“You really knocked up?” he asks as his opening line.
I lift my hand to cover my mouth, and I let out a small laugh. Thomas grunts next to me, which only makes me laugh a little harder. “I’m really pregnant,” I answer through my laughter.
Rio lifts his hand and wraps it around the back of his neck, then lifts his eyes to meet mine. Out of all of my siblings, Rio and I look the most alike, we have the exact same eye color. “I wanna be Uncle Rio,” he mumbles. “Don’t give a fuck what the rest of them say, or if they think what you’re doin’ is wrong. I’m Uncle Rio,” he shrugs.
“Okay.” I nod with a smile playing on my lips. “Would you like to come to our teeny tiny little wedding?” I chance.
Thomas wraps his hand around my knee and gives me a gentle squeeze, showing me the support I need.
Rio nods. “I’ll be there. Text me the info, and I’ll take time off and get there,” he states.
Tears fill my eyes, again, and without another thought, I stand and launch myself at my brother. His arms wrap around me and he holds me close to him. “Thank you,” I mutter against his neck.
“I get it, Ines. I fucking get it, little sister,” he whispers. I lift my face from his neck and look into his eyes, wondering how he gets it, and knowing there must be a story there. He gives me a sad smile and shakes his head. “Families can make or break shit. One day I’ll tell you everything, but just know, I understand. You have me, you always have me, Ines.”
He doesn’t say anything else, standing and placing me on my feet before he takes a step back and then leaves the room. “That was, really great,” Thomas says from behind me.
Turning around I nod. “He’s in love with someone, and he thinks they can’t be together.”
“Yeah, sweetheart, I got that. Good news is, his situation made him see that not everything is black and white, and now you’ll have one of your brothers at our wedding. Maybe, one day, they’ll all come around, but I think it’s great that he’s willing to be part of our lives right now.”
“It really, really is wonderful,” I smile.
We spend the rest of the evening wrapped in each other’s arms. Thomas orders room service again, except this time we eat it clothed. We have an early flight in the morning, and I’m excited to get home. I almost want to forget this entire trip, I want to write it off as a waste of time. Except with Rio’s support coming at the very end, I cannot say that it was a complete waste—not even a little.
THOMAS
Pulling the car into the return parking area of the airport, I glance over to Ines. She looks like she’s deep in thought, she’s been locked inside of her head since leaving her mom’s, and having Rio show up at the hotel. She’ll come to me when she’s ready to talk. Personally, I think she’s processing it all and I can’t do that for her, no matter how badly I want to.
“You know,” she says as she turns her head to face me. I don’t respond, waiting for her to continue, and she does. “We never broke this new car in.”
Unable to control myself, I burst out laughing at her words, her observation. “Next time, sweetheart,” I murmur.
She gives me a small smile, and I’m glad for it, I’ve been a little worried. We both slip out of the car and together we walk into the airport, through TSA, and then board for our flight.
As soon as our plane touches down in Nebraska, I power my phone back on and it beeps with a new voicemail. When I listen to it, I’m shocked and elated at the news that pours from the other end of the line. Turning to Ines, I tell her what I’ve just heard.
“The house has an offer, a damn good offer. Full asking price,” I state.
Ines’ eyes widen, and she smiles. “Oh my gosh, that’s amazing,” she squeals, but then a look of panic crosses her face. “We have to find another place, and fast,” she rambles.
“Already taken care of, sweetheart. I already scheduled several places to look at tomorrow afternoon,” I wink.
Her mouth drops open slightly and she shakes her head. “I can’t believe it,” she says. “I’m so excited, I cannot believe it,” she squeals. People look at us on the plane, but I don’t care, she’s excited and it overflows onto me and makes me feel just as jovial.
We stand, and hand-in-hand make our way off of the plane and toward baggage claim.
“The only thing, I don’t want to live in town again. I don’t need to be close to campus, and I would like to raise our children in the country. I don’t know what that’s like. I was raised in the city, but I always wanted to be able to run around freely as a child,” I explain.
Ines turns to face me, her caramel eyes wide and bright, and a smile gracing her gorgeous face. “That sounds absolutely amazing. I’m even more excited now, although I’m still terrified of winter,” she announces.
“We’ll take you shopping this week now that I have time off, you need a good winter wardrobe to keep yourself and our baby warm,” I chuckle.
Ines’ smile widens at the mention of our baby, and I can’t help but reciprocate it. We’re now building our future, buying a home together, getting married, and then bringing our child into the world.
Nothing, nothing can get in the way of our happiness, I won’t let it.
As if on cue, my phone rings and I glance at the name before I answer it. My attorney. My stomach turns at the sight of his name, so I quickly answer, needing to know what he wants—and now. With Ines’ bag over my shoulder, and tugging my own behind me, we walk together toward the parking lot and I accept the call.
“Talk to me, Robert,” I state, not wishing to fuck around.
He chuckles on the other end of the line. “Everything looks good, really good, Thomas. I wanted to let you know that it’s all been submitted and approved and now we just wait. In about a month you’ll be a free man, brother,” he announces.
