I help her off the bed and lead us out of the kids’ room, through the common area of the suite, and into what will be our room for the night.
“You. Me. Us.”
“I like where this is going.”
“I know we have so much to talk about, but—”
“You’re right, we do. Let me start. I owe you an apology.”
She shakes her head. “You already apologized.”
“Not properly.” I sit on the bed and pull her down beside me. “I knew the second you pulled away from my house that day that I’d made a mistake. Fuck, I knew it while we were arguing, but I couldn’t get my heart and head on the same page. I got spooked, and I pushed you away the first chance I got, and I’m so sorry, baby.”
Tears swim in Nora’s eyes. She lifts a hand and runs her knuckles down the side of my face.
“I’m sorry too.”
“You did nothing wrong.”
“Yes, I did.” She takes my hand and grasps it between hers. “I shouldn’t have gone behind your back and paid Lorelei off. That was wrong of me. We should have made that decision together.”
“All is forgiven, sweetheart.”
“Thank you.” She takes a deep breath and looks at our joined hands before lifting her eyes. “Grayson, this is still my life. I’m going to cut way back because I want to be with you and the kids, but there will be rumors, and photos snapped, and weekends away, and—”
I press a finger to her lips. “And we’ll deal with all of that as it comes. Together.”
“Together.” She nips playfully at the pad of my finger, setting my body on fire.
I push her back against the bed and hover above her. “Now forgive me, woman, so we can get to the make-up sex.”
Her eyes dart to the door. “What about the kids?”
“They’re two rooms over and sleeping like the dead. As long as you don’t scream like a banshee, we’ll be good.”
She grins. With the flick of her wrist, my towel is gone, piled somewhere on the floor. “I can’t promise anything.”
God, I love this woman. I kiss her hard and fast. “I missed you so much.”
She pushes her fingers into my hair. “I missed you more.”
“Not possible. Forgive me. I need the words, Nora.”
“I forgive you. But you should know that if you ever try to run from me again or push me away, I’ll hunt you down.” She wraps her arms and legs around my body. “You’re never getting rid of me. Now make love to me.”
I nibble at the corner of her mouth, down her neck, and then I strip her of her clothes. “So demanding.”
“Get used to it, Calhoun.”
I waste no time aligning my cock at her entrance.
“Oh, Grayson,” she moans as I sink into her.
She grips my shoulders, her nails biting into my skin. She’s so fucking beautiful. I want her so badly; I can’t remember any of the reasons why being with her isn’t a good idea. From where I’m standing, she looks like the most perfect idea.
“You’re all I’ve been able to think about since the minute I walked into your brother’s living room and saw you sitting on the couch beside Jack, with Emma on your lap. I didn’t see you coming, Nora. You’re like a hurricane that blew into my life without warning and destroyed everything I thought I knew.”
“Is that a bad thing?” she pants, her hungry eyes locked on mine.
I shake my head and take her mouth in a heated kiss. “It’s the very best thing.”
“I love you,” she breathes.
“I love you, too.”
Nora tips her head back, her eyes closing as I work her harder and faster as her hands roam every inch of my body frantically, almost desperately, like she’s afraid I’ll disappear.
She doesn’t need to worry. Tonight is the first of many where I’ll worship her body and then wake up ready to protect her from the world.
Her nipples tighten and brush against my chest, eager little points begging to be sucked. I lower my head and pull one into my mouth, nipping and biting.
She hisses and squirms beneath me.
“Please, Grayson.”
I want to go slow, to savor every second of having her back in my arms, but Christ, the look in her eyes isn’t helping—eager, desperate, full of so much need.
She moans into my mouth, lifting her hips in rhythm with mine. I put a hand between us and stroke her clit. I muffle her soft cry with my mouth on hers.
“Shhh,” I whisper. “God, you’re so tight.”
She groans. “You can’t tell me to shh and then say things like that. It isn’t fair.”
Every muscle in her lower body quivers. Her pussy tightens around my cock, causing a ball of tension at the base of my spine.
I watch, mesmerized as her lips part on a gasp, her chest rising and falling in short pants. I really begin to move—slow, forceful thrusts hitting all the spots that make her squirm.
“That’s it. Take me deep, Nora.”
