by Len Webster
She guided him to her entrance, feeling him there. Where she wanted him. Her heart raced as she felt him flex his hips, slowly entering her. Her lips parted as that pinch of his intrusion caused her discomfort. He stretched her. He kissed her. He inched farther into her until he was to the hilt. Until she was completely full.
“Evan.” She sighed as he opened his eyes, staring at her.
“AJ.” He breathed. “My AJ.”
Her heart wept.
His AJ.
She was only ever his AJ.
“Make love to me,” she pleaded. “Slow. God, please I want you to make love to me. Like we have forever in this one night. Like you never left me.”
He dropped his face into the curve of her neck and nodded. He turned his head, his lips finding her skin.
He kissed her once.
Twice.
Three times before he pulled out of her.
Evan whispered, “I’ll love you long after tonight. I’ll love you forever,” before he slowly pushed himself inside her, filling her once again.
She felt his love through his touch.
His kiss.
His thrusts.
His whispers of love.
In the very way he made love to her.
Evan Gilmore did what he promised. He made love to her all night as if they had forever waiting to kiss them both with the morning sun.
And before she drifted to sleep, he breathed the very words he owed her, “Eight neutrons.”
Alex watched him sleep.
He was so peaceful.
Beautiful.
Last night was perfect. She felt his love in ways she had never felt before, but it was full of sadness rather than hope. It was goodbye, and he knew it. She saw it in his eyes each time his hips met hers, in the way his eyes pleaded for her to stay. As she slipped her tank top over her head and corrected it around her stomach, she stared at him once more, hating that he would wake up alone.
But she had a flight to catch.
She had to leave.
Taking one last look of him, Alex pulled her hair free from her top and made her way out of his room. Once she was downstairs, she put on her slippers, picked up her coat, and made her way out of Evan’s house. The snowfall was light as she trod across the driveways and up the porch steps. She dug her hand into her coat pocket and pulled out her keys. Once she inserted it and unlocked the front door, she walked inside and closed the door behind her.
Her eyes stung as her heart cried. Tears escaped her. And as Alex made her way toward the staircase, she brushed them away to find her mother at the very top, waiting for her.
“Oh, Alexandra,” her mother said, the sadness bright in her tired brown eyes.
Alex attempted a smile. “I’m going to shower and get ready for my flight.”
She didn’t need to confirm to her mother that she had spent the night in her ex-boyfriend’s bed, feeling his touch and his love for her.
But it was quite clear she knew.
All Alex could do was wash Evan Gilmore from her skin.
As reluctant as she was, his touch had to leave her for the very last time.
After a scalding hot shower masked her tears, Alex sat down with her parents at the table and had a farewell breakfast together. She wouldn’t be home until Christmas. And she knew they were sad she couldn’t stay longer. For them to actually be a family.
Her father frowned. “Are you sure you don’t want me to put your suitcase in the cab for you?”
Alex shook her head. “No, it’s okay, Dad. I’ve got it.”
Her mother handed Sebastian to Alex’s father. “Do you really have to go back, Alexandra? You were barely home. You usually stay longer.”
A pang of guilt erupted in her chest. “I wish I could, Mum, but Seb wasn’t supposed to be born for a few weeks. I’m lucky the institute let me leave.” Alex stepped closer to her mother. “I’ll be home again soon,” she promised as she wiped her mother’s tears away.
“Hey, Evan,” her father said, alerting her that Evan was behind her.
She hated that she left him this morning. All she wanted to do was stay for just a minute longer. But she knew if she had, a minute would turn into an hour, and an hour would turn into the whole morning, ensuring she missed her flight.
Turning around, she finally smiled and saw the hurt in his eyes. “Hey,” she said in a soft voice. The loud sound of the cab’s horn got her attention. She glanced over to find her driver waving her over. “I better get going. Traffic to Logan is gonna be insane.” Alex bent down and kissed her little brother. “I’ll see you soon, Seb. Don’t grow too much while I’m away.”
She smiled at her father who asked, “Christmas?”
Alex nodded in agreement. “Christmas.” She swung her focus to Evan’s direction and stepped closer to him. She pressed a palm to his cheek, loving the feeling of his skin against her hand. “I love you, Evan. And I don’t think I ever told you enough how much I loved you being my boyfriend. How much I appreciated you coming to Zürich for a year to be with me. I don’t know when I’ll be home again. I took the job.”
He froze, his eyes wide in shock. “Three more years in Zürich …?”
“Yeah,” she confirmed. “Three more years in Zürich at the institute. I won’t be an assistant anymore but a researcher.”
Evan was silent as he stared at her. The horn from the cab sounded again. It rang loud with annoyance. She knew she wouldn’t get much from him. She gave him news he probably didn’t want to hear.
Three more years in Switzerland was the indefinite end of them.
Getting on her toes, she pressed her lips to his. “I’ll still love you after I leave.” Then she pulled away and smiled at her parents and the little boy in her father’s arms. “I’ll call you both once I land in Zürich. I love you all.”
