Love in Bloom (De La Fuente Family #3)

by Lexi Buchanan

  “Yes, it has.” Sadie quickly washed and dried her hands.

  Erin slipped her arm around the waist of her friend as she turned her to look in the mirror. “We look so pretty.”

  “We do. Let’s go knock ‘em dead.” Sadie grabbed her makeup bag, shoved it in her purse and dragged Erin out of the restroom.

  Graduation was due to start in five minutes and Erin felt sick with nerves. Luckily, all she had to do was walk up on the stage to collect her degree. Well, all she’d been collecting today was a piece of card with instructions written on how to collect her actual degree certificate. But the whole day wasn’t just for the graduates, it was also for family and friends.

  Erin had no family and her best friend, Sadie, was graduating with her. She missed her mom more than ever today because it had been their dream as she’d grown up to graduate from university. And now she was, but had no one out in the audience for her.

  “Hey,” Sadie hugged her, “I said no tears.”

  She took a deep breath and smiled. “I’m fine…I think.”

  Sadie rolled her eyes. “Never mind, we have to go and take our seats.”

  While the speeches got underway, Erin wondered what Mateo was doing. She hadn’t heard anything from him in the four weeks since the whole thing blew up.

  She missed him like crazy and had been so tempted to call him. At first, she didn’t because she’d been angry that he’d blame her for not trusting him, but then she’d become more upset as time went on. His lack of contact spoke volumes and she presumed he’d moved back home and gotten on with his life. She only wished she could do the same.

  But as Michelle, who had been elected the Valedictorian started her speech, Erin thought back to the life that she thought was in her grasp. She’d longed to move back to Montana with Mateo and to keep house while he started working at the high school.

  She would hunt for a job because her years at college weren’t going to go to waste. Their house would have to have a yard for when the kids came along…what was she thinking? That had all been a pipe dream and without Mateo she had nothing. The big question was did she have the guts to go after him? The guts to stand in front of him and tell him how much she loved him?

  Yes, she did!

  When Sadie nudged her to her feet because it was their classes turn to head over to the stage, Erin offered her the first real smile of the day.

  Sadie nearly tripped and looked at her wondering what was going on.

  She couldn’t blame her friend considering all the grief she’d given her over the past few weeks.

  Having made her decision though, it was easy to smile because not only was she excited at the prospect of seeing Mateo again, but she was impatient to get to him.

  “Erin Louise Taylor.”

  Hearing her name being called, Erin took to the stage and focused on the dean who held her degree. As she took hold and smiled for the camera, she continued across the stage.

  There was only a slight hesitation in her step when she saw who waited for her at the other side. Tears gathered on her lashes and she tried to blink them away.

  Her steps were slow as she walked over to where he stood. Her eyes took all of him in. His navy blue suit looked amazing on his tall frame and as she got closer, she realized he looked really nervous—as in ready to puke with nerves.

  “You came,” she whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks.

  “It’s your graduation. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

  He looked like he’d lost weight since she’d last seen him…just like she had.

  “I missed you.” She tried to smile through her tears but didn’t think she managed it.

  “Missed you too, babe.” Mateo stepped closer, cupping one side of her face. “I had a whole apology prepared, but the main thing is that I’m so damn sorry. I was an idiot, but fuck it, I love you. I want you to move to Montana with me. I want to keep you barefoot and pregnant.”

  Loud laughter from behind caused Erin to turn and that’s when she saw all Mateo’s family. His mom and dad with all Mateo’s siblings stood there. Lucia looked appalled but the others looked amused.

  “Telling her you want to keep her knocked up isn’t going to earn any points,” Diego chuckled and shook his head.

  “Stay out of it,” Mateo grumbled.

  Erin turned back and admitted, “I’d just made the decision to visit you in Montana. I had nothing else left to lose and thought that I had to get you back.”

  “You always had me Erin. Always.”

  Mateo used both hands to keep her close and rested his forehead against hers.

  “I love you. Do you think you could move to Montana to be with me?”

  He paled and although she’d admitted to going after him, he wasn’t sure of her answer.

  She slipped her hands around his waist, closed the space between them and dipped down the back to pinch his ass.

  He caught his breath and his eyes changed from unsettled to lust filled within seconds.

  “I love you.” She smiled. “More than I thought possible. You’re it for me.”

  He let out a sigh of relief. “Thank fuck.” Then he gave a gorgeous smile. “Does that mean you’ll move to Montana, make an honest man out of me, and let me keep you pregnant?” he asked, hopeful.

  Her heart felt like it would beat right out of her chest, but she answered, “Yes, I’ll move to Montana with you.” She grinned. “Yes, I’ll make an honest man out of you, and the keeping me pregnant is going to have to be negotiable.”

  “Yes!” Mateo punched the air, grabbed Erin around the waist, and sealed his lips to hers.

  His tongue invaded her mouth and everything else was forgotten as Mateo showed her what he’d do to her with another part of his anatomy and his tongue when they weren’t in public.

  Lack of oxygen had them pulling apart, which was when Diego tugged her away from Mateo. He winked at her before hugging her close. She giggled and lightly shoved him. “Stop teasing him.”

