Kellen ate two of the mini-sandwiches and finished off a bottle of water.
For some reason Addison found herself infinitely fascinated by the play of muscles in his throat as he swallowed. Everything about Kellen was intensely virile and dangerously sexual, a reminder of how much of an effect he had on her.
He sat back in his chair and drummed his fingers on the arms. “I want you to get some rest when you finish eating, okay?”
“You are staying here with me, aren’t you?” she asked. “I...I don’t want to be alone.”
Kellen knew she was afraid of something happening to the baby while she was here alone. He had no intentions of letting that happen. “Definitely,” he responded. “I don’t have a problem sleeping in one of the guest rooms.”
“Thank you,” she responded. “I’d feel much better knowing that you’re here.”
He rose to his feet and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m glad.”
“Kellen, maybe you should sleep in here with me,” Addison stated, meeting his eyes. “I really don’t mind.”
“Are you sure?” he questioned. “I want you to be comfortable.”
She gave a nod. “Yes, I want you to stay with me.”
He sat down on the bed beside her.
Addison took his hand in hers. “Kiss me.”
When their lips met and her mouth moved beneath his, responding hesitantly, sleeping was the last thing on Kellen’s mind. He groaned, deepening the kiss without conscious thought, plumbing the sweet depths of her mouth with his tongue.
She whimpered and pressed nearer, sending a rush of excitement like a tidal wave through his chest.
Addison snuggled against him as she stifled a yawn. She loved the feel of his nearness. For now this was just what she needed.
* * *
Addison tossed and turned for an hour, unable to sleep. She glanced over at Kellen, watching him as he slept. She didn’t want to disturb him so she eased out of bed and walked to the windows, drawing the thick draperies aside and peering out into the dark. The late-night oceanfront scenery was serene.
She hugged her arms around her body and decided she had had enough as her limbs trembled with fatigue.
“What are you doing up?” Kellen asked in the darkness.
She turned, making out his body in the moonlit room. He was sitting up in bed. “You should be resting, sweetheart.”
“I couldn’t sleep. I think I slept too much earlier.”
He crossed the room in quick strides and scooped her into his arms. “Well, read a book or something, but you must stay off your feet.”
“You can’t spend all your time carrying me around,” she muttered. It was a token protest at best. His warmth surrounded her even as his strength filled her with an odd contentment.
“I’ll carry you until you give birth to our child if I have to,” Kellen said as he placed her in bed. He walked to the other side and climbed in beside her.
“I’m really glad that you’re here.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” He placed a kiss on her forehead. “You and our child need me.”
“I never thought I’d say this, but you’re right,” Addison admitted. “I do need you. I don’t think I can go through this pregnancy alone.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Kellen, you feel so good,” she breathed, her hands gripping his shoulders then sliding down the hard muscles to curve over the rock-hard roundness of his biceps. “So strong. Big. I feel safe with you.”
He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I’m glad because I would never do anything to hurt you.”
She yawned as sleepiness gradually began to overtake her.
“You should try and go back to sleep, sweetie,” he murmured. “You need your rest.”
After that she surrendered to the luring call of slumber.
* * *
Kellen awoke abruptly, his internal alarm clock set for 6:00 a.m. For a moment he was completely disoriented and confused because his surroundings were unfamiliar. Suddenly, everything came flooding back.
Though it was an anomaly to begin the day fully dressed in a woman’s bed, he’d promised that nothing would happen between them. He knew that her pregnancy was still high risk. Kellen wasn’t about to tempt fate because of his lust.
Addison and the baby were in crisis.
She sighed in her sleep and nestled more closely into his embrace.
He wanted her and this feeling between them. They shared a bond that could never be broken.
Kellen eased out of bed and walked barefoot into the living room. There was no doubt in his mind that Addison was the woman for him. He loved her completely. Despite their rocky relationship from the start, she had seared a path straight to his heart.
He could almost hear Dreyden laughing and teasing him about being in love. There were times that Kellen found it hard to believe. He still grieved for his brother; but in the midst of that grief, he had been given something so special—Addison and their unborn son or daughter.
With Addison, he was whole. She was heaven, pure and simple. She made him feel as if nothing could scare her, nothing could hurt her, as long as he was close.
Kellen had already made them both breakfast including blueberry muffins, a spinach-and-bacon omelet and smoothies.
“You made me breakfast?” Addison exclaimed. “Wow, I’m impressed. I had no idea that you could cook.”
“I have many talents,” Kellen responded with a grin.
“So I see.”
“This is delicious,” she murmured after sampling the omelet.
When they finished eating, she told him, “I want you to know that I’m really grateful to you for coming to the hospital to be with me. I have never been so scared in my life.”
