by C. A. Harms
I want to tell her she may change her mind, but with Gianna, one had to learn to pick their battles. This is one of those times it is better just to let it go.
My phone chimes in the diaper bag and I reach inside to retrieve it.
Nic: Where are my girls? Daddy misses you both.
“Oh my hell.” I look up to see Gia with her nose wrinkled while she stares directly at me. “You are still such a lovesick fool. One doesn’t even have to ask who texted you. All they need to do is look at your face. I don’t glow, you do.”
Ignoring her comment, I respond with a “be home soon” before tossing my phone back in my bag.
Amara and I snuck out after Nic dozed off on the couch to give him some quiet time. I should have known that he’d wake up and immediately be in search of us. I love how much he needs us. That is a feeling I didn’t have growing up and can’t get enough of now.
Nicholas
It is well after midnight when I enter our apartment. The light from the fireplace is the only glow in the room. I feel her before I even notice her sitting on the couch. There is an invisible pull I have toward her, a craving to touch her and hold her close.
“You didn’t have to wait up, beautiful.” I lay my keys on the small table just beside the door and begin to remove my jacket.
The closer I get, the more she comes into view. Her feet are tucked up beneath her, one of my oversized t-shirts covering her body. I’ve seen her in lingerie, some of the sexiest little numbers possible. I’ve also seen her in flannel pajamas, but my favorite of all was this. There is this weird sense of ownership I feel when seeing her in one of my shirts, like she needs a piece of me close, surrounding her, and that is the best fucking feeling.
“I couldn’t sleep.” As I sit down at her side she moves in closer. “I don’t like lying in our bed at night without you. It only makes me miss you more when I smell you on the sheets and pillows.”
Again with the satisfied smile.
“I guess I was hoping that maybe we could spend a little time alone before we both crashed from our days.”
“What did you have in mind?” She is already in the process of moving her body over mine before I even finish the question. She straddles my hips, shifts forward, and makes a little grinding motion with her hips. I lay back, giving her complete control. Another one of the many things I enjoy about her is when she takes from me what she needs, letting go of the reserved side she tried so hard in the beginning to maintain.
My gorgeous wife is a sight to behold when she gives into her inhibitions.
“I thought that for the next hour, maybe even two, I would concentrate on nothing other than the way you make me feel.”
And she does just that.
I have a wife I love more than I ever dreamed possible. I also have a sweet, perfect daughter who had me wrapped around her finger from the second she was born. I have everything I could want, except maybe a son, but there would always be time for that.
Emerson leans over to place her lips against mine just as the warmth of her body engulfs me and her hips begin to rock. I watch as she moves over me, her lips parted, her eyelids drooping as she takes in the feel of me buried inside her. This is home, my perfect place.
The truth is I did find my forever at a charity auction. A boy toy auction to be exact, but I had no problem admitting that. I’d gladly accept that from the moment the beauty in the silver dress raised her paddle in the air with determination and shouted out her bid, I was fucking lost.
I would forever be hers, and in turn, she would always be mine.
My reader group, the Charmed Girls, you are all so amazing. The continued support you show me is something I will never be able to express just how much it means to me. Thank you all for sharing my work and for just being you. You are all the greatest bunch of ladies.
To Heather Whitehead, editor and friend. Thank you so much for taking me as I am. For accepting my crazy faults when it comes to tenses, because we know I am awful with them. For taking a rough manuscript and polishing it the way you do. You are amazing.
To Michele, my proofreader. It may have been the first time we worked together but I see many more projects in our future.
Thank you, Lydia, you know what you do. Always there to help, to keep me motivated or to kick me in the ass when I need a boost. You are a true friend, always making me laugh and smile. We are an amazing team, and your friendship means the world to me. Thank you for being one of my biggest cheerleaders.
Beta Team, you know who you are. Thank you all so very much for taking this journey with me. Your feedback and encouraging words along the way made this story mean so much. Without you all, it would be what it is now.
To my husband and children, thank you for being the best part of my days. For tolerating me when I get lost in the world of fiction and understanding that sometimes dinner may be a little late. Jayden and Tayler, no matter how many books I write, you two will always be my best creations.
My readers, I am always so humbled by your support. Those random messages I received after you read my books, whether it be something big or small, I truly love them. Hearing what you think, in my eyes, is one of the greatest things about releasing a new book. I am never too busy for you.
Melissa Gill, you did a great job personalizing this image and making it exactly what I wanted for a cover.
C.A. Harms is an avid romance and mystery reader. She's always had a love for books, getting lost in writing and storytelling even as a young girl. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories.
She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. She holds an addiction for Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha's and KitKat when she should really be focusing on water and maybe a fruit or two to make herself feel less guilty, but that feeling quickly passes...thankfully.
She is easy going, fun, and although she may seem like one of the quiet ones at first, you just wait until she gets to know you better...that quietness changes, fast
Rules of Friendship
Don’t Be Afraid
Rush