Alex refused to sneak a peek at Evan for fear she’d change her mind and stay. To tell him that nothing else mattered. But she couldn’t. They both had lives away from each other, and Alex was about to start hers the moment she landed. She would no longer be a research assistant but a researcher herself.
A researcher at one of the finest institutions in the world.
She was living and experiencing her dreams.
The dreams she and Evan had fought so hard for.
Walking down the steps and then the path, she wheeled her suitcase behind her as the driver got out of the cab, lifted the trunk, and put her suitcase inside. She smiled her appreciation and made her way to the back seat. Pulling the door open, she slipped inside and closed the door behind her.
“Where to, miss?” the driver asked.
“Logan International Airport, please,” she replied as she buckled her belt in place.
As the cab pulled away from the curb, temptation became a rash on her skin. An irritation she wanted to itch. She wanted to turn around and see him. To see if he was watching her drive away and out of his life.
“Excuse me, sir,” Alex said, staring at the driver’s headrest rather than him.
“Yeah, miss?”
Alex wet her lips. “In your mirror, are you able to see if he’s watching the cab drive away?”
He was silent. Then he let out a breath, and said, “He is.”
Her heart ached.
Evan was still watching the cab long after she said goodbye.
Then the driver glanced over at her and smiled. “Your boyfriend’s still there.”
My boyfriend …
If only it were true.
100Fm
fermium
EVAN
Now
Two weeks.
In two weeks, his daughter would be born.
For the past three months, Evan and AJ attended their remaining birthing and parenting classes and ensured that everything
was in order to welcome their daughter into the world. His girlfriend, Alexandra Parker, had spent the past few weeks making sure the hospital bag and their baby’s nursery was perfect. Now it was a waiting game and attending to his girlfriend’s every request. A lot of them consisted of food runs and massaging her aches. But Evan loved it. He’d loved their entire journey through her pregnancy.
Every ultrasound was amazing.
Every class was a brand-new experience.
They were as prepared as they could be.
Evan bent down and brushed Alexandra’s hair from her face. “Baby,” he whispered, his thumb caressing her cheek. “AJ?”
“Hmm,” she mumbled.
“I’m going to work.”
That had her opening her eyes. It was slow. She was still half asleep. But the sleepy smile on her face was utter beauty. “Morning.”
He bent down and pressed his lips to hers in a long and unrushed kiss. Smiling against her lips, he pulled away, hating that he couldn’t stay. He’d much rather stay in bed with her. “I have to go.” He set his hands on the edge of the mattress.
AJ shifted closer, pressing her lips to his pinky. “I know. I’m going to help Mum at the bakery this afternoon. Do you want to have dinner in the city after you finish work?”
“Are you sure you should be helping around the bakery? AJ, you’re nine months pregnant.”
She rolled her eyes and then sat up, letting out a groan. He knew she wasn’t particularly comfortable. She always complained about the aches and talked about how she couldn’t wait to give birth. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be serving. And Mum will make sure I don’t do anything that requires too much work. And don’t worry, she’s driving. Your driving ban is still in effect.”
“Baby, that was a self-imposed ban.” Evan stood, then bent down and kissed her forehead. “I’ll call you when I leave work, and I’ll pick you up, okay?”
“Okay.” She pressed her fingertips to his jaw, steadying his face. His girlfriend smiled before she kissed him deeply. He let out a groan when she began to pull away, causing her to laugh. “Go to work.”
“But—”
She shook her head and lowered her hands. “Go to work. I’ll see you later.”
“I love you.”
She hummed. To Evan, it was the sound of contentment that reached his ears. “I love you, too, Evan. Have a good day.”
“You, too,” he said as he stood straight and picked up his briefcase. “Don’t work too hard, okay? Take care of yourself.”
AJ tilted her head and then curled her finger at him in a come-hither motion.
Evan bent down and watched as she gripped his tie in her hands and adjusted the knot to perfection. “There. Now you’re really ready.”
“Thank you,” he said. He kissed her one last time and left for work.
As he walked out of their bedroom, he smiled, loving how good his life truly was.
“I never imagined I’d see you behind a desk,” Evan heard a familiar voice say. He had been working on department expense reports for most of the morning in hopes of finishing so he could have dinner with his girlfriend without bringing home work. He glanced up from his laptop to find his high school best friend and college rival at his office door.
Evan grinned. “You’ll start rumors if you’re photographed at Fenway, you know.”
Hunter Jamison, starting batter for the Los Angeles Dodgers, shrugged. “Dodgers fans know I’m a Red Sox fan. They’ll deal with it. I signed a new contract, so they know I’m committed to life in LA.”
“Well, come in,” Evan said, watching Hunter stroll into the office and take the seat in front of him. “So what are you doing back in Boston?”
“Mom’s birthday,” Hunter said. “You have a pretty sweet view of the ballpark.”
Evan laughed as he closed his laptop. “Perks of being the brother of the Red Sox captain. Trust me, if Kyle weren’t my brother, I would not have this office.”
Hunter nodded. “You ever miss playing?”
“Sometimes,” Evan admitted. “But I couldn’t imagine playing professionally. I sometimes go to the batting cages on my days off, but they’re rare, and it’s only when I really miss the game. AJ comes with me and watches.”