“You don’t have to keep thanking me,” Kellen responded. “This is my child, and I don’t want to be left out of anything that concerns him or her.”
“I want you to know that you’re spoiling me,” Addison acknowledged. “I can get used to this.”
He smiled. “I hope so because I intend on spoiling you forever.”
She laughed. “You say that now.”
“I mean it,” Kellen stated. “I’m crazy about you, and all I want is to make you happy.”
“It would make me happy to be able to sit on the porch. I’m feeling a little stir-crazy in this house and so close to the ocean.”
“Just for a little while,” he said.
Addison smiled. “Thank you.”
Kellen carried her out to the front porch after she had pleaded for some fresh air and sunlight.
“You didn’t have to carry me out here.”
“You’re supposed to be in bed, remember?”
“Hey, I’m just sitting out here. I promise I’ll be good.” Addison held up her book. “I’m going to do some reading.”
“You don’t mind if I take a swim, do you?”
She shook her head. “Have fun for me, too.”
Addison shaded her eyes against the bright arcs of sunlight reflecting off the Pacific and interfering with her view of the gorgeous specimen of a man diving into the ocean. She actually envied the water as it slid over Kellen’s rock-hard body.
She let the sight of his body, cutting strong and sure through the ocean waves, soothe her, relaxing away the tension and worries.
Chapter 21
Kellen didn’t like the idea of Addison driving home but she refused to leave her car in Malibu. He followed her all the way home, which was not surprising at all. She had come to realize that this protective nature was a facet of his personality.
She liked it. Addison also liked that he didn’t make her feel weak or any less independent. He knew when to give her space. Loving
Kellen was easy, although she fought against it for months. It felt so natural and so right.
“I think you should get in bed.” His words interrupted her thoughts.
She turned to look at him. “I feel fine.”
“You still have to take it easy, sweetheart.”
Addison kissed him. “Kellen, if it makes you more comfortable, I’ll sit on the couch and not move until it’s time for bed.”
“I’ll agree to that compromise.”
“Ah.” Addison couldn’t help it. She laughed.
His lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. Kellen gave her a serious, peering-all-the-way-into-her-soul kind of look, instead. As if he knew what was in her heart and was waiting for a confession.
“I need to tell you something.”
“What is it?” Kellen asked.
“I love you. I love you so much that my heart hurts when you’re not around.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say those words. I love you, Addison, and I really want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”
She looked up at him. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” Addison had opened the door to her emotional closet—that secret place where she put away all the feelings she had been too afraid to deal with—she was no longer scared. “I never really realized just how much I want a home. Someplace, someone that accepts me for who I am.”
“I accept everything about you, Addison. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Smiling, she said, “I want the same thing. I tried so hard to fight my feelings for you, but it was useless.”
“So I’m irresistible?”
Addison laughed. “And humble.”
Kellen wrapped his arms around her. “We are going to have a good life together. This is my promise to you.”
“You do know everyone in the office is going to be shocked by the news that we’re getting married.”
He shrugged in nonchalance. “I don’t care what they think.”
She surveyed his face. “You really mean it. I hope to get to that place in my life. What others think of me still does matter.”
“Just remember that we are strong together as a family. You’re going to be my wife, and I’ll protect you with my life.”
Addison grinned. “I caught the rhyming thing...”
He laughed. “I’m cool like that.”
Later that evening Addison paused in the doorway of the kitchen, drinking in the sight of Kellen. He was wearing old, faded jeans and a light blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She forced herself to enter the room. “I’m starving. Thanks for putting this together.”
He had found plates and glassware in the cupboard and sat them on the counter.
The spaghetti and garlic bread smelled delicious.
“Once you’ve had my spaghetti sauce,” Kellen began, “You won’t want anyone else’s.”
“Hmm...I don’t know about that.”
“Wait until you try it.”
“My sauce is pretty good, Kellen.”
“I see we’re going to have a cook-off,” he challenged.
He held out her chair.
Her throat tightened when she spotted the clear-glass vase in the center of her table. Kellen had somehow found the time to pick up a bouquet of roses. The gesture affected her deeply.
“Dig in,” he said, taking his own seat.
He had poured her a tall glass of water, and wine for himself.
They ate in silence for several minutes.
Addison wiped her lips with a napkin and sat back in her seat, regarding him with suspicion.
“What?” Kellen questioned, looking innocent.
“This tastes exactly like my sauce.”
He took a sip of wine. “Really? That’s interesting.”
“It sure is,” Addison said, still eyeing him. “How did you get my recipe?”
“I saw your family cookbook. It said that it was your mother’s recipe so I thought I’d make it for you.”
She smiled. “You’re so sweet.”
“Surely, you’re just not realizing this now.”
“No, I’ve known it for a while.”
After they finished their meal, they settled down in the living room.
