“No,” she whispered. “The doctor still hasn’t called and the suspense is killing me.”
“It’s okay. We knew it could take up to two weeks to find out anything. At least we know she’ll be locked up for a while longer, right?”
“Yeah,” Julia muttered, still sounding unsure. “I just wish they would hurry up. I hate having that unknown dangling above my head, especially on my first day of work.”
“Orientation is at two, right?”
“Yep. I must say, I didn’t think that I would get the job since I don’t have much experience, but I’m happy that I did. It will give me something to do while Amy’s in school.”
I cocked my head. “You’re working at an assisted living facility. I have to say that I couldn’t think of a more fitting job for you. You love people and you’re good with them. I think they’re lucky to get you, and they knew that too.”
“But I haven’t worked in so long.”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you care. That’s hard to find anymore in employees. Are you sure you’re ready to go back to work? You know we don’t need the money.”
“I know,” she said. “But I want to do something with my time. I was never cut out to just be a housewife and you know that. This will give me a reason and a purpose.”
“Then why are you so nervous?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“You’re right—it’s because of the judge. I just hate waiting around. Amy knows that something is going on too.”
I smiled as I thought about our daughter. Right after the cruise, the second we came into the house, she’d disappeared upstairs and come barreling back down a few minutes later with a small box. I recognized it at once as the one sitting on my nightstand. It was a reminder of what I had been fighting for over the years, one that I’d planned on putting away for good if the cruise didn’t go as planned.
Amy handed the box to Julia after I nodded my approval, and she opened it. Inside was the same engagement ring she’d worn before leaving. The same one that she’d left behind years ago. Her eyes started to tear up when she saw it and she looked back to me.
“You kept it? After all these years?” she whispered.
I nodded and took the simple band from the bag. “I did, and I would have hung onto it for the rest of my life, but I think it belongs to you.”
I slid it on her finger and smiled. “Perfect.”
“Thank you,” she said through the tears. “Thank you both for giving me the life that I never thought I deserved.”
Amy had been ecstatic, a new child since her mother came home. It was summer break, but somehow, the entire school still knew that Julia had finally come home. I didn’t stop her from telling everyone. She had a right to have some pure joy in her young life. Julia, for her part, took everything in surprising stride as she was bombarded with questions at the very first soccer game of the season.
I had tried to keep her shielded from everything but it was pointless. Just like she did with the job interview, she breezed through the social interactions with grace, caring, and understanding. It was amazing to watch her grow into a new woman, one whom I somehow loved even more than before, though, I didn’t think it was possible. She nuzzled my neck as her fingers moved down my body, and I knew what she wanted.
Glancing at the clock, I saw it was only ten in the morning. As a teacher, I didn’t work much during the summer, and Amy was staying the week with Theresa and helping her pack. I glanced at my phone to make sure there were no missed calls from them.
“Everything okay?” Julia asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, I just wanted to make sure my mother was doing okay. She had a lot to do in a week.”
Julia chuckled. “She was the one who asked for Amy to come down for the week. She’s a brave woman. I can’t imagine packing up fifty years of my life with a nine-year-old in tow.”
“True, but she had Marcel there to help her,” I said.
“And all five of his dogs,” she agreed. “However, I bet Amy is going crazy with all the dogs there. She’s probably having a blast.”
“And keeping those spoiled pooches out of the adults’ hair while they move everything.”
“It will be okay. We’ll be down there in a few days to help your mom move in with Marcel and get Amy back. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kid so excited to start a new school year.”
I thought about Amy’s love for education. Even in the summer, she could be found stashed away in my office among the books. In the past year, she’d become very proficient at reading and now it was all she wanted to do. The Odyssey, Anne Rice, Stephen King—it didn’t matter. If it was the written word and I approved, she would read it.
It was nice to see that she was finally coming out of the stage of being a spy. One morning, not long after we had returned, she’d decided that being a spy wasn’t cool anymore. She changed her profession and became an artist. It was messy most of the time, but the girl had some skills, to my surprise. Patience was never a skill either of us had mastered. Julia and I agreed that she could be whatever she wanted as long as she was safe in exploring those goals.
“She’s always had a knack for it. Of course, this is her first year at the new elementary school too. We’ll be in different parts of the building, so I think that has something to do with the joy. Before, she had to deal with me every day, but now, she’s got a mom around to bail her out of awkward situations.”
Julia laughed. “Well, I’m happy that I can be of some use.”
“Have you thought any more about what we talked about?” I asked her carefully.
She blushed. “I don’t know. It’s a lot. Don’t you think that we should wait a little while? I mean, with the trial and now waiting on the judge, it’s a busy time. Plus, I’m starting work and the house is small. You know we would have to move, right?”
“I will move anywhere you want if that’s what it takes, but I want it to be a decision that we make together.”
“It’s something I want. I know that much. I’ve wanted it ever since we came back from the cruise, but . . .” She paused.
