by Lacey Black
“Yeah, I definitely need to do that. I kept it the same during the construction phase, with the intention of changing it after. I’ll call the security company and get a new code programmed in the morning.”
“Good idea,” I tell her, placing my lips on the top of her head.
“I still can’t believe it was her having the affair. I mean, actually I can. It makes way more sense than my father as the adulterer. But your dad? Jensen, I’m so sorry,” she says, gazing up at me without an ounce of accusation.
“I’m the one who’s sorry, Butterfly.”
“Why? You didn’t do it, right?”
“Uh, no. But I guess I feel…”
“Stop it. You did nothing wrong. You’re as innocent in this mess as I am. Our parents made the choices, not us. All we can do now is move past their mistakes. We’re here—together—and that’s all that matters.”
Smiling down at the woman I love, I hang on to her words like a life raft. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am,” she giggles, burying her nose against the place in my chest where my heart beats only for her. “So, what was this about keeping me up half the night?” she asks, looking up at me under heavily lidded eyes.
“We didn’t get to eat dinner.” My cock doesn’t care. He’s hard and raring to go in my jeans.
“True, but maybe we can throw it in the fridge. I hear Chinese food makes a great midnight snack,” she replies, batting her eyelashes my way.
“You drive a hard bargain, Butterfly, but I think I can get on board with this plan.”
She slowly pulls away, but doesn’t release my hand until the last possible second. Kate glances over her shoulder, her eyes full of love and adoration that’s only for me. I smile like an idiot because, fuck, I know I’m a lucky son of a bitch, and can’t wait to spend the rest of my life showing her how grateful I am for the chance to return her love.
We may not have everything all sorted out, but we’re headed in the right direction.
And speaking of direction, I give her a wolfish grin and say, “Race you upstairs.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kathryn
Jensen definitely made good on his up-half-the-night proposition.
After making love, we talked more about the mess our parents made the first time we were together. The fact my father knew about it, confronted by Jensen’s dad, and took his wife and daughter away spoke volumes for the family man he was. He loved his wife enough to stay married or at least try to fix it, but the only way to get past it was to move on.
To move away.
I understand that now.
Jensen told me about his conversation with his dad, how sorry he was for making such a mess out of everything. He told me the apology his dad sent back with him seemed sincere, and for that, I’m thankful. Jensen also mentioned his dad wants to get together with him sometime. I can understand Jensen’s hesitancy, but could see the hope reflecting in his baby blue eyes. He wants a relationship with his dad, even if he’s not ready to say it or know to what extent.
Some of my mother’s words keep coming back to me. Her blasé attitude towards marriage vows and monogamy speaks volumes for the type of woman she is. I’m almost certain she probably didn’t remain faithful to my dad, even after they moved us to New York. In fact, being in a much bigger city was probably easier for her to cover her transgressions.
But that’s not for me to worry about now.
Right now, I have to figure out how to use this fancy new outdoor grill my landscaper designed into the back patio area. It’s huge and has burners on one side. I’ve been staring at it for the last few minutes, trying to figure out if pushing the buttons will result in lighting it or preparing it for take-off.
“Problems?” Jensen asks, coming around the corner from watering the front.
“I don’t know how to use this,” I answer, waving my hand toward the appliance dramatically. He snickers, bringing a frown to my face. “Are you making fun of me?” I ask, crossing my arms. His eyes immediately drop to my cleavage.
“I’m not,” he smirks, those blue orbs lazily drawing up to mine. “I swear.”
“I was trying to do a nice thing and grill us those steaks, but now I’m thinking differently.”
“You’re doing a very nice thing,” he says, pulling me into his arms and wiping the frown off my face with his lips. The kiss is full of urgency and passion, and I instantly start to melt into his embrace.
“You’re distracting me,” I mumble against his lips.
“Is it working?”
“Maybe. You did that last night too.”
