by Kari March
Cuddling up with the plush down comforter on the bed, I felt my eyes getting heavy. Just as I was dozing off, I felt Blake curl up behind me. He wrapped his strong arms around my waist and touched his lips to my temple.
“You seem different today,” I said sleepily and he sat up to look at me. “Not in a bad way, but still—something’s changed,” I said as I rolled over onto my back so I could look him in the eyes.
He smiled and my heart melted. I will never get sick of that smile. Never.
“It’s you,” he said simply, leaning down and kissing me.
“What do you mean it’s me?” I asked confused.
“Tess, I haven’t changed—I’ve been saved. You saved me a long time ago, I just couldn’t accept the fact that I was worth saving until you agreed to marry me. You’re my angel. You have been since the day you walked into my life,” he said, his face breaking out in the biggest smile I had ever seen. “I never thought I was good enough for you. I thought one day you would wake up, realize it, and leave. When you agreed to marry me, you saved me all over again. I saw our future in your eyes last night. You’re mine forever and I don’t have to worry anymore,” he confessed with a shrug, staring at me with tears in his eyes.
“You’ve never had anything to worry about, Blake. I love you. I’ve been yours all this time. It’s always been you and it always will be,” I said as I reached up and captured his lips with mine. He kissed me with such devotion that tears spilled out from my closed eyes.
When he broke the kiss, he wiped them away with the pad of his thumb. He stared at me and then kissed the tip of my nose.
“Promise me?” he asked with a small smirk.
I smiled back as I took his face in my hands, “Always and forever.”
As I stepped out into the morning air, I could feel the fucking dry July heat already blazing down. It was only 7am and you could tell we were going to hit record breaking temperatures again. It also meant that the station would be going on non-stop calls today, just like yesterday, and I was relieved to be going home.
“See ya later, Captain!” the new rookie called out, nodding his head, as he walked by my truck. He was an eager twenty one year old and the typical rookie—hot tempered, completely full of himself, and he always wanted to be the hero. He reminded me of myself when I got hired on. He had a fire inside of him, just like I did, and even though he had only been with us for a month, he was already becoming a valuable part of our team.
“Have a nice four day, Jake,” I said as I climbed up into my truck.
The drive home was peaceful and traffic free—Sunday mornings usually were. I decided to stop and grab Tess her favorite morning treat on my way home. She had been up late last night photographing a wedding and I knew she would be tired.
I pulled into the Starbucks drive thru and ordered a grande, non-fat, white chocolate mocha and two blueberry muffins before finally heading home.
The house was quiet when I walked in, but it usually was. I removed my boots and, after placing my keys and the muffins down on the counter, I went into the master bedroom. Tess was curled up on her side, sound asleep. She had kicked the covers off and her sexy ass was barely being covered by the tiny black shorts she had slept in. I wanted so badly to take her right then, but I knew we weren’t going to have time for that.
I quietly set the coffee down and changed my clothes, putting on a pair of gym shorts and a white t-shirt and then crawled into bed. I hadn’t slept much last night after a fire started around two, so I decided to try and get just a few minutes of sleep before we had to get up and start the day.
As soon as I lay down, Tess rolled over and snuggled into her favorite position on my chest. It was hotter than hell, but I didn’t care. There was nothing that could ever make me push her away. I wrapped my arm around her and closed my eyes, praying I would get at least twenty minutes of sleep—but that didn’t happen.
Just as I had drifted off, I felt someone staring at me. I opened my eyes and jumped sky high at the sight of the sweetest pair of brown eyes I had ever seen.
“Morning, baby girl,” I said as I sat up.
“Morning, Daddy,” Piper whispered as she started to climb up the side of the bed. “I missed you last night.”
“I missed you too, baby girl. Did you have fun with Uncle Devin?” I asked.
“Uh-huh, he taught me how to play this new game. Want me to teach you? I’m really good at it,” she said, batting her eyelashes at me. With her big honey brown eyes and long, beautiful brown hair, Piper was the spitting image of her mother.
Just then a loud “Mama!” came blaring through the monitor. Tess jumped a little at the sound as she rolled back over and looked at her phone to see what time it was. Seeing it was now almost eight o’clock, she sat up and stretched before she reached for the Starbucks cup sitting on the night stand. She looked over at me, her sleepy eyes sparkling, as she thanked me for the coffee.
