I take the bundle of our hands and bring it to my lips, pressing a soft, slow kiss to her knuckles. “We can do this, Grace. The two of us.”
She opens her eyes, tears still flooding out. “This is a huge curveball, Leon. Neither of us were expecting this, and I don’t want you to say anything you may regret later just because—”
“Because I love you?” I ask, looking into her green eyes with all the intensity I can muster. “Because I do love you, Grace. I’ve known it for a while now. The only thing I’d regret is letting you think for another moment that you have to do this alone. You don’t. I’m here.”
Grace looks down at her lap. “I don’t want you to feel pressured to—”
Before she can say another word, I wrap a hand around the back of her neck and close the distance between us, pressing my lips against hers.
Grace jumps in surprise, but then, she sinks into it. Slowly, her hands inch up my shoulder and my neck until her thumb is stroking the stubble I’ve let grow out a little too long into an actual beard.
Kissing Grace, I can actually feel a weight lifting off my shoulders. For the first time in what feels like months, my chest loosens, and I feel like I can really, truly breathe.
When we pull apart, I run my thumb across her cheek, wiping away tears. “I came here because I want to be with you, Grace. We could be having eight babies, and it wouldn’t change a thing for me.”
“Don’t even joke about that,” Grace says, nearly choking. “Three is more than enough.”
I laugh, and it feels good. I kiss her again, a soft, quick affirmation.
“I met you when you were engaged, realized I loved you the day of your wedding to another man, and now, on the day we find out we are having triplets, I’m going to ask you to be my girlfriend.”
Tears are rolling down her cheeks again, but they’re happy ones this time. Overwhelmed, but happy.
“That is all I want, too, Leon.”
We’re still kissing when Dr. Faber knocks on the door. I’m sure he sees us jerk apart and notices the red faces and tear-stained cheeks, but ever the professional, he simply finishes the exam, tells Grace to find herself a good OBGYN in the city, and sends us on our way.
“I hate that we’re staying with my parents,” Grace says, rubbing her fingers up my forearm as I drive, sending bolts of electricity through my veins. “I feel like I’m in high school again. Except now, we can’t even have car sex. A gear shift to the side would not be good for the babies.”
My mind catches on the plural—babies—but my internal motor also revs at the mention of sex, and I quickly begin cycling through the alternatives. I haven’t been with anyone since Grace, and I’ve been desperate to be with her since the moment I saw her in jean shorts and barefoot in the orchards.
“We could get a hotel?”
She laughs. “You’d get a hotel just for the afternoon? That feels sleazy.”
I begin to formulate my argument for why it wouldn’t be sleazy to get a hotel and spend an afternoon to ourselves when, in the very near future, we may not have any time to ourselves ever. But then the lightbulb above my head flickers on.
“I already have a hotel. I reserved a room at a bed and breakfast for the whole week.”
“What?” Grace asks, turning to me. “Then why have you been sleeping on my parents’ couch?”
I shrug and reach across the console to squeeze her knee. “Because I didn’t want to leave you.”
“That’s sweet,” she says, smiling at me in a way I wasn’t sure she ever would again. Then, her expression is suddenly sharper. Eyebrows raised and lips pulled up into a sexy, sultry smirk. “It would be a shame to let your room go to waste.”
I quickly pull into a parking lot, circle the lot, and then pull back onto the road headed in the opposite direction. “Absolutely,” I say. “I’d hate to waste the money.”
No one is behind the small podium in the entrance hall, so I grab Grace’s hand and pull her up the narrow steps to the second floor.
“I feel like we’re breaking into someone’s house,” she whispers.
I hold up my key. “The room is mine. Aside from anything illegal or damaging, we can do whatever we want in there.”
She hums in disappointment. “Well, that ruins a few of my plans, but don’t worry, I can work around it.”
I laugh, but the joke still sends a thrum of excitement through me.
