by Sam Crescent
“I want us, Nora. I want us to be together. I want to raise our family together.” He didn’t move forward, but he held his hand out toward her stomach. “I don’t regret being with you. What I regret is waiting so long to claim you. You’ve always been mine. From the moment I first saw you, I knew, and yet you were so young, and compared to you I’m so fucking old. I shouldn’t have had the dirty thoughts that I do about you, or even wanted to start a life with you, but I do. I want it so badly. Every single day, I want it. Being with you, it was like you gave me a taster of what I could have. I want it all the time. I want to come home with you, eat dinner, watch television, talk, make love, fuck. I want to grow old, and have a family with you, kids, the entire works. That is what I want with you. I’m laying all my cards on the table.”
She wrapped her arms around herself, knowing that if he’d said this before that damn Christmas party, she would have caved. She wouldn’t have gone to her parents’, nor would she be spending most of her nights crying.
“You hurt me.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry. I will do everything I can to make it up to you.” He took a step toward her, and this time she didn’t move back.
Instead, she took a step toward him. Gripping his black shirt, she rested her head against his chest. “I’m so scared.”
“You don’t need to be scared. I’m going to be here every step of the way.” His hands surrounded her, providing her the comfort she needed.
Closing her eyes, she allowed the warmth of his embrace to enfold her. She wanted to give in, she really did. They had such a good thing going, but she was afraid to. What if they were not meant to be?
“I’m going to prove it to you.” He cupped her face, making her look at him. “I want this. Let me prove it to you, please.”
She felt even worse that he was going to try to change, and be something he wasn’t. “You don’t have to—”
“Don’t do that, Nora. Don’t give me an out. I didn’t have any right to talk to you that way, or to treat you like shit. There is no right or wrong way I should have been. That is my bad, and I’m going to make it up to you.” He pressed his lips against hers. “It’s what I’ve got to do.”
Nora saw that it meant a lot of him, and she didn’t get it. Not really. He wanted them to be together, and even though he had hurt her, it wasn’t all that bad. It wasn’t like he cheated on her, or made her do something she hated.
She had loved being with him, spending time, and getting to know the real him.
“Can I ask you a question?” she asked.
“Yes. You can ask me anything.” His thumb stroked across her cheek, and it was messing with her head right now.
“Which was real? The guy you’ve been for the past couple of weeks, or the guy that’s an asshole? I don’t know who is real, and who is not.”
“I’m real. The guy I’ve been with you. That’s real to me, okay? You and me, laughing, talking, just being together. I’ve never had that with anyone else before, and I don’t want to not have it with you. I will fight us for it. I won’t screw this up again.”
She believed him.
****
“You kept the dog?” Rex asked.
“Of course I kept the dog. Besides the fact you told me to, I wasn’t going to give him away,” Alaric said.
They were sitting in a coffee shop enjoying a freshly brewed coffee and Rex had ordered a scone. He wanted to see if they were nicer than the ones that Nora had made yesterday at the office.
“Where is the dog?” Rex asked, wrinkling his nose at the dry, stale scone. Nope, Nora had ruined his appetite for anything sweet that wasn’t made by her. He didn’t mind, it was just another thing to love about her.
“He’s at home right now.”
“So what exactly happened?” Rex asked. His best friend, Alaric, was intent on getting revenge on a rival businessman. The revenge was for Alaric to sleep with the guy’s daughter, and get her to fall in love with him. Not only did all of those things happen, but Alaric fell in love with her as well, screwing with all of his carefully ordered plans. Anyway, before Alaric could come clean and admit to it, Bella found out the truth, and in fact it was Rex that had taken her to see Alaric in his office. Good times … not. While Alaric had his drama, Rex had his own.
“So, you see that is what happened, and she’s giving me a chance. Or at least, her father is helping me to not screw up. What about you and your chubby little PA?”
“Nora’s not chubby.”
“So you do have feelings for her?” Alaric asked, taking a sip of his coffee. “I always knew you did. You were always complaining about her, but I don’t know, something didn’t seem right.”
“I love her, Alaric, and she’s pregnant with my kid.”
Alaric choked on his coffee, and started to cough. “Wait, what?”
“That’s right. I knocked up my PA at the same time you were trying to win over Bella. We both fucked up.”
“Wait, I fucked up because I lied about who I was. How did you? She knew who you were? What did you have to hide?”
“I had nothing to hide. In fact everything between the two of us was going great,” Rex said.
“What was the problem?”
“I said some things to her. I was mean, and I was angry. I was also terrified, but I didn’t realize that until much later. I said some things that I shouldn’t have.” He didn’t mention anything about her being a virgin, or that she hadn’t thought about protection. They had both made mistakes, and what surprised him was that Nora had owned up to her own. He couldn’t have her being the only adult in their relationship. He had his faults as well. He was over twenty years her senior. He should have known. The problem he had was that he finally got to claim her as his own. Nora was his weakness, and he saw that now more than ever.