  “It’s fun.”

  “Diego, leave them alone.” His mom smiled. “One of these days you’re going to fall flat on your backside for a woman.”

  Kasey shoved Diego. “Yeah, bro.”

  Lucia rolled her eyes and hugged Erin. “Thank you.” When she pulled away, they both had tears on their face after such a long embrace. “Welcome to the family, Erin.”

  “Thank you.”

  Mateo tugged Erin back into his arms. “I’m not letting you go.”

  “I don’t want you to.”

  “What about Kasey?” Diego interrupted looking at his mom.

  Erin noticed that Lucia hesitated slightly, but then answered, “He’ll be the same as you Diego. You both don’t know how the lives you’ve both been living will come back to bite you on the ass once you’ve found the one.”

  “We have a graduation dinner awaiting us, so we’ll see you all there. We have more important things to discuss than Diego and Kasey’s past whoring.” Mateo kissed the top of her head and moved her away.

  “You really want me?”

  “God, Erin. My life’s been hell these past weeks without you. Never question that you are the only one I want. Ever.”

  “I love you.”

  Epilogue

  Three months with Erin and Mateo still couldn’t get enough of her. They rarely went anywhere without the other, or very far, so he wondered how the hell he would survive his first full day away from her.

  He had a couple of hours before his new job at the high school but his belly was full of nerves. He didn’t remember being so nervous when he’d started as a rookie on the field, although he’d felt like puking seconds before he turned and watched his beautiful bride walk toward him.

  They’d been married for a month and he’d never been as happy. To think that they actually had Roger and Donny to thank for introducing them, even though, if it hadn’t been for Roger’s highhandedness they could have been together longer. That was all in the past now and all t
hey had was the future to look forward to. Before that, he hadn’t given a shit about anything, which had gotten him into trouble in the first place.

  Now he had a wife to think about and come home to. His heart had so much love that half the time he didn’t know what to do with it all.

  Oh, his sexy wife always told him what to do with it and he’d never complained. He was always up for it with her and she made his head spin.

  “I have a present for you.”

  He turned away from the kitchen window and looked toward the voice and panted.

  “You like?” Erin sauntered toward him, in a pair of silver high heels and nothing else. “I thought I’d give you something to remind you of what you have waiting for you at home.”

  “I’d never forget you, baby...but, feel free to remind me…often.” He licked his lips while he tried to decide what to look at. His eyes roamed up her long legs, to her bare pussy, curvy hips, narrow waist and to her breasts before he met her gaze. “You are going to have me hard and horny all day.”

  “Considering where you’re about to start working I’d say that you were in the right place. I mean all those horny teenagers.”

  He laughed. “That’s how you make me feel.”

  “Horny?”

  “That as well, but I meant a teenager. I only have to look at you and I’m hard as a rock, and then you touch me and I’m ready to come.”

  “Mmm, well hold that thought for a few minutes.” She smiled shyly and looked nervous before pulling her bottom lip into her mouth. “I have another present for you.” Erin moved closer, stopped in front of him and held up two small footballs—one pink and the other pale blue.

  “What?” He felt the blood drain from his face and his knees go weak as it started to sink in what she was telling him. “You sure?”

  Erin nodded.

  He carefully took the footballs from her, felt the weight in his hands, which was nothing, and then he placed them on the counter behind him.

  Cupping Erin’s face in his hands, he dropped his forehead to hers and held her gaze. “I love you.” He closed his eyes and breathed her in. “We’re really going to have a baby? I’m going to be a Daddy?”

  “In about eight months time.”

  Erin had stopped taking the pill two weeks before they’d gotten married because they’d both agreed that they wanted children right away.

  “Oh boy.” He laughed and picking her up in his arms, headed for their bedroom. “I have,” he glanced at the clock, “an hour and forty minutes before I have to leave.” He wiggled his brows and gently placed her on the floor.

  Erin moved in closer, palming his arousal through his sweats. “I love your cock.”

  Her words startled him, and then he threw his head back and really laughed, until her hand slipped down into his sweats and touched his naked flesh. It soon shut him up as his eyes rolled.

  “We have time to celebrate. I have it all planned out.”

  She dropped to her knees, taking his sweats with her.

  “Babe,” he croaked.

  She grabbed onto his thighs and very slowly swirled her tongue around the head, her eyes looking up into his.

  He found it impossible to formulate words with the vision of her on the floor. Her breasts swayed against his legs as she took more of his length into her mouth.

  The arousal leaked from the tip and he couldn’t stop with him being so close to release. Watching her and seeing her nipples so hard made him swell even more.

  He wanted those nipples in his mouth.

  Reaching down, he picked her up in his arms and placed her gently on the bed. He quickly kissed her lips while he ran his fingers though her soaked pussy lips.

  “You’re so ready for me.” Before he lost it completely, he guided his dick to her entrance and slowly thrust home. “When I enter you, it’s always like the first time—soft, tight and wet.”

  Erin wrapped her legs around his hips, letting her feet slip down between his thighs. He loved her in that position because she went even tighter around him and he couldn’t quite get as far inside.

