by Soraya Lane
“You do?”
“I do,” he said with a laugh. “It doesn’t change the fact that I’m scared as hell of being with you, but I do love you.” Jack paused, his voice turning husky as he slid one hand down to touch her belly, fingers pressing gently against her. “And I know I’ll love this baby just as much.”
“Jack, I don’t want you to…”
“What?” he interrupted. “Love you?”
She sighed. “Feel you have to tell me this.”
Jack wasn’t deterred. He raised her left hand and gently slid the ring into place on her finger, his eyes never leaving hers, even when he raised her hand and dropped a kiss to her skin.
“I thought you’d know by know that I’m a stubborn bastard. I only say things when I mean them, and for the record?” He shook his head before moving closer, so their bodies were pressed together tight. “I’ve never told a woman I loved her before.”
Maddison grinned, nerves mixing with anticipation. “Never?”
“Not even to get her into bed,” he said, grinning when she thumped him on the arm. “You,” he continued, pinning her arms down and trailing barely-there kisses across her jaw, “are the one I’ve been waiting to tell.”
“Oh yeah?” she managed, sucking in a sharp burst of air when he nipped at her skin, before trailing his way to her lips and placing a feather-light kiss to her mouth.
“Yeah.”
Jack cradled her head, held her so gently it was like all the bones in her body melted, leaving her supple and liquid beneath his touch.
“You do realize that someone could be watching us, right?” he muttered.
Maddison forced her eyelids open to find herself staring straight into Jack’s eyes.
“So will you marry me?”
She blinked, trying to find her words. “Are you sure?” She had to ask.
Jack dropped another kiss to her mouth almost before she finished her question.
“Maddison Jones, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” He grinned. “And just to clarify, there will be nothing convenient about our marriage.”
Jack waggled his eyebrows and made her laugh, sending her from tears to happiness quicker than she could respond to him.
“I want you to be my friend, my wife, my lover and the mother of my children,” he was holding her hands again. “Screw being scared, Maddison. Because I’ve made myself a promise that I never plan to break. I’ll never be the dad my father became. You helped me to realize that.”
“I did?”
“Yeah, you did.”
Silence stretched between them. But it was comfortable, easy.
“Well, if that’s the case, I guess I’ll have to say yes. Given that I’m knocked up and all.”
Jack’s eyes glinted mischieviously. “You’re lucky you are knocked up, otherwise I’d throw you over my shoulder and manhandle you back to my place.”
She grinned. “Maybe you won’t have to kidnap me.”
He stood and pulled her to her feet. “Why?”
“Because I’ve already said yes, haven’t I?”
“About that trip to my place…”
He winked at her, giving her a second’s head start back to his car. And she ran like her life depended on it.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
JACK hadn’t felt so relaxed in as long as he could remember. When they’d been together last time, it had been lust. Sure, he’d always cared about Maddison, but they’d been flirting, drinking, teasing and they’d had sex. Now? Now he was ready to admit that the woman in his arms was the woman he loved.
She was lying back on his bed, sunlight streaming in and bathing the bed, and there was nothing rushed about what they were doing.
“You feeling guilty about taking the day off work?”
He laughed, covered her body with his, nibbling at her ear to make her giggle back at him. “Not a bit.”
She let out a low moan as he kissed her, slowly moving his lips against hers, tasting her, tangling his tongue against hers. She pressed her breasts harder against his chest, arms looped around his back, but he wasn’t going to hurry. Not this time. Unless…
“Are you sure we can’t hurt the baby?”
That made her laugh. She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back, shaking her head. “You’re so big that you think you’re gonna bump into a baby the size of a peanut?”
He pushed her right back, taking her hands and pinning them above her head. “Don’t get smart with me, Maddie.”
His growl didn’t scare her, only made her laugh some more. “You doing that was what got us in trouble last time.”
Jack loosened his hold, so she could pull away if she wanted to, before turning his attention back to her neck, to the little hollow there that made her arch her back when he kissed and sucked.
“Jack?”
He didn’t stop, but he did move his mouth, finding hers again and kissing her, forcing himself not to just strip her bare and have his way with her when she started to grind against him, mouth wet and hot against his.
“You know how hard you make it for a guy to go slow?” he muttered.
She yanked her wrists out of his hands and wriggled down lower, grabbing hold of his belt before he could stop her, unzipping his pants.
“You ever consider that maybe I don’t want to take it slow?”
He rose up to his knees, letting her push down his pants and force his T-shirt up and over his head.
If she didn’t want slow, then he wasn’t going to argue.
“Are we going to have a problem over who wears the pants in this marriage?”
She smiled, a wicked glint in her eyes. “Honey, I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m the only one wearing pants right now.”
Her drawl made him pounce on her, straddling her so he could pin her in place, holding her with his thighs and leaning back to get her jeans off.