“Julia, you have to see that we aren’t going anywhere, right?” I asked her. “I don’t want to lose you again. I thought that we were ready for the next step, but if not, I can wait as long as it takes or take it off the table altogether.”
She shook her head. “No. I do want it.” She took a deep breath. “I think we’re ready, if you do.”
“I do,” I said quickly. “I want us to have another child together, and I think this is the perfect time for that.”
A blush fell over her perfect cheeks again. “So, what do you want to do with the rest of the afternoon? I still have a few hours before I have to be at work, and I could use a distraction from all the waiting around for that damn judge.”
I shrugged, knowing full well what I wanted to do. I wanted to ravage her like I had almost every night since we had come back from the cruise. Our love life was nothing to scoff at. I slid a hand down to her nipple and pinched it gently as she moaned and closed her eyes. I would never get tired of seeing her face like that or the way that she arched her back. The temptation to move lower on her body was overpowering as I ran my hand along her ribs and down to her hips.
Her eyes opened and she smiled. “You know, you’ve made me the happiest woman in the world. How did I ever get so lucky to have you in my life?”
I shrugged. “I ask myself that all the time about you. I waited so long to get you back and I won’t ever let you go again. You’ve turned our house into a home and filled a gap in my heart that was missing something. I know now that it was you. You were always the glue that held us together.”
“I love you,” she whispered once more before my fingers slipped into her body.
“And I love you,” I promised her.
We stopped talking. There was no more need for words as I brought her to the edge of a climax before pulling away and climbing between her legs. Her sweet body
was all I needed to be at peace. She was mine, and we would be together for the rest of our lives as one big, happy family. It was a gift that I would forever thank her for.
Check out the rest of the One More series!
Book 1 - One More Kiss
Book 2 - One More Turn
Book 3 - One More Chance
Book 4-One More Night
One More Turn
Ross
Dad!”
Sophia was shouting in my ear and I couldn’t believe that she still tended to wake me up, the same way that she’d been doing since she was five. I’d hoped that, seeing as she was older, she would stop acting like a human alarm clock that I could never turn off. I groaned and rolled away from the loud sound shouted directly into my ear. When I heard a whine in response to my actions, I groaned louder and pulled my pillow and covers over my head.
“Five more minutes, hon,” I grunted, muffled under all the covers.
She heard me, but her whining was only getting louder. A little body suddenly jumped on me, little hands trying to shake me and barely managing to move me.
“Dad! Can you please get up? I’m gonna be late for school!”
I sighed, knowing I wouldn’t get to go back to sleep. I pushed off my pillows and covers, letting out a hiss of breath when she moved to get off me and kneed me in the stomach. I sat up blearily and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I blinked them open and looked down at my daughter.
Hair as dark as mine fell around her face, over her shoulders, and down her back. It was getting a little long, but she’d stopped cutting it last year, saying she wanted it to grow out. She even had my slightly tanned skin, her bright green eyes one of the features she didn’t get from me.
She sat on her knees at the edge of the bed, arms folded over her chest.
Sophia was seven, soon to be eight, and considered herself in charge of me, even though I was the parent.
“Aren’t you up a little early, Sophia? I’m sure it can’t be that late.”
She just sighed and rolled her eyes. “Look at the clock and tell me that.”
I frowned, and my gaze turned to the alarm clock I kept on my nightstand. I’d bought one a while back after my phone woke me up one morning and I dropped it on the floor trying to shut off the alarm. I groaned when I caught the time.
“The alarm must be broken,” I murmured, turning to Sophia with a look of apology. “Give me five minutes, and I’ll come down to cook you breakfast, okay?”
She persisted with the sour look for a moment longer, before her expression burst into a wide smile.
“Sure, Dad! I’ll just shower and change. Don’t take too long!”
I just hummed. Not that she waited for an answer, because she scrambled off the bed and ran out. I pushed myself out of bed a moment later, picked some clothes from my closet, and went to have my shower. I was out ten minutes later, feeling refreshed, picked my phone from the nightstand and headed for the kitchen to get started on breakfast.
I was serving two plates of eggs, toast, and pancakes when I heard her running down the stairs.
“Come and have your breakfast already!” I called as I placed the plates on our tiny dining table. Then she came into the kitchen, and I winced. “Just what are you wearing?”
She frowned at me. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
Dammit, Sophia.
She was dressed in all pink, her favorite color at the moment. The pink dress was fine, if a little too much for school. She had the pair of bright pink shoes with a strap my mother bought her as a present, with a short heel and a large flower on the buckles. She also had matching tights and hat, with more flowers on top of it.
“It’s fine, honey,” I said hesitantly. “It’s just a little…”
She pouted at me again. “Too much? Or not enough? I wanted to add a scarf; I have the fluffy one grandma bought for me—”
“No, Sophia.” I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. I was pretty sure everything she had on was bought by my mother.
“It’s all nice, but I think your grandmother would prefer it if you dressed like this for a party. Not for school.”
Sophia crossed her arms over her chest and looked away.