  He wrapped his arms under hers and reached up to cup her face. “I love you, Erin De La Fuente.” He bent and kissed her. “And thank you for everything.”

  Mateo made love to his wife, knowing that he finally had what he’d wanted for a long time.

  THE END

  Other books by Lexi Buchanan

  Bad Boy Rockers

  Sizzle

  Spicy

  Sultry

  Savor

  Sinful

  McKenzie Brothers

  Seduce

  The Wedding (Novella)

  Rapture

  Delight

  Entice

  Cherished

  A McKenzie Christmas (Novella)

  De La Fuente Family (McKenzie Spinoff)

  Love in Montana

  Love in Purgatory

  Love in Bloom

  Love in Country (coming soon)

  Jackson Hole

  From This Moment

  When we Meet

  New Beginning (coming soon)

  Holiday Season

  Kissing Under the Mistletoe

  A Soldier’s Christmas

  Lawful

  Gia 0.5 (Novella)

  Standalone Novella’s

  One Dance

  Educate Me

  Standalone

  Rose and Jacob

  Stryker (coming 2016)

  Acknowledgements

  Mark, thank you for your support and putting up with a messy house, no clean clothes, and Chilli and Bolognese on a regular basis, while I write. Our children, Abigail, Conor, Flynn, and Heidi are amazing, and I love you all so much. xx

  Eric Battershell, you’re an amazing friend, an amazing photographer, and I value our friendship so much. Thank you for everything. xx

  Emma Clifton, thank you so much for letting me talk your ear off about Mateo and Caprice/Erin and for reading bits of the WIP at the drop of a hat—you’ve no idea how much that meant to me. xx

  Kathrin Magyar, thank you for your daily messages, humor, and grammar skills, and most of all, for always being there. I cannot wait to spend time with you & ‘Jimmy’ in Boston. xx

  Nadine Winningham, thank you for everything you do, from writing my blurb when I have no clue even though the book was written to adding bits to the story to make it more realistic. You’re always a message away, and I can’t wait until we finally meet. xx

  Sirena Van Schaik, thank you for your editing skills and for the feedback on the story development. xx

  Lynne Garlick, thank you for your continued support, awesome baking skills, and great friendship. I loved meeting you for coffee and lunch, and can’t wait until we can do that again. xx

  Sonya Convert, thank you for supporting me on the blog, Sinful Swag & Sass, and for everything. Loved meeting you in Nashville and can’t wait for Kinky in Kansas. xx

  Stacie Meyer-Hamburger, you’re new to my awesome friends who read my work before its published, and I couldn’t be happier to have you join everyone. Thank you for reading the raw stuff and offering feedback. xx

  AND a huge THANK YOU to Eye Candy Bookstore for pimping my work on a daily basis ~ you ladies rock!

  Stryker

  (Coming soon)

  When my childhood friend, Cora, dared me to write a sexy novel about an MMA fighter, I agreed, albeit under the influence of alcohol. It was something for me—something different and exciting.

  It was supposed to be research, pure and simple. But then I met him—a six-foot-six mountain of a man with no name. The way his muscles flexed and rippled when he trained made my belly quiver. The way his dark hair flopped over his forehead made me want to brush it back from his strong face. His nose had been broken, but it made no difference, he was still a handsome man. He had emerald green eyes that would land on me the minute I entered his gym…Every…Time.

  He was their star fighter, the one that brought in the big mon
ey. At first I feared him because of his size and the way he would look at me. But then I discovered that I was his biggest distraction, and no matter what my head told me, my heart told me to fight for the man who didn’t know how to live outside of the octagon.

  Sizzle, Bad Boy Rockers #1

  (Available now)

  Thalia is twenty-one and has just finished her sophomore year of college, when her new boyfriend, Jason, invites her to spend the summer with him and his family. Thalia jump at the chance.

  Jack is twenty-two and feels as though he’s drowning. He’s engaged to Jessica, against his will, because it’s always been drilled into him, family comes first.

  Then he meets his brother’s girlfriend, Thalia, and he can’t get her out of his head. He needs her to keep her distance, because every time she smiles in his direction, he wants to carry her to his room and do really naughty things to her.

  Then Saturday night arrives and Jason takes Thalia to a new bar that has opened two towns over and she discovers Jack’s big secret. By day he’s the good looking, slightly older brother with a chip on his shoulder, who gives her hot looks, and by night he’s Phoenix, singer/guitar player for bad boy group ‘Deception’, who makes her sizzle to the core!

  He has muscle. He has tattoos. He has piercings. He has a mouth that makes her panties wet every time he opens it. He is supposed to be getting married. He is also her boyfriend’s brother....

  Seduce

  (Available now)

  Michael McKenzie is CEO of the family owned, architectural & construction business, McKenzie Holdings, and he has a very bad habit of putting work before all else.

  On Lily Redmond’s first day of work she’s placed as Michael’s assistant, but she’s shocked to discover that it’s the same man she flirted with in the elevator that morning.

  Lily and Michael are instantly drawn to each other, but he’s her boss and Lily lives with her boyfriend of seven years, but everything isn’t always, as it seems.