The floorboards creak under our weight, but we make it to the room without running into anyone. Grace lets out a little yelp when I yank her into the room, push the door shut, and lock both the handle and the chain lock. I don’t want the owner’s son getting confused and wandering up to his room to find it quite occupied.
“Nice place you got here,” Grace says, grabbing a handful of the floral bedspread. She sits down on the edge and winces. “This bed is a rock. How did you sleep on this even one night?”
“I didn’t.” I laugh, walking across the room until I’m standing in front of her.
Grace reaches out and grabs my hand, pressing the back of it to her lips. Then, she grabs the other and does the same thing.
It’s such a tender thing to do. So caring and gentle, and it makes my love for her bloom like a flower in spring. I wonder how I ever could have denied that I loved her. Now, the feeling seems like a vine twisted around my heart and my lungs, demanding acknowledgment, and I intend to let it grow.
Grace stands up, grabs the hem of her gray T-shirt, and pulls it over her head. With her stomach bare, the bump is obvious, and it doesn’t seem so crazy to think there could be three babies in there. But when I take her all in at once, she looks the same as she did before. Long and lean and trim. Her body pulls in and flares out in all the right places, and I want to explore every dip and groove of her until I have her body memorized.
She wraps her arms around my neck, and I gladly circle my hands around her waist. “Luckily,” she says, stretching up on her toes to kiss me. “I don’t plan to sleep tonight, either.”
I let out a low growl as I kiss her and sit her back on the bed, pushing her until she’s flat on the mattress. I ease her jeans off of her hips and down her legs, kissing the soft skin of her thighs as I go.
I can’t believe there was even a moment when I thought I could live without this. When I thought I didn’t need Grace to live. Now, she feels as necessary to me as breathing. As essential as air and water, and I drink in the sight and feel of her against my body as we undress one another, slowly and purposefully, baring each other one article at a time until she is perfect and naked in front of me.
She reaches out and strokes a hand down my chest, her finger dipping low across my stomach, sending a shiver through my spine. “Has anyone ever told you you’re beautiful?” she whispers.
“Yes,” I whisper back, laughing when she wrinkles her nose at me. “But I like it best when you say it.”
“You are beautiful,” she says, dropping her hand lower until she is wrapped around me.
I gasp and close my eyes, rolling onto my back. Grace props herself up next to me, massaging warmth and pleasure into my body in ways I didn’t know was possible.
“You are beautiful inside and out, Leon Knight. The most beautiful person I’ve ever met.”
I reach out and tangle my fingers in her long hair, which is tumbling over her shoulder, running my hand through the dark, silky strands until I can’t use my fingers anymore. Until I can’t do anything but bite back a moan and try not to fall apart.
When I can’t take another second, I lay her gently back on the bed and kiss my way down her neck, her chest, her arms. I worship every inch of her beautiful body, grateful that she’s with me, that she’s carrying three of my babies, and grateful for every moment that led me to this place. To this strange room with an uncomfortable mattress. To this tiny town that raised such a strong, beautiful woman. I’m grateful for all of it, even as I struggle to comprehend how my life will change once we leave this room.
Gr
ace is soft and warm beneath me, her hands drawing lines up my back, her arms and legs wrapping around me, pulling me closer until I can’t wait any longer. I push inside of her, and we both sigh in relief and pleasure.
I take my time, moving slowly and gently, knowing we have all the time in the world. Relaxing into the reality that this will happen again.
Chapter 19
Grace
My parents waved from the porch when we left, neither of them aware that I am carrying three babies instead of one.
“Don’t you feel bad not telling them?” Leon asked as we waved through the windshield, reversing out of the driveway.
“Not a bit,” I admitted. “If we told them, my mom would never let me leave. She’d insist I be carried everywhere like a crazed queen. I’ll tell her when I’m further along.”
“And four hours away?” Leon teased.
“Exactly,” I said, turning on the radio and reclining the passenger seat in Leon’s car.
