by Julia Bright
She grabbed a brush and the spray bottle of detangler, starting at the ends and combing her way up. She built a shield of hair, blocking the sexy almost naked Roan who came up beside her and bumped her hip as he used a hand towel to wipe the fog off the mirror. He’d tightly wrapped his own towel around his waist, her requirement after the last shower. He was just too nice-looking with all those dark features and super-toned, muscular body. He’d been hard to resist with clothes on. Out of them, it turned impossible.
Another problem in accomplishing her food-first goal was that Roan was also being sweet, maybe sentimental, and he stood there staring at her in the mirror, a charming grin spreading across his handsome face. “You’re beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful,” she instantly shot back, taking in her fill of his muscular chest, broad shoulders, and thick, brawny arms. He was strong, no doubt there. He had no problem holding her exactly how he wanted, and, boy, had that made for a good time in the shower.
“I was thinking about getting a tattoo.” His fingers skimmed across his right pec. “Madison. Maybe in script.”
Her heart melted. She stopped combing her hair and just stared at him in the mirror. “You really like this dad thing.”
“I do. I had been spinning out of control in life. When I saw her, the first second while I was standing across the street, all the pieces of my life came together for me. I want to extend our family, Presley. I want to be a good father and husband.”
That was unexpected yet exactly what he’d been showing her for weeks and weeks now. Presley dropped the hand combing her hair to her side and stood to her full height, trying to gauge his level of seriousness and how she felt. He’d slowly worn her down, opened her eyes to the truth between them. Roan didn’t look startled by his declaration, or even like he’d said too much. She needed to take his lead, allow him to be the family she’d always wanted while leaving their past behind.
Wow. Okay. She could do this. More so, she really wanted to do this. On a shuddered breath, Presley let a deep sigh escape. Perspective. One of them needed to find it.
“Roan. It’s too soon. Look what just happened with your parents.” Presley started feeling that old anxiety threatening the newfound peace she’d achieved, but like he’d done all afternoon, when he didn’t like the course of her thoughts, he stopped her from speaking by placing his entire hand over her mouth, making her laugh in his face.
“Shhh. No. No more perceived obstacles. We’ll do this together. I’m committing to you that we’ll tackle whatever comes at us together.” Roan leaned down and replaced his palm with his lips, keeping the kiss light. “I’m stating my intentions and nothing else.”
Before she could really even process his promise, the bathroom door suddenly burst open, and Clyde started barking like crazy as Maddie stood in the doorway. She stopped dead in her tracks, taking in the scene around her. Her face changed from one of concentration to one of extreme happiness, and she gave her signature jump of excitement with Clyde nipping at her heels. “Zoie’s mom and dad share a bathroom, too.”
Roan immediately reached for Presley’s robe on the back of the door, shrugging it on. The thing did little to cover him, making this whole situation more comical. “What are you doing home so soon?”
“They said it was time to come home.” Maddie took off out of the bathroom while yelling, “They’re in here! Come in here.”
“Oh no.” This time Presley panicked and shot for the open door, slamming the door closed while listening to Zoie’s parents talking to Maddie, coming toward the bathroom. Presley opened the door just a crack as she called out, “Jen, give me a second. I just got out of the shower.” Roan was already tugging his shirt over his head, searching the bathroom for his shorts. “I think they’re in the bedroom,” she whispered.
“My daddy’s in there too,” Maddie stated proudly.
Laughter came from the bedroom. “It’s all right. We’ve got dinner plans. That’s the only reason we broke in. We’ll schedule a play date next week.”
Roan answered when embarrassment had her face heating. “Thanks.”
More laughter came as Presley left the door slightly ajar to listen for Maddie and then scurried to the big closet off the bathroom. “I have classes tonight! Roan, it’s five thirty. When did it get to be five thirty? I’ve got to call Taren, tell her I’m late…” She started pulling her workout clothes from the drawers built inside the closet.
