  She hissed with pain.

  “You should be wearing sweats or baggier clothes, not these tight jeans.”

  “I had a hot date last night with a super sexy guy. No way was I wearing sweats.”

  Max smiled as he tugged her jeans up then expertly slipped on her boot and buckled the stirrups.

  “You’re good at that,” she said.

  “Not my first time with a boot.”

  She didn’t need a rundown of all the orthopedic contraptions Max had worn during his career as a professional football player.

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  “Not even seven yet. But my mom’s an early riser.” Max scooped her up in his arms. She was tiny, like a fairy. His minx.

  “Max,” she shouted, slapping his chest.

  He chuckled, never stopping until he’d carried her down the stairs and into the kitchen.

  “I love your parents’ house,” Devlin said, glancing around the space.

  “Yeah, it’s great. It was a fun place to grow up in.” He opened the door to the fridge and grabbed the pan of lasagna, setting it on the counter. “Not so fun to sneak your girlfriend in and out of though.”

  “Am I the only girl who’s been in your bed?”

  Max was surprised by the vulnerability in her voice. “Of course you are. I waited until I had the perfect one.” He winked.

  “Are you serious? You’ve never had any other girl in your room?”

  “Have you met my mother?” Max asked. “She would have kicked my ass if I had a girl in my room.”

  “That’s true.”

  Max pulled down two plates and scooped out a serving for both of them.

  “Oh, don’t forget the bread,” she said, leaning over the bar.

  He laughed and turned back toward the fridge, leaning down to grab what was left of the loaf. “You damned near ate all of it last night.”

  She laughed behind his back. “Hey,” she said, “what’s that in your back pocket?”

  He felt behind him and found the envelope his mother had given him last night. He stood and closed the refrigerator, staring down at it. Nothing was written on the outside.

  “Is it a love letter from another admirer?” Devlin teased.

  Max waggled his brows. “Probably. I get them all the time.”

  “Seriously?” Again, Devlin’s voice held a hint of vulnerability.

  “It’s from my mom.” He laughed.

  “Well, she’s probably your biggest admirer. Besides me.”

  Max glanced up, surprised to see sincerity etched across her face.

  “I need to go pee anyway, so I’ll give you some privacy. There’s a restroom down the hall, right?”

  “Yeah,” he nodded, his focus returning to the envelope. “Down the hall and to the right.”

  “Get that lasagna warmed up. Your baby is starving.”

  He turned the envelope over in his hand and tore at the seam, sliding out the letter. He opened it and noticed it was dated two days ago. It was from The Cantor Law Firm in downtown Canyon Creek.

  Max scanned the paper and realized it was a letter of intent to sell a commercial property. The letter stated the seller as Valerie D. Sumner and the buyer as Maxwell James Sumner and Devlin Jane Darby.

  Jane? Her middle name was Jane?

  “What is it?” Devlin asked, coming back into the room. “A real-life love letter from a fan declaring her undying love?”

  “Is your middle name Jane?” he asked.

  “How did you know that?”

  “It’s in this letter.”

  “What the hell is that?” Devlin scooted around the bar and stood next to Max, reading the letter. “Max, this says your mom wants to sell the bed and breakfast.”

  Max glanced down at her in disbelief.

  “To us,” they said in unison.

  “Good morning, children.” His mother’s voice rang out from the entryway followed by the sound of the front door closing. “Please make sure you’re fully clothed.”

  “Ma!” Max shouted, rushing around the counter toward her. “What the hell is this?” He held up the letter.

  She ignored him and walked into the kitchen. “Ooo, how was the lasagna? Are you heating some up for breakfast?” She looked from Max to Devlin. “Make me a plate too, would you? I need to take a shower.”

  “Mother,” Max said again.

  “Yes, dear?”

  “What the hell is this?” He waved the letter in the air again.

  “Language, Maxwell.”

  Max watched, less than amused when his mother winked at Devlin. “He really does have a potty mouth, Devlin. You’ll need to tame that before the baby arrives.”

  “Mine isn’t so clean either, Mrs. Sumner.”

  “Oh, please,” his mother smiled, “call me Valerie, or Val. Or Grammy.” She looked between the two of them. “What do you think, Grammy, Nana, MeeMaw?”

  “Mom!” Max shouted. “What. Is. This?”

  “It’s a letter dear.” She spoke as if he were an idiot. Which he felt like right now.

  “I know that, but what are you doing?”

  “I’m selling the bed and breakfast.”

  “Why?”

  “The letter states it clearly. Didn’t you read it?” Max watched as his mother scooped out a portion of lasagna and handed it to Devlin. “Be a dear and pop that in the microwave for one minute.”

  “Why are you selling us the bed and breakfast, Valerie?” Devlin said, although Max noticed she also followed his mom’s instruction and popped the plate in the microwave.

  “It’s really simple.” She looked from Max to Devlin. “You kids want to stay here. You need a place to live. And you love the bed and breakfast. I want you to have it.”

  Max and Devlin stood in shock.

  “Close your mouth dear.” His mother put her finger under Devlin’s mouth and
pushed it closed. “It’s not attractive.” She floated out of the kitchen as breezily as she’d arrive. “Oh, Devlin, be a sweetheart and cover that lasagna. I don’t want it to explode. It’s a mess to clean up.”

  “Ma, you can’t do this,” Max said.

  His mother turned and gave him an impish grin. “Of course I can. It’s mine.”

  “Ma, you could sell it to a real buyer and make enough money to put toward the lodge’s loans.”

  “If I wanted to sell it to someone outside the family, don’t you think I’d have already done that?”

  “What if I refuse?” he said.

  “Oh, Max,” she laughed, “do you really think I want you shagging Devlin in my house for the rest of your lives? One night was bad enough.”

  Devlin snorted and Max choked.

  His mother smirked then turned and strode toward her bedroom. “Consider it a wedding present,” she said over her shoulder.

  “We’re not getting married,” Devlin said.

  His mother stopped and turned, her eyes lighting as if she knew a secret.

  Fuck.

  “Baby shower present then.” She turned and waltzed out of the room without another word.

  Max stared at the letter, then at Devlin.

  “I really do love the bed and breakfast,” she said, “but I can’t afford it.”

  “From what this letter says, it truly is a gift,” Max said.

  “Are you serious?”

  He pointed to the line item stipulating the price. “One dollar.”

  She looked up at him, her expression unreadable. Oh shit, did she not want this?

  Finally a small smile spread across her face. “I’m pretty sure I can scrounge up fifty cents,” she said. “Can you?”

  Epilogue

  Devlin held Max’s hand as they followed the nurse from the reception area into the small exam room. She was excited to be here at the obstetrician’s office but she couldn’t wait to get home and put her feet up and rest.

  Home.

  It seemed weird to call the Sumner’s old bed and breakfast home but that’s what it was to her now. Although technically, it wasn’t theirs yet. Not all the paperwork had been signed but Valerie had insisted they move in immediately. Probably so that she didn’t hear them “shagging” all night, as she’d put it.