By the time we are back in the city, however, my ease has subsided, replaced by a cold dread.
“I’ll be right there with you the entire time,” Leon says, reaching across the console to grab my hand.
“I know,” I say, squeezing back. “But I’m honestly not sure if that makes me more nervous or less. Sebastian hates you.”
“I’m not letting you go in there alone,” he says firmly before looking over at me. “Unless, of course, you want to. And then I’ll wait outside.”
I smile at his protectiveness. “I definitely want you with me. Sebastian might be less harsh if you’re there. Or he’ll be even harsher. I honestly don’t know.”
“We will just tell him the truth,” Leon says, going through our planned speech for the third time. “We’ll tell him we liked one another, slept together once, and then decided to go our separate ways before finding out about the pregnancy. Now, we’re in love and hope he can understand why you didn’t go through with the wedding.”
“He’ll probably think we’re lying. I mean, three babies? That sounds ridiculous.”
“It really does,” Leon says with a chuckle. “But we have the sonogram in your purse just in case.”
I take a deep breath. I can’t move forward until I put everything behind me, and talking to Sebastian is definitely step number one. He’s bound to find out about me and Leon soon enough. Their circle is pretty small, and we’re moving in together. Our relationship won’t be a secret for long, and as much as I don’t care for Sebastian, I want the process of him finding out to be as stress-free as possible.
“He’s going to fire me,” I say, pressing my palm to my forehead.
“You were going to quit, anyway,” Leon reminds me.
“Oh, yeah.” Working in close proximity to Sebastian no longer feels like an option due to our incredibly complicated history. “Who’s going to hire a mom with three babies? The finance industry is too demanding. What if I can’t keep up?”
“Where is this coming from?” Leon asks, turning to me. He has on a dark pair of sunglasses, and he looks effortlessly cool. I picture him in his rolled-up jeans, plain black T-shirt, and sunglasses pushing a three-seater stroller down Fifth Avenue, and it is the most adorable and sexiest image I’ve ever had in my head. “You’re Grace Freaking Miller. You can handle anything, especially whatever Sebastian Wayde may throw your way. Plus, I’ve already talked with a few people at FutureTrust, and—”
“Leon,” I warn, eyes narrowed. “I am not going to accept a pity offer. Even from my baby daddy.”
He smiles at the nickname and then shakes his head. “In the weeks after I screwed everything up, I asked around about you. Everyone had nothing but glowing things to say about your work and work ethic. I would have hired you even if you weren’t my baby mama. Even if you refused to date me and said you hated my guts. I separate my personal life from work, and you, Grace Miller, are an asset for my business.”
I bite the corner of my mouth, uncertain.
“Stop thinking about it and accept,” he says. “It isn’t like I’m making you vice president or anything. You’ll still have to work your way up the ladder. But it is an actual job in the industry, not an assistant gig. You’ll get to use your degree and learn a lot from some really great coworkers. Plus, we have amazing maternity benefits.”
I groan. “I’m not sure.”
Leon grabs my hand and pulls it to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “I am. Accept it.”
The little dimple on the right side of his mouth appears, and how can any sane woman say no to that?
“Fine, but I don’t want any special treatment. You have to treat me the same as all your other employees.”
He hums in thought. “Does that mean I need to invite all of my other employees into my office to have lunch so I can make out with them in my desk chair? Because if so, then we might need to rethink this arrangement.”
My face flushes, and I point at him. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
He laughs and shrugs, and I’m finally feeling a bit more at ease when my phone buzzes. I look at the screen, my heart in my throat.
“He responded.”
“What did he say?” Leon asks.
“I’m at the office now. You have fifteen minutes,” I read aloud, wincing slightly. “I guess that means he’s excited to see me.”
Leon gives me an encouraging smile. “This will all be over soon, my love. And then we’ll be free.”