Unexpectedly, Roan came in behind her, wrapping both arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest, which might have been the only thing on the planet that had her slowing down, giving in to the moment.
“Call in tonight. Let me take you two to dinner. We can celebrate,” he said, placing a simple kiss at her temple. She loved that move. Roan seemed to like putting his lips on her, small presses showing her how much he cared. They succeeded. She’d never ditched work, but he was right, they did need to celebrate.
“Okay, but let me make an appearance at the gym before we go,” she said, angling to better see his face.
Maddie came back through the bedroom and into the bathroom. She didn’t understand boundaries at all and proved that by coming to stand right there with them, wrapping an arm around Presley’s leg.
“I’m hungry,” she said, looking between the both of them. Reality made Presley laugh.
“Your daddy’s taking us to dinner. Go get ready. We have to go by the gym first,” Presley said, pulling from Roan’s arms.
“Okay! I want chicken strips.” She scurried away, leaving them alone again. Maddie was a remarkable child. She rolled with whatever came her way, and if any of this seemed odd to her, she didn’t let on.
“I’m going to dress. Wear that little sundress you wore last week. I’ve been dreaming about peeling that thing off you,” Roan said and pressed his lips to hers, this time with a wicked gleam in his eye.
“You’re too much. I need to dry my hair, and I’ll be ready to go.”
The rustling of the bed had Presley opening her eyes to Roan’s body moving, his hand sliding underneath her nightshirt, boldly covering one of her breasts as he scooted snugly in behind her. He grinded his barely covered, rock-hard cock against her bare ass. His breath tickled the skin right below the shell of her ear as he whispered, “Good morning, beautiful.”
Ah, the most perfect morning-after greeting ever. She grinned and closed her eyes, pushing back against him. To make it easier, she’d gone panty-free. It wouldn’t take much for him to push the waistband of his pajama pants down, reposition, and slide right in. Presley looked at the open door of the bedroom seconds before Clyde and a sleepy-eyed Maddie came walking through. She came straight for the bed not even acknowledging why Roan was there too. “Momma, he needs to go outside and the alarm’s set.”
Of course. Since Roan was the giver of a puppy, she’d let him handle this situation, giving a chuckle as he let out a groan and pulled away from Presley, rolling from the bed. “Is this your room too?” Maddie finally asked, staring at Roan as he walked around the mattress toward her.
“If I’m lucky,” he answered playfully, scooping her and the puppy up in his arms, carrying her out of the bedroom. In the quiet, Presley rolled to her back and stretched her body, giving a loud yawn with the move. She was sore, especially down south, and she grinned wider at that too. She had always slept with the door open so Maddie could get to her if she needed, but last night, they’d shut the door then reopened it at least three times.
Roan was an excellent lover. He made her feel sexy and cherished. He’d talk during their lovemaking about their plans for the future. He had them married with a house full of children and her agreeing with anything he said and that was just special too.
“I wanna shut this door,” he said, coming through the doorway, leaving the door cracked open, heading back to bed.
“What’s she doing?” Presley lifted to see if Maddie was in tow.
“I turned on cartoons and gave her Pop-Tarts.
Breakfast of champions. Clyde’s outside.”
“Mmmm,” she said when he crawled across the bed, pushing her back as he came down on top of her. She lifted her arms to wrap around his neck, letting her fingers tangle through the short pieces in the back.
“I want you and Maddie to come to training camp,” Roan said and began to mouth the skin right below her ear.
“You know I have the gym.” She extended her neck, loving the feel of his lips pressing small kisses and little nips along her jaw.
“Just a couple of days, that’s all. I want to show you two off,” Roan said, this time lifting to nibble on her earlobe.
It took a full minute for her to register the words, and even then, they still made no sense. “What?”
Roan lifted to his elbows, staring down at her for so long she thought he might not answer. When he did, it was one of those sweet answers that he was so good at giving. “Every year, I’ve watched the guys with their wives and girlfriends. Watched them with their kids. I wanna have you guys there. Show the world we’re a family.” Roan lifted his hand, pushing at some hair on her face that had gotten loose from her braid.