Her muscles clench in response to my words. Pleasure surges through my body at the same time she clamps her legs around my hips. Her pussy ripples around me, sucking me deep and dry with every stroke.
I continue to move until her body goes lax beneath mine, and then I collapse on top of her. Nora’s fingers trail lazily over my back.
“When can we do that again?”
I pull back and smile down at her. “You’re a hussy.”
She giggles. It’s the sweetest sound and has my cock hardening inside of her. I kiss the apple of her cheek, her tiny, straight nose, and then I lower my mouth to hers.
Our lips come together in a kiss that leaves us both breathless.
“You make me feel things I never thought I’d feel again,” I say, my voice rough with emotion. “When I’m with you, I lose control. Over my body, my mind…” My words trail off as I grab her hand and press it to my heart. “And my heart. Thank you for waiting for me to come to my senses.”
“I’d wait forever for you, Grayson Calhoun.”
Epilogue
Nora
Two years later
“Hey, Jessa. Happy Mother’s Day!”
“Thank you,” Jessa says, flipping the screen so I can FaceTime with my nephew.
Beckett came into the world six months ago. He’s the most gorgeous baby I’ve ever seen, and I’m already spoiling him to death.
“Hi, sis!” Nick says, poking his head in front of Jessa’s phone.
“Move that big head of yours so I can see my nephew.”
Nick frowns. “I see how it is.”
“How’s he sleeping?” I ask. “Still fussy at night?”
“He’s doing better since we switched his formula,” Jessa answers.
“That’s good.”
“Hey, babe?” Grayson calls from the other room. “Do you want biscuits and gravy or cinnamon rolls for breakfast?”
“Surprise me.”
“Is that Gray?” Nick asks.
“It is.”
“Put him on. I need to talk to him.”
“No,” I scoff. “I’m trying to ogle your baby.”
“Just put him on. It’ll only take a second.”
I roll my eyes. “Grayson?”
A few seconds later Grayson walks into the room wearing a pair of baggy sweats and nothing else.
I’m one lucky girl.
I turn the phone so Grayson can see Nick. “Yeah?”
“Can you still help me move that dresser today?”
“Sure thing. I’ll swing by after breakfast.”
“Bring the kids.”
“And Nora?” Grayson asks.
“Nah, leave her at home.”
“Hey.” I steal the phone away from Grayson and glare at my brother.
“I’m joking. You know I love you.”
Grayson laughs and walks out of the room. Beckett starts to fuss in the background, and Nick hands the phone off to Jessa.
“Sorry, Nora, but I’ve gotta go. Feeding time.�
��
“Okay. I’ll see you guys soon.”
I end the call and slide farther beneath the comforter. I haven’t heard the pitter patter of little feet yet, so if I’m lucky, I might be able to catch an extra few minutes of sleep while Grayson makes breakfast.
My eyes are closed, and I’m about to drift off when I hear a soft knock on the door.
I crack an eye open and lift my head to see three smiling faces staring back at me from the doorway.
They’re all getting so big, growing right before my eyes. School gets out in two weeks, and then we’re hitting the road for my summer tour. I’m excited to spend the next few months with them, because right now they still think I’m cool. One of these days it won’t be like that, and I’ll have to bribe them to hang out with me.
“Good morning, sleepyheads,” I say, pushing up onto my elbows.
“Can we come in?” Jack asks.
“Always.” I sit up and pat the bed beside me.
“We have something for you,” Nora says.
“You do?”
Jack and Emma crawl onto the bed and settle in beside me, while Henry claims my lap.
“Mine first,” Henry says, holding out an orange piece of paper. It’s cut into a heart, and on the front it says: I love you.
“Did you make this?” I ask.
“By myself,” he says, bobbing his head. “Open it.”
I open the heart. Two words are scrawled across it in his sloppy preschool handwriting: Can we.
“Hmm. Can we what?” I ask.
“Now mine.” Emma holds out her heart. It’s pink and has purple stars drawn all over the front.
“Open it,” she says, wiggling beside me.
I open the second heart and read. “Call you,” I say out loud.
Jack doesn’t say a word, just hands me his blue heart. On the front is a picture of two people, presumably him and me. I open the heart and read the single word.
Mom.
“Can we call you Mom?” Jack asks sheepishly.
