New Beginnings
Page 23
“You’re all sweaty and you kinda smell.”
“But you love me anyway.” He sighs contentedly before smiling at me broadly. Seth’s happy face is a look of which I will never tire.
“Yes, well, we’ve established that.” I smile back and then I finally ask, “What now?”
“I take a shower?” he asks, playing absently with my fingers while smiling down at me.
“No, I meant-”
“I know what you meant. My job will be completed soon. The lease on my crappy apartment is almost up. Tell me to stay and I will. I go where you go.”
“No.” I shake my head against the pillow and swallow hard. “I can’t tell you to stay here.”
“You can.”
“You want to go back to Melbourne. You miss your friends and family and I-”
“I’d miss you more. I want to be where you are.”
He confirms his feelings with another kiss and of course I kiss him back. It’s slow and tender. A kiss full of promise. The seal of our relationship showing us both we’re in this for the long haul. When he breaks from my lips, he looks down on me with such love that I feel fresh happy tears sting my eyes. I shove him away as a distraction to hold the waterworks at bay.
“You still need a shower. You stink.”
“That’s ‘cause I ran here from The Frog.” He climbs from my body and instantly leaves me feeling bereft.
“You didn’t!”
“Yeah, I did. Well most of it,” he admits from where he sits on the edge of the bed. “I couldn’t get to you fast enough. I don’t want to be without you again, Bianca. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He brushes the side of my face with his fingertips before leaning in for another soft kiss.
“I’m going to have that shower.” Before he gets a chance to move I grab hold of his shoulders.
“I’m coming with you.”
“Good idea. Let’s get soapy and wet together.”
“No. Not the shower.” I stop him from trying to pull me from the bed. “To Melbourne.”
“What?” He looks winded. His eyes are full of hope and I know, I feel it in my gut, that I’m making the absolute right decision.
“I want to move to Melbourne with you.”
“Really?” His eyes search mine and I hope he can see the love that I see in his eyes reflected back at him. “You’d do that? Are you absolutely sure?”
“I am. I have a confession though. It’s not all about you. I may have fallen a little bit in love with your family.” His answering smile is breathtaking. “Mum and I are never going to be close, whether we live in the same state or not. I don’t have much else keeping me here and I can see us having a future down south.”
“What about Scar? I know she’s like family to you.”
“Oh, that’s right, you haven’t heard. Scar’s pregnant!”
“What? That’s fantastic!”
“I know. I’m so happy for her and Ben, they deserve this.”
“Wait. Won’t you want to be here for that?”
“Here’s the thing. She wants to sell the café and move closer to her family. Who happen to live in Healesville. I looked it up. It’s only about an hour from your parents’ house.”
“Oh, so moving to Melbourne isn’t really about me at all,” he teases. Then it’s my turn to press my fingers to his lips to stop him from talking.
“I made my decision before she told me any of that Seth. Because I can’t bear the thought of being apart from you. I love you.” Then I repeat his words to me, “I go where you go.”
He stares at me for a moment more before his arms come around my naked body and he lifts me off the bed with a tight squeeze of a hug. My arms go around his neck, my legs around his waist and I squeal with delight.
This is it! This is where my life really begins!
Seth
We’re both fresh from our shower and getting dressed in her room. I’ve only got as far as a pair of shorts and Bianca only her underwear, when she throws another curve ball at me.
“When Nan’s house sells I’ll have enough money to buy us a home, Seth,” Bianca says. “And when you marry me it will be all ours.” She stands with her hands on her hips, inviting a challenge or a retort of some kind.
“Marriage? What?”
“Not straight away.” She tugs on my hands and we both collapse to sit on the edge of the bed. “I’m not crazy like you! You should never have asked me when you did or the way that you did. But I forgive you,” she adds cheekily. “You can try again in a few months, or a year. I’m sure I’ll have a different answer.”
“I see,” I tease her, pulling her onto my lap. “You have it all figured out.”
“I do. I even know the perfect place for an intimate and romantic wedding.”
“The cottage we stayed at?”
“How did you know?” she asks, pretending to be shocked.
“Because I was thinking the exact same thing.” I tug her body closer. “I love how in sync we are.”
“So what else am I thinking?”
“Let me see.” I brush the hair from her eyes and hope like hell I’ve got this one right, too. “You want three kids.”
“Four.” God, this girl makes me so happy. Happier than I ever imagined.
“Let’s start trying now,” I say with a raised brow.
“For babies?” Her eyes light up. “I can’t wait to be impregnated with your seed, Seth. But a wise woman named Beck advised me to wait until after the wedding. Pregnancy and honeymoons are not a good mix apparently.” She screws up her face in an adorable way.
“That is a valid point. I am looking forward to lots and lots of practising. And we do have a big move ahead of us, I expect you to do all the heavy lifting.”