Chapter 20
Grace
This will all be over soon. This will all be over soon. That is what I keep telling myself as we walk through the empty office building towards Sebastian’s office. The door is ajar when we reach it, and I hesitate, wanting more than anything to turn and run in the opposite direction. Leon nudges me forward, and finally, I knock.
“Come in.”
Sebastian doesn’t look up when we walk in, so he is surprised when Leon greets him.
“What are you doing here?” he snaps, looking from me to Leon and back again.
“That’s what I’m here to talk to you about,” I say. I wait for Sebastian to offer me a seat, but when he doesn’t, I sit down anyway. I’m carrying three babies, after all.
Sebastian leans back in his chair, brown eyes so dark they are almost black. His blond hair is white in the sunlight streaming through his office window, and were it not for the deep scowl on his face, he would look like an angel.
“You missed our wedding,” he says.
“I’m sorry.” I really mean it. I didn’t mean to embarrass him that way. “Something came up.”
“Was it him?” Sebastian asks, snarling at Leon.
“Not exactly.”
“Don’t lie to me,” Sebastian growls, standing up.
Leon moves slightly in front of me, and I lay a hand on his arm, letting him know I can handle myself. He looks down at me, gives me an apologetic smile, and steps back to stand behind my chair.
“I’m not lying,” I say, my voice as even as I can make it. “I didn’t show up to the wedding because I found out I’m pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” Sebastian’s eyes nearly pop out of his head. Red creeps up his neck and into his cheeks. Then, all at once, he seems to remember there is no possible way for him to have been the father, and his steely gaze turns to Leon. “You cheated on me with him?”
“It was impossible to cheat on you because we were never a couple.”
Sebastian splutters, too angry to form coherent words, and then he presses his lips into a thin line. “But Leon is the father?”
“Yes, I am,” Leon says, laying a hand on my shoulder.
All at once, Sebastian seems to come apart. His hatred for Leon must run deeper than I ever knew because Leon’s hand on my shoulder is the final straw. He leans across the desk, his finger pointed at my face and his top lip curled back in anger.
“If it wasn’t obvious by now, you’re fired,” he spits. “And not only that, I will drag your name through the mud until no one in the ci
ty will hire you.”
“Sebastian, calm down,” Leon says, blue eyes narrowed dangerously. I grab his hand so he won’t leap across the desk and start a brawl.
Sebastian seems to take the warning as a challenge, his voice getting even louder than before. “You will never work on Wall Street again.”
“I was a fine employee for you Sebastian,” I say, standing up. “If you can’t see that because you’re upset and embarrassed, then that is not my problem.”
“Do you know my mother actually cried when the wedding was called off?” he asks.
“I’m sorry, but that’s just as much your fault as mine,” I say. “You were the one lying to her in the first place. I just decided I couldn’t do it anymore.”
“Don’t pretend you are the better person, Grace,” he says, bits of spit flying out of his mouth. “You ended up with Leon Knight, after all. How great could you really be to stoop so low?”
“Hey,” I warn, hot with a kind of hatred I’ve never felt before. “Say what you want about me, but leave Leon out of this. This is between you and me.”
“Yeah, it is,” Sebastian agrees. “Our deal was supposed to secure my future, but now you’ve backed out, and I’m screwed. How is my mother ever going to believe I could be engaged twice within a year or two? Even though she liked you for some reason, the old hag was suspicious I was ready to settle down. She’ll know something is up if I get engaged again. Not to mention, I’ll have to find another sad sack desperate enough to take me up on the offer. Hopefully, the next woman can keep her legs closed.”
Leon lunges out of my grip and is halfway across the room, fist pulled back and ready to fire when the office door slams open.
We all turn at the same time to find a middle-aged woman with chin-length gray hair and a dark gray pantsuit on. She lifts her sunglasses up to perch them on top of her head, and she has the same deep brown eyes as her son.
“Did someone say, ‘old hag’?” she asks, her gaze withering.
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