I almost laugh at his words. I’m not free, and I never wish to be. I have Ines and being hers is exactly where I want to be. “The house received an offer. I’m meeting with my agent tomorrow to look it over, but Danielle will probably have her money before the divorce is even final.”
“How’s that situation going? Has she done anything?” he asks. I let out a breath and tell him about my job and the pictures she sent to the administration. “Do you want me to file any paperwork against her? A restraining order?”
I shake my head although he can’t see me. “She’ll stop, eventually. I already had a new job, now I just get a little vacation time before I start. I’m good, Rob, I promise.”
“I’ve seen people get out of hand, and act irrationally during divorces. You get any kind of bad inkling of a feeling, please don’t ignore it, Thomas. You have a new woman, and baby to think about.”
I hum, agreeing and liking the fact that Robert truly does care, he really is a friend. I thank him and promise him that if something changes, if she does anything else, that I’ll assuredly let him know. There is no way I’ll allow Ines and our baby to be in harm’s way.
“Is everything okay?” Ines asks once we’re settled into my car.
I nod. “Robert says the divorce is good to go, it’s just a waiting game now and I should have the paperwork in a few weeks,” I explain, ignoring the discussion on Danielle and her antics.
I honestly don’t think she would truly hurt anybody, she’s just fucking with me right now to prove a point. Soon, she’ll be onto something else.
“I’m exhausted. I never thought flying would make me so tired, but seriously, Thomas, I need sleep,” she murmurs.
Glancing over at her, I notice that her eyelids are heavy, and I can’t help but chuckle. My woman is always exhausted, and I know it’s because my baby is taking all of her energy, he or she, is growing at a rapid rate and Ines’ body is facilitating it all. It’s so beautiful.
“We’ll go home, eat, and sleep.”
Ines hums and wraps her hand around my wrist. “Can we repeat what we did when we arrived in Florida? That was amazing, and I think the end of all of our
travel days should be just like that,” she grins.
“Like naked Sundays?” I ask with a smirk.
“Exactly.”
I chuckle, knowing that I definitely do not have a problem with travel days ending that way. As far as I’m concerned, every day can end like that.
Ines can climb up on my face every day of the week and I would never complain. She’s beautiful normally, but when she’s in the throes of ecstasy, I’ve never seen her look so gorgeous. I can only imagine that as time goes on, she’ll just look more and more beautiful to me. I feel like I fall more in love with her every fucking day.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
INES
Thomas drives us down a country road, and I feel like we’re in the middle of nowheresville, even though we’re only about twenty minutes from the city. There are cute little red barns, and what looks like miles and miles of greenish grass. Fall has definitely begun, and everything is starting to turn the prettiest shades of oranges and yellows. When he turns the car down a one lane, gravel road my eyes widen.
“Is that, is that a log cabin?” I breathe.
There is a log cabin, and a bright red barn off to the left. The drive is tree-lined and although they aren’t mature trees, I know that in a few years they’re going to be magnificent. When Thomas said he wanted to live in the country, he wasn’t fucking around, this is about as country as it gets.
“It is. The inside looked awesome from the pictures, and the land is twenty acres, Ines. Twenty acres for our children to run around, be safe and free,” he grins as he pulls up behind a midsized SUV.
I don’t even know what twenty acres really is, how much land that is, but it feels like it’s a lot. A heck of a lot. Thomas slips out of the car and then jogs around to my side, opening the door for me. He’s dressed down today in a pair of dark washed straight jeans and a long-sleeved light blue thermal. It makes his eyes pop, and they almost sparkle they’re so blue.
“Thomas,” a man calls out. I turn to see him walking toward us. He’s dressed much like Thomas, in just jeans and a long sleeve shirt.
“Joseph, this is my fiancée, Ines. Ines, this is my real estate agent, Joseph,” Thomas introduces.
Joseph holds out his hand and gives me a brief shake. He begins talking to Thomas about the sale of his home, and then about the features of this one, but I don’t listen. I’m too busy looking around the grounds, taking it all in, and imagining a life out here—in a log cabin. This is completely out of my comfort zone, but I also feel at peace just standing here.
I wander off from the men and head toward the barn. A freaking bright red and white barn. I don’t even know what we would put in a barn, it’s not as if we’re going to be raising any animals other than our babies. Living out in the country is one thing, being some kind of farmer is a completely different story.
Wrapping my hand around the barn’s door handle, I tug it open and am shocked by what is inside. It’s an extra house, it looks like a guest house. There is a living room and a kitchenette. Then to the left there is a staircase and what I assume to be a loft style bedroom.
“I thought it would be nice when family came, they had their own space,” Thomas says from behind me.
He slips his hand around my waist and presses his palm against my stomach. I’m sure it will be nice, when Thomas’ family visit, but I somehow doubt any of mine will, and a wave of sadness washes over me at that thought.
“This is a barndominium. They’re quickly gaining popularity, and I think it will fit your needs quite nicely,” Joseph announces. “Go ahead, check it out.”
We walk inside and it’s perfect, a little place for people to stay for a visit. The kitchenette has everything that someone would need, including a full-sized refrigerator and even a dishwasher. The floors are tile, but they look like warm rich dark wood. There is a powder room off of the living room, with a pretty antiqued frame mirror above the sink.