“Did you have a lot of calls last night? You looked exhausted,” Tess observed as she got out of bed and put her hair up in a pony tail. I loved the way she looked first thing in the morning and watching her in those shorts and tight tank top was making me hard.
“I didn’t sleep at all. We had a three alarm fire at two this morning and we didn’t get back to the station until after six,” I replied, yawning. “How was the wedding?”
“Oh, it was amazing. I’m so happy I got to photograph it! The images are going to be stunning!” She had been so excited to shoot this wedding all week and I was happy it went well.
“Morning, Mommy,” Piper said as she jumped off the bed.
“Morning, baby. How about we go get your brother and let daddy sleep for a little bit? He’s tired,” Tess said as she looked back at me and winked, before heading out the door.
“I’m hungry! What’s for breakfast? Can we have pancakes? I love pancakes!” I heard Piper say as she followed Tess out of the room.
“I brought you home a blueberry muffin, baby girl. It’s on the counter!” I yelled.”It’s from Starbucks, your favorite.”
I heard Piper squeal in delight and the sound of her hurried little footsteps echoed as she ran back towards the room.
“Thank you!” she screamed as she came running up to the bed. She gave me a big hug and kissed me on the cheek. “You’re the best daddy in the whole world!” she exclaimed and, just as fast as she ran in, she was gone again. Tess had absolutely ruined her. I didn’t know any other six year old that like Starbucks as much as she did. Like mother, like daughter.
I fell back onto the mattress with a thud. I didn’t want to sleep the whole day, but I had to get at least an hour or two so I could at least function or Tess would kill me. Tonight was date night and, since we missed last month due to Noah being sick, we hadn’t had a night out alone in almost two months.
Tess’ parents were going to take the kids, which meant we wouldn’t have to worry about waking them up when we got home. Suddenly, vision of Tess bent over the bed, screaming my name, flooded my mind. My quickly growing hard-on was throbbing in my shorts and I needed to do something to take my mind off of Tess. I started to think about what I needed to do around the yard and it seemed to help. I closed my eyes and, before I knew it, I was drifting off to sleep.
As I sat at my desk, editing the wedding pictures I took last night, I couldn’t help but smile at Piper and Noah. They were so cute when they were actually getting along. Piper was trying to read a story to Noah but, like any typical eighteen month old, all he wanted to do was look at the pictures. He kept turning the pages before Piper was done and she was getting frustrated.
Noah was a complete clone of his daddy with his dark hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a stubborn personality that put mules to shame. He was my baby boy, though, and he and Piper were our whole world.
I looked down at the clock and realized that Blake had been sleeping for almost three hours and lunch time was quickly approaching.
I shut down my computer and walked int
o the living room. “Who wants to wake up Daddy?” I asked the kids. They both started laughing as they got up and headed for the stairs. Waking Daddy up was one of their favorite things to do, mainly because it was the only time they were actually allowed to jump on the bed.
Quietly, we climbed the stairs and, just as we reached the bedroom door, I swiped Noah up in my arms. He started giggling and Piper placed a finger over her mouth, motioning us to be quiet. I turned the knob and Piper counted to three on her fingers before I swung it open and we all went running into the room, screaming and yelling. Piper climbed up on the bed and started jumping right next to Blake as I placed Noah on Blake’s stomach.
With a deep groan, Blake woke up and immediately started tickling the kids. They tried to fight their way free from his torturous hold, but they were no match. Piper was laughing so hard she was crying.
“Mommy, save us! Help! Tickle Daddy!” she shouted at me.
“Tess, don’t you dare,” he warned me with a murderous look in his eyes. Blake hated being tickled.
There were three places Blake was ticklish and one of them was too inappropriate for the children to see—I would have to tickle him there later. His feet were dangerous because I always wound up getting kicked, so I decided to go for the third spot. Even though tickling him there meant I was bound to be trapped and tickled in return, I decided to go for it.