That moment when he first saw her, he’d wanted her. He’d curbed that desire, and fucked out his frustration in other women. When she finally was close every single day, he hadn’t been able to handle it, lashing out at her as if it was her fault. She didn’t have a clue that he’d wanted her, or Frank’s protection of her.
“You’re going to be a dad?”
“I’m going to be a father. Kind of weird, huh? So long I’ve been alone.”
“What’s going on now between you and Nora?” Alaric asked.
“I’m making up my horrible behavior toward her. I want to prove to her that not only will I be a good husband, I will be an amazing father.”
“Husband?”
“I’m going to ask her to marry me, on Valentine’s Day.”
“Really?”
Rex nodded. “Super romantic, right?”
“Also very clichéd.”
“I want to do the whole cliché thing. I want to give Nora everything she has ever wanted. Romance, love, you name it, it’s hers.”
“Does she even love you? Has she said it?”
Rex sighed. “No. She hasn’t said it.”
“What if everything you’re doing and she doesn’t love you?” Alaric asked.
“Either way, I love her, and I’m going to prove it to her, and show her. I don’t care what she feels for me. I know what I feel for her.” And deep down, he knew she felt something for him. “I’m going to make her fall in love with me.”
“Do you even think it’s possible?” Alaric asked.
“What?”
“Getting a woman to fall in love with you.”
“It happens every single day. People fall in and out of love all the time. I’m going to make Nora fall in love with me, and stay in love with me.”
“You’re pretty determined.”
Rex glared at his friend. “What’s to say your girl doesn’t hate you?”
“Oh, she does, believe me. She loves me even more. It’s the only reason I’ve hurt her so much. She wants to hate me because she loves me so much.”
“That is twisted, messed up logic.”
“Look at us. We’re two old men sitting ar
ound talking about our much younger women and how we’re going to get us to fall in love with us. Now that is messed up. We’ve got twenty years on those two women, and yet we can’t even figure out how to win them back.”
Rex hummed as he sat back. “Well, my friend, we are in for some rocky roads that’s for sure.”
“I think you’ve got the worse deal,” Alaric said, finishing off his coffee.
“How do you figure?”
“A marriage proposal by Valentine’s Day. That’s really not going to cut it. You’ve got some serious work to do, my friend.”
Rex ignored him, finished his coffee, and wished Alaric his own good luck. “At the end of the day, I didn’t lie and pretend to be someone different.”
On the way back to the office, he stopped into the toilet to make sure he looked okay. Alaric had made him nervous. Valentine’s Day was not so long away. Buttoning up his jacket, he made his way toward his office, stopping when he saw Nora in their research section. She was standing looking through a book, and he just had to stop to admire her. Frank had decided to put her with Carl, as much as Rex fucking hated it. Carl was a loser, a waste of time, and if he so much as upset Nora, the bastard would answer to him.
Moving toward her, he placed a hand on her hip. “How are you doing today?” he asked.
“Rex?”
“What? I’m not going to pretend that we’re not a couple.”
“I’m just like all of those other women,” she said.
He rested his chin on her shoulder and shook his head. “No, you’re not. First, those women were so fucking dumb and dull that they were gone after their purpose was filled. Second, you’re still working here. And third, I’m in love with you. Actually, that should have been my first point.”
She chuckled, and turned toward him. “You keep saying that.”
“I believe it. You, Nora, are the love of my life.” He rubbed her stomach. “How is the baby?”
“We’re doing okay. I go to see the doctor next week. He will confirm and then we’ll arrange everything.” She took a deep breath. “Do you want to come?”
“I’d love to.” Even if she hadn’t invited him, he was going to invite himself. Nothing was keeping him away from Nora and his kid. He was just happy that she had invited him along. That way he doesn’t get to piss her off when he showed up.
“I’ve got to get back to work.”
“Please have dinner with me tonight?” he asked.
“Rex?”
“You’ve got to give me a chance here. You, me, and our soon to be kid, enjoying a delicious Italian meal. It will be amazing.”
She rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face was worth everything. “Fine. Dinner tonight.”
“You will not regret it.”
Rex kissed her neck and made it to his office. Sitting behind his desk, he opened up the drawer and pulled out the blue velvet box. He had so many plans for the future, and not one of them included work. They included a family, loving Nora, and bringing their beautiful kids into the world. He had wasted enough time. He wasn’t going to waste anymore.
Chapter Eleven
Over the next couple of weeks, Nora saw the Rex she had come to love. Every time he took her out on a date, which was every single night, he was charming, loving, and attentive. She got to know every single thing about him, his home life, where he grew up. The foster homes he had to deal with. That was a shock. She had placed him as the kind of guy who had the whole world at his fingertips. He wasn’t. Everything he had achieved, he had earned himself.
It was harder for her to hold him back. Frank told her that Rex had to earn back her trust. Nora was finding it harder to figure out why. Yes, he had spoken to her like crap, and yes, he had hurt her by the way he behaved, but they all had irrational moments. She certainly did.
Out of everything he had done, the thing that had scared her more was her pregnancy. She had been so stupid to think he was using condoms. The moment he had touched her all logical thought fled her. She had wanted his hands, his lips, and his cock.