I drop the heart and cup a hand to my mouth. There’s no sense in holding back the tears, because they’re already here. I blink up to see all three kids watching me carefully.
I wrap my arms around them and pull them in. Little arms tangle around my neck, holding me while I cry. When I finally pull back, I wipe the wetness from my face and kiss each kid.
“So?” Jack asks.
“Yes.” I nod, wiping away a fresh wave of tears. “I would love it if you called me Mom.”
“Me too?” Emma asks.
“And me?” Henry shouts.
“All of you. I love you guys so much.”
These three beautiful, smart, funny children might not be mine by blood, but they’re mine in every other sense of the word.
“Jack Allen!” Grayson yells from the kitchen. “Why is there slime running down my wall?”
Jack’s eyes widen. “It was Emma!”
“Emma?!” Grayson yells.
Both kids hop off the bed and run out of the room. Because he hates feeling left out, Henry follows them.
I laugh and dry the remainder of my tears while re-reading the homemade cards.
“I swear to God, I’m throwing all of that glue and slime-activator crap away.”
I look up when Grayson walks into the room. He’s wiping his hand on a towel and stops short when he sees me.
“Have you been crying?”
I shrug. “It’s a good cry.”
I hold up the three hearts. Grayson tosses the rag in the laundry basket and sits beside me on the bed. He opens each heart and looks at me with glossy eyes.
“Well?”
“I told them yes. They’re mine, Grayson.”
“I know they are, sweetheart.” He pulls me into his arms and presses a kiss to my head. “Happy Mother’s Day.”
I half laugh, half cry because I’m so freaking happy. “Thank you.”
“I have a surprise for you, too.” Grayson slides from the bed. He shuffles around in the closet, giving me a delectable view of his tush, and returns a second later.
“Whatcha got there?” I ask, settling against his side as he lies back on the bed.
“Oh, this?” He holds up a sparkling diamond ring, and for the second time this morning, I cover my mouth.
“What is that?”
He furrows his brow. “I really have to explain this to you?”
I laugh and swat at his chest. “I know what it is, but…why do you have it?”
Grayson laughs and shifts on the bed so he can look at me, holding the ring between us.
“Nora Hayes, I love you. Every single day I get on my knees and thank God for bringing you into my life. You love my kids like your own, and for that I’m eternally grateful. There’s no one I’d rather walk through this life with than you. Will you marry me?”
“Yes! Yes, yes, yes!” I throw myself into his arms and pepper kisses over his face. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Grayson slips the ring onto my left hand, and I sit back to stare at it. “It’s beautiful.”
“Been carrying it around with me for six months, trying to find the perfect time to give it to you. I thought about doing some grand gesture at one of your concerts this summer. But today, it just felt right.”
“I’m glad you did it here—just the two of us and the kids. It couldn’t have been more perfect.”
Grayson kisses me long and slow. When we finally pull apart, he smiles down at me.
“It’s taken a while, but we’ve finally got our crazy lives figured out. But…there’s still one thing we haven’t discussed.”
“What’s that?” I ask, still mesmerized by my ring. I’m engaged!
I’m going to be Mrs. Nora Calhoun.
“Babies.”
My eyes snap to his. “Babies?”
He nods.
“You want more babies?”
“Don’t you?” he asks, looking a little nervous.
“Well, yeah. There’s nothing I’d love more than to have a child with you.”
He presses a hand to my stomach. “You’ve never said a word about it. I wasn’t sure if you wanted kids.”
“We already have three wonderful children. I felt selfish hoping for another. Plus, I wasn’t sure if you’d want more.”
“I do. I want to have babies with you, sweetheart.”
“Babies? As in more than one?”
“I’ll take as many as you’re willing to give me.”
I giggle, flip Grayson onto his back, and straddle his hips.
“Good thing I locked the door when I came in,” he says.
“When can we start trying?”
Grayson’s face lights up. “Right this second probably won’t work, considering I have biscuits in the oven.”
“Grayson…”
He smiles and pulls me down. “I’m ready whenever you are, Nora. The sooner the better.”
“I want to get married right away. Something small.”
“Whatever you want, whenever you want.”
“You and the kids have made me the happiest woman in the world.”
“Trust me, sweetheart, we’re the lucky ones.”
Also by K.L. Grayson
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