“Your birthday isn’t that far away,” I tried to bargain.
“You can dress up for your birthday, and I’m sure grandma will bring you more pretty clothes. You don’t want to get them dirty, do you?”
There was some hesitation, but then her arms dropped. She stuck her tongue out at me and ran back out of the kitchen. I chuckled tiredly as I took a seat at the table but held back on eating first.
I was grateful to my mom on the days she took care of Sophia when I couldn’t, and I was happy that she had such a wonderful relationship with her grandchild, but she spoiled her too much. Besides, this parenting thing was so fucking hard at times! Sophia needed a woman’s touch, but at times Mom’s touch could be a bit over the top, as she seemed to smother Sophia at the best of times. Mom told me that Sophia was going through her ‘princess phase’ and there was nothing wrong with spoiling her. I was just worried about all the clothes that would be tossed aside when she grew out of the phase.
She was back minutes later, and I gave her a once over. She’d kept the tights, but switched everything else for a pink top, jean jacket, and beige shorts, with black sports shoes. I nodded once in approval, and she skipped over to the table.
“My hands are clean!” she told me, holding them out to me as evidence.
I smiled. “I see that. Eat up so I can take you to school.”
School started at eight a.m. and I usually tried to get her there around five minutes before the bell. She’d woken me up at fifteen past seven and I was cutting it fine, but I had to fucking make it. I ate my meal and was done before she was halfway done with her own.
“Did you do your homework last night?” I got up from the table with my dirty dishes and left them in the sink. I’d have to wash up when I got back; there wouldn’t be enough time now. “Tell me where your backpack is, and your stuff for school. I’ll bring them down while you get ready.”
She chewed and swallowed her food before answering. “I did all my homework, and my books are on my table. My bag is right under it.”
“I’ll be right back, then.”
I pecked her on the temple as I passed her and headed back upstairs. The door to her room was just a short distance from my own. It was a mirror of mine, only better suited for a young girl. She had a small bed, her little bookshelf shoved up against the wall, with a small table and chair right next to it. The little plastic table had books strewn all over it, and I sighed as I put everything to rights. Her backpack was where she said it was, under the table, and I packed it up, then went down the stairs with it in hand.
Sophia was just putting her dishes in the washer when I walked back into the kitchen, and I gave her another smile of approval. The smile she gifted me with was bigger and happier, and I couldn’t help chuckling.
“It’s time for school, now, baby. Let’s go.”
“’Kay, dad!”
I held my hand out for her, and she skipped over to me and took my hand. I wanted to carry her. I’d gotten so used to it that it was hard when she suddenly refused to be carried around because she was ‘a Big Girl’. Remembering how she sat me down to explain it all to me still made me crack a smile, though it had been over a year now.
I picked up two sets of keys on our way out—one for the house, and the other for my car, with a spare key for work.
The drive wasn’t too long. The only reason we took the car was that I didn’t want to tire her out before she got to school. We lived in a relatively small town, so plenty of people were out walking. I let Sophia in the back, set her bag on her lap and did up her seat belt, then got in the driver’s seat.
“Put on the music, dad!” she shouted when I didn’t move to do so immediately. “Please, daddy?”
I arched my eyebrow at her in the back, not surpri
sed to see her with her hands held out in front of her, palms pressed together, eyes wide, imploring, as she pouted.
“You don’t have to beg me, you know,” I said, amused by her drama.
The CD was in the player, so I just turned it on and played the music. It was a compilation of popular kids’ songs, another present from my mom. Immediately, she was singing along as loud as she could. I just laughed and sang along to the parts I knew, though I’d pretty much memorized all of them by this point.
On the streets to either side of us were other people waking up, some taking their little ones to school. I got shouts and waves from a few people, and I waved back. Less than ten minutes later, we arrived at the school parking lot.
“We’re here, baby,” I told Sophia.
She was pouting before I turned off her music, but she took hold of her bag. She waited for me to get out and help her out of her seat belt. I held her under her armpits and pulled her out of the car, letting her down on the pavement.
“Dad, look! She’s here; she’s here!”
I smiled as she jumped at me impatiently. She knew better than to run ahead without me, though, after I’d scolded her for it a couple of times. The parking lot was at the school, but, while cars knew better than to rush around this street, it was better to stay cautious.
I was in a hurry, as well, so I didn’t hold her back too much. I was excited myself, and couldn’t help grinning. Once we were across the road, she took off with a squeal, and I was a little jealous I couldn’t do the same.
“Jessica!”
“Hi, Sophia!” I watched as my daughter's teacher crouched down to receive her bear hug, giving her a tight squeeze before pulling back to smile at Sophia. “You’re as beautiful as ever today. How was your morning?”
Sophia practically vibrated in place with pleasure. “I had to get Dad out of bed, and he made me take off my dress, but he made me breakfast!”
Jessica glanced up at me. “Did he now? And did you thank your dad?”
Second Chance Draft: A Second Chance Sports Romance (Pass To Win Book 6) Page 38