“That’s because you were trying to hide the generous gift my aunt and uncle left you,” he replies with a chuckle.
“Yes, that’s because I don’t think that…thing was appropriate to leave out for anyone to see,” I huff, feeling the burn in my cheeks as I recall discovering the gift Emma and Orval left me.
“Say it.”
I adamantly shake my head.
Jensen places a tender kiss on my neck. “Say it…”
Closing my eyes, I can’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. “Vibrating clitoral stimulating cock ring.”
His lips nip at my sensitive skin. “I love it when you say cock.”
Swatting at his arm, I can’t help but giggle. “That’s the weirdest gift anyone has ever left me.”
“They are definitely a little different. Thank you for trying to cook dinner,” he says, pulling me in closer to his chest.
“I would have succeeded if not for this stupid contraption,” I retort, kicking the grill for good measure.
“Don’t hurt it. This baby can cook enough food to feed the entire western hemisphere,” he adds, rubbing a gentle hand along the shiny stainless steel handle.
“Planning on grilling for this half of the country, are we?” I quip.
“You never know who might stop by for dinner, Butterfly. You still haven’t met the extended family.”
“I’ll have my chance next weekend, right? Are we still going to Jupiter Bay for a visit?” I ask, excited to meet the rest of the family, including Emma and Orval’s son-in-law and his new bride, and their six granddaughters.
“We are. I’ve already talked to Ryan and Jaime. I was going to book us a hotel room, but they insisted we stay in their guest room. They’re getting ready to turn it into a nursery, and I’m pretty sure he’s wanting help moving everything out before we leave,” he says with a smile.
“I can’t believe almost all of your cousins are pregnant at the same time. How crazy is that?”
“They’re a crazy family, and I mean that in the best way possible. I enjoy spending time with them. Plus, Max is pumped to see Sawyer again,” he says, referring to the former pro-ball player married to his cousin, AJ, and Max’s biggest hero.
“Speaking of, when do you get Max?” I ask as Jensen opens the cabinet below the grill, turns the propane valve, and pushes the circular button on the bottom left of the massive grill. It fires to life. “Jerk.”
“Don’t be a sour sport, Kate,” he laughs, pulling me against his chest once more. It’s warm and firm and right where I want to be. “To answer your question, he comes back Thursday after school.”
“That’s so far away,” I grumble into his shirt. It smells like his deodorant and dirt—my favorite combination.
“It’s hard when he’s with his mom,” he agrees.
I grind my hips against his. “Yes, very hard.”
“Minx, that’s not what I meant.”
“No, but I kinda like my version better. It keeps my mind off your adorable son and how much I miss him when he’s not here.”
“I have an idea,” he says, grabbing me by my arms and leading me around the grill. We walk down the cobblestone walkway until we’re standing alongside the pool.
“What are we doing?” I ask.
He doesn’t reply, just smirks. I know I’m in trouble. He places his shoulder into my stomach an
d lifts. I have just enough time to close my eyes and hold my breath before we hit the refreshing water in a giant splash. I come up sputtering and wiping water from my face. “What the hell was that?”
“You were looking a little hot. I thought I’d help cool you down,” he says, pulling me back into his arms. My legs wrap around his waist as his mouth devours mine. The firmness of his erection presses hard against my clit. All sorts of dirty images parade through my mind.
“Do you want kids, Butterfly?” he asks, kissing down the column of my neck.
His question doesn’t even faze me. “I want to fill all of those rooms upstairs.”
“That’s a lot of rooms,” he growls, rocking himself against my body.
“So many rooms. There’s one for Max and one for every child God blesses us with,” I whisper, not quite sure how I’m still able to form complete sentences with him teasing me the way he is.
“I want that too, Kate. With you.” His electric blue eyes lock on mine and I can see his conviction as clear as the vibrant sky.
I reach down, grazing my hand along where his erection strains within their blue jean confines. “We should probably start, though. They say it doesn’t always happen on the first try.”
