by Donna Alward
Within moments he stood before her in cotton boxers, while she wore nothing but a pair of cotton bikini panties.
He took two steps and had her in his arms again, his hands roaming over her skin. “I love you, Shan. We wasted so much time…”
“Then don’t waste any more,” she whispered, running a hand over his chest. “Make love to me, Jonas. Please. I’ve been dying for this for weeks.”
A slow grin crawled up his cheek. “Weeks, huh?”
She nodded. “Years.”
Things moved faster after that. He laid her on the bed and made short work of her underwear, then teased her into a haze of pleasure with his mouth and hands. Just when she thought she might combust, he pulled away, and stripped off his boxers.
Everything tightened in anticipation.
When he slid inside her, her breath stopped for a moment as their gazes met, caught, and her heart overflowed with emotion. He was here. Her Jonas. He wasn’t leaving again. He loved her. And it was real, so real.
He lowered his head, kissing her slowly, tenderly, as he started to move. She lost herself in the sensations, unable to think. She could only feel, and the pressure built inside again, upward to the peak until the orgasm hit, fast and all-consuming. A cry erupted from her lips, which only seemed to spur him on, and he followed her over the precipice only moments later, saying her name on a gasp and a sigh.
She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t. But she felt it. It was…fulfilment. Completeness. Happiness.
When he slid out of her body she instantly missed him, but she cuddled up next to him on the bed, their sweat-slicked bodies cooling by the breeze from the ceiling fan. He chuckled, down low, and she responded the same way, and before long they were laughing together.
“We were idiots,” he said, echoing her thoughts. “We wasted so much time.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she replied, squeezing his ribs. “We’re here now. We got here in the end.”
“It was better than I remembered.”
She smiled against his shoulder. “Like riding a bike.”
He rolled over then, and his eyes and lips sobered into a more serious expression. “Shan, I still have work to do. I’ll be in therapy for a while. I’m still going to struggle.”
“I know that.”
“But I’m going to do it. Because I’m not going to let you down again. Not your or Emma.”
“I know that, too.” She reached up and touched his cheek. “I trust you, Jonas. I’m done being afraid. Loving you means trusting you. Faith, not fear,” she whispered.
He leaned forward and kissed her lightly; a confirmation.
“Hey, Shan?”
“Hmmm?”
“Can we tell Emma?”
“Tonight?”
“Tonight.”
She imagined telling her daughter—their daughter—that she and Jonas were getting married. Emma would be thrilled. She would want to be the flower girl. That was just fine with Shannyn.
“Pack a bag, soldier,” she suggested. “We can tell Emma and you can stay the night.” As far as she was concerned, he could stay all the nights from now on.
Because if they were going to be a family, it only made sense to get started as soon as possible.
Epilogue
They picked up Emma at Patty’s and headed home. Jonas listened to his daughter chatter about chicken nuggets and fries and how they’d gone home and roasted marshmallows at Lisa’s firepit. She had the sticky fingers to show for it. Jonas was completely under her spell. His daughter was a miracle, and it was all because of Shannyn. She was a hell of a mother.
And now she would be his wife.
“Hey Emma, your mum and I want to talk to you about something. Sit with us on the sofa for a minute?”
“Okay, Daddy.” She reached up for his hand. “Can I sit in the middle?”
“Of course.”
He remembered that first day when she’d called him Daddy, and the word had filled him with panic and fear. Now it was the sweetest word in the world.
He looked over at Shannyn. She looked happy, too. And without the pinched look around her eyes she’d had so often. He’d put her through so much, but no more. They’d face the future with open communication and love. He was done holding things in where they festered.
“Honey, your daddy and I had a big talk tonight,” Shannyn said. She was looking at Emma, but she reached over and took Jonas’s hand. “And we decided that we would like to get married.”
Emma’s eyes got wide and she looked from Shannyn to Jonas. “You mean you would be here all the time, Daddy?”
He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “That’s right, sugar. I love your mommy. And she loves me, too. Would that be okay with you?”
She nodded, her dark curls bouncing. “Yes, but now I have to think of something else for my letter.”
Jonas frowned. “Your letter?”
She nodded, an adorable smile on her lips. “My letter to Santa! Last year I asked him for a daddy, and he was late but you came anyway. This year I was going to ask him to make you live here all the time, but now I’ll have to think of something else. Santa is an overa…overa…”
Shannyn snorted. “An overachiever?”
“Yes!” Emma popped up onto her feet. “Mama! Did Daddy give you a ring and everything?”
He looked into Shannyn’s eyes and felt like a giant.
“He did.” She held out her hand.
“Oh, Mama. That’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful,” Jonas said. “But it’s getting late. I think it’s pajama time.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back.”
“Wash your face!” Shannyn called after her.
When she was gone, Jonas reached out a hand and pulled Shannyn closer. “She is such a treasure,” he whispered holding the woman he loved close in his arms. “Thank you for giving her to me.”
Shannyn turned her gorgeous eyes up to his. “You gave her to me, too, you know.” She bit down on her lip, and looked down, but then back up again. “Did you mean what you said earlier?”
“Every word, but you might want to be more specific.”
“About a bigger family.”
“If that’s what you want.” He cupped her cheek. “I’d like to be part of it all this time around.”
“I’d like that too.” She turned her head and kissed her palm. “But you know what that means…”
He shook his head, unsure of what she was getting at.
“It’s going to require time in bed. Lots of time in bed.”
“Damn, I like the sounds of that.” He leaned forward and kissed her, until the sound of giggles reached his ears.
“You guys are kissing!”
“Save it for later?” Shannyn whispered against his lips.
“Forever,” he corrected, and for the first time in nearly two years, felt his life was truly beginning again.
THE END
Author's Note
Thanks for picking up Back in the Soldier’s Bed! This title is one that is near and dear to my heart as it’s set in my hometown of Fredericton, New Brunswick. In particular, those walks on The Green take me back to when I worked for the government downtown and used to walk that path on my lunch hour. Fredericton truly is a beautiful little city.
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About the Author
While bestselling author Donna Alward was busy studying Austen, Eliot and Shakespeare, she was also losing herse
lf in the breathtaking stories created by romance novelists like LaVyrle Spencer, Judith McNaught, and Nora Roberts. Several years after completing her degree she decided to write a romance of her own and it was true love! Five years and ten manuscripts later she sold her first book and launched a new career. While her heartwarming stories of love, hope, and homecoming have been translated into several languages, hit bestseller lists and won awards, her very favorite thing is when she hears from happy readers.
Donna lives on Canada’s east coast. When she’s not writing she enjoys reading (of course!), knitting, gardening, cooking…and is a Masterpiece Theater addict. You can visit her on the web at www.DonnaAlward.com and join her mailing list at www.DonnaAlward.com/newsletter .
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