“Roan, we need to slow down some,” Presley started, stopping when his fingers came to her mouth, silencing her.
“I didn’t ask you to go to the courthouse today. Surely that counts for something, but I have the ring if you’re willing?” he teased, waggling his brow.
“You do not.” She couldn’t help the burst of laughter at the questioning gaze he gave while waiting for her to respond, making her seriously wonder if he did have a ring waiting somewhere.
Roan also had the ability to look so sweet and lecherous at the same time.
“I love you, Presley.” Roan lowered fully down on top of her, tangling his fingers in her hair. He seemed content just to stare at her, and she stared silently at him.
She’d never get tired of hearing those words. They somehow magically filled in all the holes of her constant insecurity. She knew Roan would love one time and tenderly laid her palm on his cheek, caressing the stubble with her thumb.
“Now, say it back. You’ve put me through the wringer. I need the validation.” He turned his head and nipped her thumb playfully as he stared into her eyes, laughter and joy shining through.
“Of course, I love you.” She meant those words from the bottom of her heart.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Presley stood at the back of the room with Lucky, Roan’s surrogate father and owner of the Rusty Cow in Texas, on her left, watching Maddie in her Barbie pink satin dress walk down the makeshift aisle separated by two groupings of white fold-up chairs. Her little girl had insisted on being the flower girl in her parents’ wedding, declaring every wedding needed that honored position, even the ones that had twenty guests and were held in the clubhouse on the golf course they lived on. Jessica, Kady, and Blaine had decorated the small venue, and now, Jessica, Kady, and Rose, all of her past roommates, sat next to Presley’s mother, her sister, Kylie, and her few coaches lovingly watching Maddie meticulously execute her job.
Roan’s buddies from the team had come with some of their wives and sat on the other side. They’d had absolutely no word from Roan’s parents even though she had sent them an overnighted invitation to the wedding weeks ago. Nothing had changed since the day she’d walked in to hear their hateful rant, and Presley couldn’t find it in her heart to care. They were the ones missing out on watching Maddie dump all her petals out when the basket tipped over. She then stopped everything. By the time Maddie picked up all the flowers, the song would be over, forcing Blaine to restart the song from the beginning.
Like normal, nothing Maddie ever did was wrong. Roan even went to help her when the petals fell out the back with Maddie’s awkward position. Right there in the aisle, with all the hushed chuckles, Roan gave her a high-five. She naturally took his hand, looking back at Presley, beaming with pride in herself before trailing alongside her father to the altar.
“You ready, honey?” Lucky’s gruff voice sounded in her ear.
Presley patted her very round belly. Yesterday, during her 3D ultrasound, her little baby girl turned out to be a little baby boy. They were still reeling over that bombshell since little Mylie was due in about a month. Roan stood at the front, holding Maddie’s hand, and just stared at Presley. The same kind of searching glances he’d always given.
“Sweetie, you ready?” Lucky asked again, this time coming into her line of sight.
“Oh, yeah. Yes!” she said, grinning at his smiling face. Lucky had been there the whole week. A surprise wedding gift from her to Roan. He had loved spending time with Lucky and was so happy with her gift that she’d earned lots of extra foot rubs from her future husband.
The music amped up, and Lucky started the slow steps forward. “Roan would probably kill me, but I think it’s a father’s place to give his daughter an out right now.”
That turned her oddly serene state of mind into full fun as she looked up and laughed at Lucky. “No way he’s getting out that easy.”
The older man barked out his own laugh as they got within a foot of Roan. “I guess you gotta good point there.”
They’d gone through a small rehearsal last night, but Roan broke protocol again as she neared the podium. He took that last step to Presley, not waiting for the who-gives-this-woman line. He shook Lucky’s hand while taking her arm, moving them, in unison, closer to the pastor.