“And I want to travel,” she says, ignoring my comments. “I think we should go overseas for our honeymoon.”
“I like that idea.”
“Seth?”
“Yeah,” I mumble into her neck, before nipping her.
“We’re going to be perfect.”
“Better believe it,” I whisper.
I pull back to look at her, really look at her. Her bright blue eyes full of love and desire, the soft sprinkling of freckles over the bridge of her nose, her perfectly shaped lips and silky hair that I hope our kids inherit, and I feel on top of the freaking world.
“I will love you until the last breath leaves my body,” I whisper.
Her answering smile makes my heart beat faster. Then she adorably crinkles her brow. “Wait a minute. That seems familiar.”
“I may have stolen it from a TV show,” I admit sheepishly.
“I knew it!”
“It doesn’t make the statement any less true. I will love you forever, I promise.” She leans in and presses a tender kiss to my lips.
“That was truly beautiful.”
“So did I melt your heart and your knickers?”
She laughs loudly, giving me a smack across the chest. “Where did you steal that line from?”
“I’ll never tell.”
EPILOGUE
Seth
“That’s not right!” I yell over the music blaring from the car stereo.
“What?” Bianca asks, adjusting the volume so she can hear me.
“You’re singing it all wrong.”
“Am not!” she argues. “Here, I’ll prove it to you.” She lifts my phone from the centre console and starts typing away. Minutes later she’s sheepishly putting the phone back without saying a word. I can’t help but laugh. “Don’t you dare say ‘I told you so’ or I’ll … I’ll … I’ll withhold sex!”
That only makes me laugh harder. Bianca threatening to withhold sex is about as realistic as her threatening to stop breathing; not gonna happen. Especially now that she’s six months’ pregnant. Pregnant B equals all kinds of horny. And I thought Honeymoon B was insatiable!
“Shut up Nerd Boy.” She tries, and fails, to bite back a smile. While I continue to dr
ive down the highway I watch her from the corner of my eye. She folds her arms to rest on top of her large belly and sighs happily while looking out the passenger window. She’s so damn beautiful. “Can’t believe Ryder’s turning one already,” she says. “Where does the time go?”
“Before you know it this one will be here.” I pat her stomach and get a kick from within. “Woah! Someone’s feisty today.”
“Tell me about it. No wonder I feel so tired. How am I supposed to sleep well with this one moving so much?”
“Ahem. I don’t think the baby is the only reason we didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“No. I guess you’re right.” She turns to give me a huge grin before placing her hand on my thigh. I give her a look that’s supposed to warn her off, but it does nothing to deter her hand from sliding higher.
“Seriously B? We’re almost there. Don’t do this to me.” The feel of her hand, combined with thoughts of last night, have me urgently pushing her hand away. “Cut it out. I don’t need to be greeting my nephew with a boner.”
She huffs and pulls her hand away as I turn the last corner and then pull into Scar and Ben’s driveway. I’m about to shut the engine off when she stops me.
“Wait. I want to hear the end of the song.”
I sigh but do as I’m told and wait. The song on the radio is her favourite right now, even if she gets the words wrong. Though why it’s necessary to hear the end of it when we have the entire album on repeat so often at home, I don’t know.
“That was the number one new hit ‘This is Real’ by DJ Stozie,” the voice on the radio says. “Rumour has it that he’s honeymooning somewhere in the Greek Islands with his long-time girlfriend, slash new bride, artist Emma Taylor.”
I shut the engine off there. It’s nothing we haven’t heard before. No matter how hard Nick tries to keep Emma and his life out of the news, someone seems to always find a way to report what he’s up to. He is a high profile musician after all. I haven’t heard from Emma since Bianca and I bumped into her that one time, so she’s nothing but a distant memory to me now. Except for moments like these, I guess.
“The Greek Islands, ahh…” Bianca wiggles her eyebrows at me. “Remember when we-”
I press a finger to her mouth. “Yes, I know what you’re going to say but please don’t. Just the thought alone is doing things it shouldn’t.” I nod to my crotch, then at Ben who is walking towards us with Ryder in his arms. “We have to get out of the car.”
“Our honeymoon was the best,” she muses with a dreamy look in her eye.
It was the best.
After my job with KR ended, we left Sydney for Melbourne, but it wasn’t long until we headed back that way with friends and family to get married at ‘our cottage’. Bianca’s grandmother’s house was sold by then and it paid for the wedding, the two month-long honeymoon travelling through Europe, and the deposit on our house. Which is conveniently situated about halfway between my parents’ house and Scar and Ben’s.
Scar and Bianca are looking to buy a local café in the future but for now they’re both more than happy to play mum. With our first baby on the way soon I’m more than happy to keep B at home, too. It’s not like we need the money. We’re blessed not to have an overly large mortgage, thanks to B’s Nan, and I’m doing okay financially, working as an independent computer programmer. I get to set my own hours and I work from home when I’m able.