Her silence began to bother him.
“What’s on your mind?” Kellen asked.
“We haven’t known each other very long, and now I’m pregnant and we’re talking about getting married. Do you ever wonder that we’re moving too quickly?”
“No, not at all,” he responded. Kellen had been expecting this argument, and he was prepared. “It doesn’t take months or years to know that what we share is intense, special and forever.”
“Have you ever been in love before?” Now that question was one Kellen hadn’t expected.
“No,” he admitted, “but this is why I recognize it now. I have no doubts about how I feel, Addison.” Her laughter filled his heart with the music that had been missing from his life. He’d never known anyone like her before, a woman who was both incredibly vulnerable and yet possessed a steely strength and a need for independence.
Reaching into his pocket, Kellen pulled out a small, velvet box and flipped the lid.
“I love you. That’s the honest truth. As far as I’m concerned, nothing else matters.”
Taking her hand in his, Kellen slipped the platinum band with the huge, flawless stone onto the third finger of her left hand.
The seconds that elapsed as Addison ran her thumb around the ring felt like an eternity.
Finally, she raised her eyes to meet his. “Kiss me.”
Kellen lowered his head, his lips searching for hers.
Addison’s lashes fluttered and settled at half-mast, shielding her emotions as they kissed.
He pulled away from her slowly. “Do you have any doubts, sweetheart?”
Addison smiled up at him, utterly feminine, deliciously warm and appealing. “I never knew I could feel this way about anyone. I do love you, Kellen, and no, I don’t have any doubts.”
* * *
“I’m sorry I waited so long to come out here but it’s been hard,” Kellen said as he knelt down in front of his brother’s grave. He placed a bouquet of flowers against the gravestone. “It was difficult for me to think of you lying here in an eternal sleep. You should be here in the world living out the rest of your life....”
He shook his head sadly. “The truth is that I really miss you, Dreyden, and I’m never going to be okay with this. I’m sorry, but it’s not right that you had to die. I’m angry about your leaving. Ari and Blaze keep telling me that you’re no longer in pain, and while I don’t want you hurting all of the time, I still wish you were here among the living.”
Kellen snatched up a weed. “One of the reasons I came is because I have some good news,” he announced. “I’m getting married, and I’m going to be a father. Can you believe that?” He paused a moment as if waiting for a response. “I love Addison in a way that I’ve never loved another woman.”
He chuckled softly. “I’m pretty sure that you’re not surprised. You called it shortly after I started working with her. As usual, you were right, big bro. If I have a son, I’m going to name him after you. He will know all about his uncle Dreyden.”
“I thought I’d find you here.”
Kellen glanced over his shoulder to find Ari standing nearby. “I came to tell Dreyden about the baby and my upcoming marriage.”
Ari smiled. “I know that he would be very happy for you.”
“I know.” Kellen glanced up at his eldest sibling. “What are you doing out here?”
“I was actually looking for you,” Ari responded. “I’ve been worried about you since we l
ost Dreyden.”
“Aren’t you angry over his death?”
Ari nodded. “I felt the same anger over April’s death, as well.”
Kellen recalled how grief stricken Ari had been when his first wife died. It had taken nearly two years for him to get over losing her. “You don’t seem as angry as I feel over losing our brother.”
“Because when I met Natalia, I realized something. Love is stronger than death. When you love someone, not even death can steal the love you feel for that person. Dreyden and April will always hold a special place in our hearts. We will always have wonderful memories of the times we shared with them. The best way to honor them is to continue to live our lives.”
Kellen considered everything his brother said. “Thanks, Ari. I needed to hear that.”
“C’mon, let’s grab something to eat and maybe catch a game or two.”
He rose to his feet. “Sounds like a plan.”
Kellen walked alongside Ari but paused to look back at Dreyden’s gravestone. “I love you, man,” he whispered.
* * *
Addison woke to bright sunlight streaming through the gap in the curtains. Fuzzy-headed, she peered at the clock and saw it was nearly ten. She never slept in but clearly her body had needed the rest.
On the empty pillow next to her was a note from Kellen. She picked it up and read it.
At the office getting some work done, but will be back by 11:30 so that we can leave for my parents’ house at noon.
Love you,
Kellen
Addison climbed out of bed and padded barefoot to her closet to search for the perfect “meet the future in-laws” outfit. She was nervous and a little bit intimidated. She had great respect for Malcolm and Barbara Alexander, and Addison was pretty sure that she was not who they had in mind for their son.
She decided on a simple black maxi dress and silver sandals. Addison wore her hair down instead of her ponytail.
Staring at her reflection, she placed both hands to her stomach. “We’re spending the day with your grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I’m so glad your daddy’s going to be there because I’m a little bit scared.”
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