With a mischievous smirk, I pounced on him. Lucky for me, he was still holding onto the kids and his ribs were wide open. A high pitched wave of laughter escaped him and, just like I thought, within seconds the kids were free and I was being held down against my will as he tickled the piss out of me.
“Ah! Okay stop! Please… Blake…” I screamed in between my hysterics as I wiggled beneath his hold. I was laughing so hard tears were streaming down my face. Finally, he stopped, but I was still pinned beneath him. He was holding my hands over my head and was straddling my chest, crushing the life out of me. The kids were jumping on his back, trying to make him let me go, but he wasn’t budging.
“Do you surrender?” he asked me, his eyes full of desire.
“Never,” I hissed playfully at him as I continued to squirm beneath him.
He bowed his head down so his warm breath was hitting my ear, “How about we finish this little game tonight?”
The words went right to my core and that all too familiar throbbing started to surface. I nodded ‘yes’ in response and he nibbled on my ear before he released me and turned his attention back to the kids. Picking Noah up in his arms, he chased Piper down the hallway and into her room. I heard Blake growling, Piper screaming, and Noah laughing—and it was music to my ears.
Blake is an amazing father and I couldn’t have asked for anyone better. He takes care of us all and I love watching him with the kids. He’s nothing like his father and I know that makes him proud. I tell him everyday just how lucky the kids and I are to have him in our lives and how thankful I am that he picked me.
When we were younger, he used to always tell me that I saved him. But, looking back, I know now that he was the one that saved me. Not only did he save me from Jared, he saved me from myself. I was a closed box, never wanting to show my true colors or let my emotions break through my exterior. I was scared to open up and he made me realize that if you don’t unlock the doors, then no one will ever be able to come in. Not only did he hold the key to my heart, he threw it away once he was inside, leaving it wide open for the world to see.
There are so many people that made this book happen so I will do my best at trying to remember everyone!!
To my husband… I love you more than words can express. Thanks for everything you do for our family and thank you for supporting me through this crazy journey. I don’t know what I would do without you. You are my Blake and I am so lucky to have married such a wonderful man.
Paige and Wyatt, my little monkeys, you are my whole world! Mommy loves you more than anything and one day I hope you will understand all of the hard work I have put into writing this story. But I hope I don’t ever hear about you reading it until you are at least 18, if ever.
To my parents… even though I doubt you will ever read this, thanks for always supporting me no matter what I do. You are incredible parents and I am honored to be your daughter. I love you so much!
Jaime, my sister and my best friend—you have been there for me through thick and thin. Thank you so much for being so amazing and inspiring Palmer’s character. She is you in every way! Love you!
Cara Arthur—my partner in crime—where do I begin? Your personality is contagious. Thanks you for always making me laugh. Even though we have never met in person, you are always there for me no matter what. I am beyond blessed to have become friends with you over this past year. Whoever thought we would be where we are today? Our love for CJG brought us together and I couldn’t be happier that it did. This book would not be what it is without you. You are so talented and I cannot thank you enough for all your hard work and support. Book whores 4 life and friends forever. xoxo <3
Megan Noelle, my fellow author and amazing friend—I’m so happy we connected on FB. Your writing is spectacular and I am so thankful for all your help and input. You always make me smile when my messenger pops up and I read, ‘KARRRIIII??’ I always know exactly what you want, my fellow cover obsessed friend. I have spent many hours searching through stock photos because of you but the much needed writing breaks were welcomed, even if it was midnight. Thanks for everything lady! <3
Lara Petterson—you started out as hot quote girl and evolved into a wonderful friend. Thanks for the support and encouragement you have given me. It is truly appreciated.
Cami Davis—my sister from another mister! You are one of my oldest friends and I love you to death. Thank you for all the praises and wonderful comments about this book. You are one of my biggest cheerleaders and I love you and your family immensely.
To all the amazing blogs out there that helped spread my author page or shared my teasers—THANK YOU! Without you, indie authors wouldn’t get nearly as many readers and fans. Your hard work and dedication is astonishing. An extra special thanks to the following blogs for going the extra mile to support me!
Connect with Kari March
www.facebook.com/karimarchauthor
[email protected]
twitter handle - @kmarch23
Watch for Cam and Cara’s story,
Always Yours
Coming later in 2014!