As we climb from the car another pulls in behind us.
“Who invited this riff-raff?” I call out in greeting when Johnno gets out of his car. “Shit, what’s it been?”
“About eight months since I’ve spotted your pansy arse, I reckon,” he says, walking up to us and slapping me on the back. “Couldn’t miss my godson’s birthday now could I?”
“Johnno!” Bianca launches herself into his arms. “It’s so good to see you!”
“Likewise sweetheart.” He pecks her cheek then leans back to take her in. “Last time I saw you, you were the blushing bride all dressed in white. Looks like you’ve been busy since. I take it the honeymoon period is over now.” He motions to B’s engorged belly. She glances at me with a cheeky sparkle in her eye. Nope, definitely not over. I catch Johnno’s eyes trained on my wife’s breasts, which are spilling out of her low cut top, and I’m not at all surprised by what comes out of his mouth next. “You should put those things away. You’re gonna give an old man a heart attack.”
“Johnno!” Bianca slaps him in the chest, then walks away shaking her head. “Some things never change.”
We all head up the steep incline towards the house. Within seconds B is lifting Ryder from his Dad’s arms and cooing at him. I greet Ben and follow them into the house where Scar is standing in the doorway with her hand on her small bump; she’s about four months pregnant with their second child.
Bianca is still softly singing the tune we heard in the car as she carries Ryder down the hall. And she’s still singing it wrong, but I don’t care. Bianca singing still equals happiness to me.
Scrap that.
Bianca equals happiness.
The End
Author Stalk
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Other titles by Megan Keith
Finding My Way Series
1. Finding My Way
2. Crossroads
Eraser Series
1. Eraser
2. Eraser Blue
3. Eraser Lilac
4. Eraser Crimson
5. Eraser Amber
6. Eraser Platinum
Stand Alone Novels
How to Liv
Xander & Tilly (coming soon)
Acknowledgments
This last book in the Finding My Way series was probably the hardest for me to write and it definitely took the longest! I feel I did Seth justice in the end though, and I’m so glad he’s finally got his happily ever after! I hope you, too, are pleased with the way it played out.
I have so many people to thank but I’m going to keep this short and to the most important ones - To my family, who put up with a messy house, late dinners and getting ignored while I tap away on the keys. Love you all!
Renee, thank you for deciding to give this little Aussie a go by reading my first three books. It was one of the best thing that could have happened for me. Since then, you have become an integral part of this whole writing process; from sounding board to editor of the finish product. It just wouldn’t have be the same without you. I appreciate all the time you have sacrificed, and all the heart you’ve put into my work, but most of all I appreciate your friendship. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
To April who makes me laugh on a daily basis. Thank you for picking up my first book and then messaging me about it. Thanks for bombarding me with books you demand I read, for your friendship and your support. Love ya you little book nerd! One day we will find a way to meet for reallzzz.
Tami, thank you for your friendship, help, guidance, opinions, all the laughs, beta reading and just … everything! You’re one of the nicest people I have ever met.
Tash, thanks for being there from the very start and for beta reading this whole series. It’s about time Seth got his turn, huh?
Carrie, thanks for putting in the time to beta read this and for finding the typos the rest of us missed!
Thank you to Megan’s Minions, a great team of lovely women who support me. And to all the bloggers that do the same!
Also, thanks to the readers who patiently waited for this final book in the series. Sorry it took so long!
Contents
New Beginnings
PROLOGUE Seth<
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1. Seth Two weeks earlier
2. Bianca
3. Seth
4. Bianca
5. Seth
6. Bianca
7. Seth
8. Bianca
9. Seth
10. Bianca
11. Seth
12. Bianca
13. Seth
14. Bianca
15. Seth
16. Bianca
17. Seth
18. Bianca
19. Seth
20. Bianca
21. Seth
22. Bianca
23. Seth
24. Bianca
25. Seth
26. Bianca
27. Seth
28. Bianca
29. Seth
30. Bianca
31. Seth
32. Bianca
33. Seth
34. Bianca
35. Seth
36. Bianca
37. Seth
38. Bianca
39. Seth
40. Bianca
41. Seth
42. Bianca
43. Seth
44. Bianca
45. Seth
46. Bianca
47. Seth
48. Bianca
49. Seth
50. Bianca
51. Seth
52. Bianca
53. Seth
54. Bianca
55. Seth
56. Bianca
57. Seth
58. Bianca
59. Seth
60. Bianca
61. Seth
62. Bianca
63. Seth
64. Bianca
65. Seth
66. Bianca
67. Seth
68. Bianca
69. Seth
70. Bianca
71. Seth
72. Bianca
73. Seth
74. Bianca
75. Seth
76. Bianca
77. Seth
78. Bianca
79. Seth
80. Bianca
81. Seth
EPILOGUE Seth
Author Info
Other titles by Megan Keith