His hands grip my ass, holding me firmly against him. A moan of pleasure spills from my lips as my head falls back in ecstasy. “Practice makes perfect,” he growls, licking my neck before his lips land on mine once more.
This kiss is everything.
Our future.
“I’m not a patient man, Butterfly, not when it comes to you. I’ve waited for you for years, but I don’t want to wait anymore. I want to marry you and get you pregnant more than I want my next breath,” he confesses, his fingers trying to get through the wet material plastered to our bodies.
“I want it.”
“Then maybe you need to join me in the pool house, Butterfly. We can get a jump,” he says, flexing his hips upward, “on that practicing.”
Jensen swims us to the stairs, and with me still wrapped around his waist, steps out of the pool. His jeans are rough against my bare thighs, but I don’t complain. Instead, I pull myself closer and press my lips to his. He carries me to the pool house, the screened door slamming behind us.
He presses me into the wall, deepening the kiss. Everything I’ve ever wanted is wrapped up in this one man and his son. Everything I see for my future is right before me, waiting. “I love you,” he tells me, running his lips along the shell of my ear.
“I love you too. Now let’s get to practicing.”
Epilogue
Jensen
“Happy birthday to Just Max. Happy birthday to you,” Kate sings beside me. I can’t help but smile at her slightly off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
We’re celebrating Max’s fifth birthday at Kate’s place. Well, soon to be our place. I’ve tried to take it slow, but it’s not working. I want to be where she is, and since she’s here, well, that’s where I am as much as humanly possible. I still have my house, but not for too much longer. We may be moving fast, but neither of us cares. We’ve missed so much over the last twelve years, so in my opinion, we’re not moving fast, we’re slightly behind.
Max loves her. I had to have an awkward conversation with Ashley last week, because I knew the next step for Kate and me was right around the corner. She cried, but swore she’d make an attempt to get along with Kate for Max. That’s all I can ask. I promised not to replace her and she promised to try to be cordial. At the end of the day, it’s all I can ask for.
Kate made a trip to New York City this past week to finalize the sale of her portion of the company. She said it was as amicable as expected, leaving the city the moment all documents were signed. She didn’t even complain about electively signing over a portion of her inheritance to her ex. Since she received it during their marriage, he was entitled to part of it, but she just wanted it to all go away so she could move on so she didn’t fight it. While I couldn’t say I agree completely with her choice to write him a check with more zeroes than digits in my phone number, I respect her decision, especially now that it means she’s all mine to take the next step in our lives.
This place looks great, and I’m not just talking about the completed landscape my family keeps ooh’ing and ahh’ing over. Kate went all out with the decorations, from a baseball piñata hanging from the tree to the blue and red plates and napkins to represent Max’s favorite team’s colors.
“How about you open presents while I cut the cake?” Kate asks while my mom delivers heaps of presents to where Max is sitting.
I head over with the cake to where Kate gets everything lined up. We watch as Mom and my family help Max open his presents. After each one, he hollers, “Daddy, Kate, look!” and shows us whatever new gem he received.
Kate slices the funfetti cake with strawberries in the middle, which is in the shape of a baseball bat. Max and Kate worked on it until bedtime last night, and then I licked icing off Kate’s naked body after bedtime. “I know what you’re thinking about,” she says, setting a piece of cake on one of the small plates.
“You mean about how much you moaned when I licked the icing off your clit?” I whisper, realizing all this replaying of last night isn’t helping keep me cool below the belt.
“Stop,” she gasps, hip-checking me as she laughs.
“I will not stop,” I tell her, pulling her into my arms and touching the tip of her nose with my frosting-covered finger. Then, I lick it off before locking my lips with her sweet ones once more.
“Kate, it’s your present!” Max yells from across the patio.
Kate startles back, wiping her lips, and turning her attention to my son. She looks dazed, which is just the way I like her—drunk from my kisses. “Oh,” Kate says, wiping her hands on the towel and heading toward Max, grabbing my hand as she goes.