“Nora, focus, I’m trying to talk to you,” Carl said, drawing her out of her own thoughts.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“Maybe you should go home, or better yet, go back to Rex. You worked fine then, but I guess you were getting his dick so maybe that’s how you work. Got to give you something to get something!”
Nora was shocked by his words. They were crude, vulgar, and horrible. Rex had been right about Carl. He was only humble when he was on a losing streak.
Snapping the book closed, she threw it at Carl. Her anger was so strong. This asshole had only won that stupid case because she had given him the damn means to, and Rex was right. Carl hadn’t give her the credit at all. “You know what, Carl? You’re right. I should be with Rex, and you know why? He deserves me. You, on the other hand, deserve to lose. You deserve to fail because you don’t know how to be a decent man.”
She turned on her heel and stopped when she saw Rex there. He started clapping his hands.
Her cheeks heated in delight at his approval.
“You talk to her like that again, Carl, and I’ll have your career. Just try it.”
Nora left Carl’s office, and followed Rex into his, not that she had a choice. He led her by the hand into his office.
“You okay?” he asked, closing the door behind her.
“You were right about Carl. I can’t believe I fell for his good boy act.”
“That’s all it has ever been, an act.”
She shook her head. “It just sucks that’s all. I helped him thinking he needed a break, and I was the one that ended up the loser.” She placed a hand on her head, feeling a dull ache begin to start. “I don’t suppose you’re looking for another assistant?”
“Yep. I’ve not even arranged for a temporary one.”
“You’ve been doing all of this by yourself?” she asked, amazed that he even knew how.
“Of course. It helped that I had a pretty awesome PA that I love more than anything. She was amazing, and made sure that I wouldn’t be alone.”
Nora smiled at him. It warmed her from the inside out whenever he told her that he loved her.
You’ve not said anything to him.
Staring down at the floor, her heart was pounding. Finally, she glanced up. “I want you to know that … I do love you. I know I’ve not really said it, and all. I’ve been kind of scared of giving in. I guess I’ve been really nervous.” Tears filled her eyes. Damn hormones. “I didn’t want you to not know that I do have feelings for you, and I’m not as cold and as unfeeling as I sometimes come across.”
Rex closed the distance between them, cupped her face, tilted her head back, and slammed his lips down on hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in close.
He released her face to grab her hips.
Melting against him, Nora felt like the past few weeks had faded into nothing. The only man she ever wanted was Rex. Even with his asshole ways and domineering behavior, he belonged to her, and she got that now.
Pulling away from the kiss, she rested her head against his. “I can only ask you one thing, Rex.”
“What is it?” he asked. “Tell me what you want and I will do everything I can to give it to you.” His breath fanned her face, making her smile.
“Don’t hurt me.”
“I never would, baby.”
“Don’t break my heart.”
“It won’t happen. I’m going to take care of you for the rest of our lives.” He gripped her chin, tilting her head back. “I mean every single word I say. I love you, Nora. I’ve loved you for a long time, and I didn’t even know it. I hope you can forgive me for being such a horrible asshole.”
She chuckled. “I’m used to your asshole behavior.”
“Just one second,” he said, moving toward his desk. Seconds later he was back in front of her. He held a velvet box in his hands, and the sight made her heart start to pound.
; “What is this?”
“A future I was hoping you’d want to be part of.”
“What do you mean?”
“I love you, Nora. I want to be a husband to you, and I want to be the perfect father. I can’t promise I won’t be an asshole. I’m forty-eight years old. It’s next to impossible for me not to be an asshole. I’m kind of set in my ways, but with you, I want to change.”
The tears that had filled her eyes started to tumble down her face.
“Marry me, Nora.”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation. Throwing her arms around his neck, she pressed her lips against his, chuckling. “I hope you’re ready for this,” she said, breaking from the kiss that he had landed on her lips.
“What do you mean?”
“I want a big family, Rex. A huge one. Lots of kids, pets, you name it.”
“Where have you been all my life? That’s exactly what I want.”
She giggled, and he held her hand, sliding the ring on her finger. Nora knew deep in her heart that this was going to work. She didn’t know why she knew or even how, only that she believed so much in the two of them.
****
One month later
Rex had sat through exams of all kinds but never had he been so nervous as waiting beside Nora as the doctor pressed that scanner thing to her stomach. The moment he heard his baby’s heartbeat, he fell in love. There was nothing to describe how damn protective he became.
Nora held onto his hands, squeezing to the point of pain.
“There you go. I can tell you hear that. Your baby has a very healthy heartbeat,” the doctor said.
“Do you hear that?” Nora asked.
“I hear it.” He was never going to forget that sound. Tears sprang to his eyes.
“Is our baby healthy? Does everything look and sound good?” Nora asked.
The doctor was silent for several moments. “Looks to me like you’re going to have a healthy baby. We’ll keep a check on things as you progress, and obviously you’re struggling with the morning sickness.”
“It’s bad, but I don’t mind.” Nora pushed some of her hair off her face.
“If the dry toast doesn’t work, and you find it getting worse, please call me.”