“Ah, Alexandra Parker,” Hunter said with a smile. “You lucky son of a bitch.”
Evan smiled. Not smug but grateful. He was so grateful for the life he had with her. “I couldn’t agree more.”
“How are you both?”
“We’re good. The house is officially done. We had to wait to do the garden. We weren’t sure how we were going to do it until we hired a landscaper.”
Disbelief shone in Hunter’s light green eyes. “You have a house and a pregnant girlfriend. You’re living the life. How is Alex?”
“She’s good, man. Really good.”
“That’s great, Ev,” he said. “So …”
Evan leaned back into his leather chair. “So?”
The glint in Hunter’s eyes had Evan raising his brow. “When are you going to marry her? You have a house. You’re the father of her unborn child. Do you want to marry the love of your life? The girl who used to sit on the bleachers and wait for you. The girl who watched you take another girl to homecoming and prom. The girl who has been in love with you for forever.”
He let out a small laugh. “When am I going to marry AJ?”
“Yes!” Hunter exaggerated the agitation in his voice, throwing his hands in the air. “It’s all any of our friends have been talking about since the baby shower.”
“Like who?”
Hunter squinted at him. “Like everyone—especially Carter and Jordan. They need more married friends to hang out with. I’m sure Jordan’s tired of hanging out with all the Patriots wives.”
Evan shook his head. “Well, I have to ask her first.”
His best friend’s mouth dropped. “You haven’t asked her yet? I’d have asked Alex to marry me the moment she said she loved me. What are you doing, Gilmore?”
Evan sat up straight and stared at Hunter. He knew Hunter was teasing him, but the envy was thick in his voice. “I want AJ to know that I want to marry her because I love her and not because she’s pregnant.”
“Seriously, that sounds like an excuse. What are you waiting for?”
“I’m waiting for our daughter to make it perfect.”
“So you’re going to ask?”
A soft smile splayed on his lips. “Honestly, I’ve been wanting to ask her to marry me since our senior year of college. The moment she came back, I knew I was going to ask. But right now, it doesn’t feel perfect. Something is missing, and I know it’s our daughter.”
“You’ve gone soft,” Hunter teased with a smirk on his face.
“I’ve lost her too many times, Hunter. I’m keeping her for good.” Evan folded his arms over his chest. “So besides your interest in my and AJ’s relationship, how is everything with you?”
Hunter shrugged a shoulder. “I haven’t met the love of my life.”
Something was off about Hunter. Normally, he’d say something tacky about the perks of single life, but Evan was intrigued. “But you’ve met someone?”
“I’ve known someone for a while.”
“And …?”
A displeased expression consumed Hunter’s face. “Let’s just say if you knew, you’d be disappointed.” He sighed. “And it’s not your ex, Molly, either. It’s just … you know what? It’s nothing. She’s nothing. Single life is great.”
And there it was.
Hunter couldn’t deny it.
He was troubled by love.
Or at the very least, lust.
“I bet it is,” Evan said, not missing that life one single bit. “Hey, why don’t you come over for dinner tomorrow if you’re still in town? AJ would be happy to see you.”
>
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. She’d be upset if she knew you were in town and you didn’t see her …” Evan paused the moment his phone vibrated on his desk. He smiled when he saw her name. “Speaking of AJ, she’s calling. I’ll just tell her now.”
“Sure,” Hunter said.
Evan picked up his phone and answered AJ’s call, pressing his phone to his ear. “Hey, AJ.”
“Evan,” she sounded out of breath.
His heart dipped as concern washed over him. “Baby, are you okay?”
“Uh-huh,” she groaned.
“AJ, you don’t sound okay.”
She inhaled a deep breath. “Are you busy?”
“I’m just with Hunter.”
“Oh,” she whispered. “That’s nice. Tell him I said hi.”
Evan glanced over at Hunter who had his wide eyes focused on him. “I will. Now, AJ, what’s going on?”
She was quiet and then he heard her shuffled footsteps. “Evan …?”
“I’m right here, baby.”
“Are you sure you’re not busy?”
Then she let out a groan that had Evan jumping from his chair and pulling open the desk drawer to get his car keys and wallet out. If she told him she needed ice cream, he’d rush out and get it for her. “I’m sure.”
She was silent once again, and then she uttered the words Evan would never forget. “Evan, my water broke.”
Her water …
“Broke?” he breathed out. “Your water broke?”
“Yes, and oh, my God, it’s everywhere.”
“Are you okay?”
AJ let out a small laugh. “I had this nightmare that as soon as my water broke, I’d have these awful contractions. But nothing. Maybe a little pressure.” Her laughter faded. “Evan?”
“Yeah, baby?” he asked as he shoved his wallet in his pocket.
“Can you please come home?”
It was Evan’s turn to laugh. “I’m on my way. I won’t be too long. I’m going to keep you on the line, okay? You keep talking to me.”
“Okay.”
Evan lowered his phone and gave Hunter a smile. “Hunt, I’m sorry, I—”