My girl vibrates with excitement as we watch Max open the box. First, he finds the painting, the one she completed just the other day of Wrigley Field. It’s one of the oldest, most beautiful parks in the country, and even though Sawyer played for the Nationals, Max has always loved the Cubs the best.
“Daddy, look! It’s Wrigley Field!” Max exclaims, holding onto the massive painting that’s as big as he is. Samuel’s there, helping make sure it doesn’t tumble to the ground.
“It is, Buddy. Didn’t Kate do a great job?” I ask, smiling over at my little man.
He looks at the art in awe and then back to Kate. “There’s something else in the box,” she says, nodding toward the big tissue-filled box in front of him.
My brother takes the painting and sets it aside while Max dives back in for more. When he comes up with the envelope, Kate and I move in closer. I kneel beside his chair and help him hold what’s inside. Kate squats on the other side of the chair and waits with bated breath for him to figure out what he’s holding.
“What’s this?” he asks, his eyes searching the tickets in his hands.
I nod for Kate to tell him the news. “Those are tickets to see the Cubs play the Rangers this coming Tuesday night at Wrigley Field,” she says, barely able to contain her excitement.
“It’s the playoffs!” Max hollers, his eyes wide with shock.
“It is, game five. We’re going to fly out that morning, go to the game, and then stay in a hotel that night. We’ll go to the Shedd Aquarium and Navy Pier too,” I tell my five-year-old.
“An airplane?”
“Yep,” I reply, ruffling his hair with my hand.
Max throws his arms around Kate and hangs on tight. “Thank you, Kate!”
“You’re welcome, Just Max,” she says, smiling with her eyes closed as she holds on tight.
“I love you,” he whispers.
Her eyes open and lock with mine. They fill with unshed tears as she gazes over Max’s head at me. “I love you too,” she whispers, placing a kiss on top of his head.
“Let’s eat cake!” Mom hollers, drawing everyone’s attention over to th
e cut up baseball bat cake.
Marissa, Rhenn, Samuel, Harper, and Latham all make their way to eat dessert, but I halt Kate from joining them. “Hey, Buddy, we have one more present, right?”
“Oh, yeah, for Kate!” my little guy replies and reaches behind his back.
My eyes remain on her while she watches my son pull the small jewelry box out and hold it up. She gasps in shock, her wide eyes fly to meet mine. “Kate,” I start, taking her hand in mine as I drop down to one knee. “I knew you were the one I’d spend the rest of my life with when I met you. Our life took a little detour, but eventually, our roads crossed paths once more.”
Her hand is trembling as she crouches in front of me, Max right where he belongs—between us. “I can’t wait to spend more birthdays and Christmases and every day with you by my side. You’re amazing with my son, and that means everything to me. I want to wake beside you every morning and fall asleep with you in my arms every night. I want to create more babies with you and watch them all grow up together. I want you by my side as we grow old. Kate, my Butterfly, will you marry me?”
She’s a sobbing mess now. I hate the tears, but know they’re happy ones.
Max puts his arm around Kate’s shoulder and hugs her close. “You’re supposed to say yes,” he instructs softly, making both Kate and me laugh.
She grins over at my son and sniffles. “You’re right, I’m supposed to say yes. Thank you for the reminder,” she says, giving Max a kiss on the cheek.
Then, she turns those hypnotic hazel eyes my way and whispers, “Yes.” My heart pounds and my blood swooshes in my ears. “Yes!” she exclaims loudly before throwing her arms around my neck and kissing my lips.
Cheers echo around us as I kiss my fiancée for the first time, and definitely not the last. There will be a whole hell of a lot more kissing and celebrating later.
Naked celebrating.
“I love you,” she whispers, her grin pressed firmly to my lips.
“I love you more,” I tell her.
Max chimes in. “And I love you too! Let’s eat cake!”