“You hesitated back there,” Roan whispered, paying no attention to the man performing the ceremony.
“I didn’t mean to,” she said, patting his arm.
Although Roan had chosen to wear a black suit, Presley had chosen a pretty maternity dress off the rack and had gone without a bouquet. She felt her large pregnant belly was enough distraction. Besides she wasn’t sure her arms were long enough to carry the bouquet as it should be with how she carried this baby all up front.
“I promise to stick, Pres,” Roan whispered in her ear.
“I know you will. I don’t doubt that in the least,” she said with a reassuring nod.
Roan did his own signature move. He used his forefinger to turn her face and leaned down to kiss her lips.
“Excuse me. It’s customary to kiss the bride at the end of the ceremony.”
They hadn’t been paying any attention to the pastor, and his words produced laughter from their attending friends, which even made Presley laugh. Not Roan though.
He took a step closer, whispering not so quietly to the pastor. “There’s an extra hundred if you get this thing wrapped up.”
Presley slapped playfully at his arm and watched the exaggerated wink the pastor gave back to Roan.
Her life.
It was never going to be dull with a husband like Roan.
The End
I
Chapter One of Cam
Working in Hollywood wasn’t what Rose Underwood thought it would be. Of course, she was working the lunch shift off Hollywood Boulevard in some stupid diner that didn’t get big name producers. Hell, they didn’t even get small name producers or directors or actors, at least they hadn’t until Mike, the owner, had created a burger that won some stupid award. The award hadn’t helped much yet, but Mike seemed hopeful since a virtually unknown daytime soap opera actor had come in. As far as Rose was concerned, making it in Hollywood was more difficult than trying to catch blue crabs back home out of the Intracoastal Waterways with a spoon…a plastic spoon that was broken.
The door opened and two men dressed in suits stepped inside, looking a little out of place. Maybe the ultimate hamburger Mike created had drawn these men into the diner. She didn’t know and didn’t care as long as they left a tip—well, a decent tip. Rent was due in two days, and they’d lost one of their roommates last month, leaving the three of them to cover her part of the bill. Somewhere between working at the diner and trying for parts, she had to come up with an additional one hundred sixty-six—um, sixty-seven—
dollars along with the five hundred she owed for rent. They had to find another roommate and soon, but right now, all that mattered were the two men taking a seat in her section.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen. I’m Rose, and I’ll be helping you today. What can I get you to drink? We have a good passion tea, or there’s always coffee, soda, and sparkling water.” Rose placed menus on the table and smiled big, leaning over just enough so her cleavage was visible. Both men looked up and then their eyes were drawn to her chest. Maybe just maybe she would get a double tip. If she played her cards right, they might become repeat customers. Dollar signs flashed through her thoughts as the men smiled back at her.
“Hey, doll, we have two others joining us in a few minutes. How about you bring us some sparkling water and all four of us want the award-winning hamburger.” The guy had a hard time meeting her eyes. Though disgusting on a higher, more intellectual level, the act might bring her money, and on a much lower but more desperate level of need, she identified with the idea, and silently encouraged them to look. The prospect of an awesome tip made her feel warm and fuzzy toward the men currently occupying the booth.
“Sounds great. You want the burgers cooked medium?” She smiled sweetly, trying her best to look amazing, wonderful, kind, sexy, and anything else that would bag her a huge tip.
“Sure, medium for all of us.”
“The onion rings are great too. For only a dollar more, I’ll add them in. How about that?”
“Sure, doll, you fix us up and I’ll make sure you’re rewarded.”
Rose let her rear swish a little more than she usually would as she made her way to the counter to put in their order. Four burgers and four orders of onion rings as well as four sparkling waters. This had the possibility of being her best day yet. Heck, she would—nope, she wouldn’t think anything nasty. She wasn’t going to start trading flesh for cash, though showing cleavage was doing just that, but she had no intention of dropping her drawers for either of those men. Her panties always stayed firmly in place, because she wasn’t willing to sell herself, ever.