Making our way upstairs, I gasp lightly at the view. There is a window that is the size of the entire loft and it looks out across green pastures as far as the eye can see. “It’s gorgeous,” I state.
“You should see the views from the main house, they’re even prettier,” Joseph announces.
We don’t stay in the loft for long, my excitement about seeing the main house, too much to wait even a minute longer.
“What do you think so far?” Thomas asks as we follow Joseph to the main cabin.
I tip my head to the side, looking up at him and give him a small smile. “It’s definitely the country,” I whisper. He nods, his brows knitting together, so I decide to put him out of his misery and answer him. “So far, I love it,” I admit.
Thomas awards my answer with one of his bright smiles, it’s so big and beautiful that I know no matter what the main house looks like, this is our place. This is where he’ll find his happiness, and he’ll create a beautiful life here.
Stepping inside of the log cabin is nothing like I’d imagined it would be. I expected it to be dark, dank, and maybe a little icky. It’s nothing like that, though. It’s warm, bright, and absolutely stunning. It’s nothing that I’ve ever imagined for myself, and yet, it feels right.
The lower level floor plan is open, the picturesque windows are large, and with the sun shining into the living space, it just looks absolutely like a home—our home. The kitchen is beautiful with stainless steel appliances, and granite countertops.
Thomas and Joseph begin discussing things about the property, but I have to see the upstairs, the master bedroom and then where the baby’s room will be. There is an open loft area where a sofa and television are set up, a playroom or media room perhaps. I hurry past it and then my breath escapes me.
The windows are huge, and I can see even more of the greenery, the yellow and orange leaves litter the grounds for miles. It’s breathtaking—absolutely stunning. It’s so obvious that it feels right, that it’s home.
“Thoughts?” Thomas murmurs from behind me. I was so enraptured by the landscape that I didn’t even hear him walk up behind me.
“It’s beautiful, can we afford it?” I ask, turning around in his arms.
Thomas tips his chin, looking into my eyes. His gaze searches mine and then he grins. “Yeah. Sweetheart, we can afford it.” He lifts his hand to cup my cheek, his thumb sliding across the apple of my cheek. “This will be where we raise our family.”
“This will be where our life begins,” I agree.
Thomas lowers his face and presses his lips against mine. Then he lifts his face slightly, his lips still touching my own. “The first thing I’m doing when we close escrow is fucking you against those windows,” he growls.
I can’t stop the giggle from escaping, but it slowly dies down when an image flashes in my head of him doing that to me against those windows. I want it. Lifting my hands, I place them on his chest and I fist his shirt. “I can’t wait,” I breathe.
His lips press against mine and his tongue slips inside of me. His kiss is insistent, urgent, and commanding. I accept it, all of it, and I moan as my eyelids flutter closed. I want exactly what he described. I want him to take me against that window, in our new home, and I want to look out at our future while he does it, while he fills me with everything I’ve ever craved, desired, and needed.
“If we don’t go downstairs right now, I won’t be able to wait until we close escrow,” he grunts.
Wrapping his hand around mine, he takes a step back and together we make our way downstairs. Thomas tells Joseph to write up an offer, and then we leave the country estate. I feel giddy, so excited that I can’t stand it. This is going to be our home, our new home—ours.
“Monday, we have the first doctor’s appointment,” I announce, reminding Thomas as we drive back toward his house.
He hums and nods, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel. “You’ll be there, right?” I ask when he doesn’t respond.
“Of course, I’ll be there, sweetheart, where else would I be?” he ask
s with a wink.
I don’t know where he’d be, he’s not working and I’m not in school any longer. I watch as we make our way closer to town, and a feeling of longing washes over me. I want to go back to the country, back to the gorgeous trees and open grassy fields. I never thought that would appeal to me, that I would want to be out in the country, but being back in town feels so drab, so lifeless, out there I felt like I could breathe, that I was alive.
Thomas pulls into a parking lot and I look around in confusion, we’re at a mall. “You’re getting winter clothes, angel eyes,” he announces, answering my unasked question.
That is how we spend the rest of the day, shopping. Thomas spoils me with sweaters, jeans, and outerwear. I try to tell him that I’m just going to keep growing and that none of this stuff will fit me for much longer, but he just informs me that he’ll buy more when I need it. Then he takes me to a shoe store and buys me proper boots. When we pass a baby store, I stop at the window and look at all of the extremely tiny clothes.
“In a few months, we’ll have a little person who will fit in those scraps of fabric,” Thomas smiles.
I glance up at him and he isn’t looking at me, he’s focused on the clothes as well. The intensity of his gaze and the obvious emotion that is rolling through him causes my eyes to well with tears.
I thread my fingers with his and give them a squeeze. “I can’t wait,” I whisper.
“Me either,” he grunts.
We don’t stay there much longer. Together, we walk out of the mall and to Thomas’ car and then he starts to drive us home. Today has been wonderful. He signed the documents to sell his current house, signed the offer papers for the new house, and he loaded me up for a warm cozy winter.
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