“We’ll see about that.”
Jack kept hold of her as he kissed down her neck, licked a path all the way to the top of her bra, flicking his tongue down into the lace to connect with her nipple. Her moan told him she didn’t want him to stop, and he loosened his hold so she could arch her back, letting him reach around to unclasp her bra and cast it aside.
He looked down at her breasts, full and luscious, before covering them with his hands. Cupping them then dipping his head again, sucking on her nipple this time as his fingers claimed ownership of her other.
“You’re wicked, Jack,” she murmured, reaching for his head to yank him back up, to kiss him on the lips. Her mouth was warm, moist.
He groaned as she tried to yank his boxers off. “You don’t want to do that. Not if you want me to take it slow.”
“You’re the one talking about slow, Jack,” she whispered as he slid them off.
Slow was most definitely out of the question now.
Maddison tucked her body closer to Jack’s. They’d been in bed all afternoon, and she was feeling so relaxed her bones may as well have been melted.
“I can’t believe we’re getting married. For real.”
He had his eyes shut, she was watching him from her side as he lay back against the pillow.
“I can’t believe we’re going to be parents.”
Part of her stiffened, knowing how much he’d resisted the idea, but his sexy smile told her she had nothing to worry about. That he’d come to terms with it on his own, knew what he was getting himself in for. This wasn’t something she’d talked him into, it was a decision he’d made himself.
“All my life, I’ve been so determined never to get married, never to have children. I know it seemed stupid, but I don’t know if even you knew how bad it was. With dad.”
She dropped a kiss to his cheek before placing her own cheek over his bare chest, listening to his heartbeat. “You can’t let him stop you from living your life, Jack. I meant it when I said you were nothing like him. Nothing.”
“I just didn’t want to hurt anyone like he’d hu
rt me. And I still don’t.” His chest rose then fell. “You’re the only one who’s ever made me realize that because of him it would be impossible for me to make the same mistake.”
She smiled. “Yeah, and the fact that my family would kick your ass if you ever treated our child like your dad treated you guys.”
“Yeah, there is that.”
Jack put his arms around her and pulled her upright with him, moved her until she was sitting between his legs. He held her tight, face to face, nose to nose. “I love you, Maddison. You know that, right?”
For the first time in her life, she did know. That the man telling her how he felt meant every word of it. “I love you too, Jack.”
She leaned a little so she could kiss him, slow, never wanting her lips to leave his.
“And I love our little peanut, too.” He pried his lips from hers as he murmured, placing one hand against her still-flat belly. “I promise to love you, little peanut, every single day of your life.”
Maddison put her palm over Jack’s. “We’re gonna be fine, Jack. The three of us.”
He kissed her again. “I’ve got you, a baby on the way, and the ranch. Of course we’re gonna be fine.”
She grinned, lips connected to his again.
“Oh, there is one thing though.”
He looked sheepish. Maddison groaned. “Something I should have known before I said yes to marrying you?”
“Scott,” he said. “He’s coming back to the ranch. But we can kick him out into the guest quarters.”
“And here I was thinking I only had to contend with one Gregory for the rest of my life.”
He lay back, eyes shut. Like a lion after a massive feed, basking in the sun.
“But while we’re making compromises,” she said, leaning over him, hair falling across his shoulder.
He groaned. “There’s worse than just my brother to deal with? We’re not going to have your brother living here too, are we?”
She tried to keep a serious look on her face and failed. “My job,” Maddison started.
“You need me to put a hit out on your ex-boss?” he asked, eyes popping open.
“Jack, seriously,” she said, stroking the side of his face. “I can’t just live here and do nothing. I mean, I want to be a mom, but I need to work too. Even if it’s freelance event planning or something else in the industry, online even, I need to do something.”
He leaned up to kiss her. “Baby, I’ve known you all my life. I wasn’t expecting for a second than you’d be bare foot and pregnant on the ranch full time.”
She grinned. “That’s why I love you. You know that, right?”
“You love me?” Jack pretended to be shocked.
“Yes, you idiot. I love you.” She put her arms around him, nose-to-nose, mouth almost touching his. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” Maddison whispered.
“And I love you, Maddison. More than I’ll probably ever be able to tell you. Always have.”
EPILOGUE
SUN shone into the bedroom, creating pools of bright light across the carpet. Maddison couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she stared down from her old room at all the people standing around talking on the lawn. It was still hot, the air blowing through the window telling her how badly they all needed the chilled champagne they were sipping.
She was looking for her sisters, waiting for them to come back, to quell her nerves. To tell her that the flutter in her belly was probably more from the baby she was carrying than nerves. Because she was marrying Jack, which meant there was nothing to worry about.
Unless he didn’t turn up.
Maddison took a deep breath, jumping when a knock echoed on the door.
“Come in,” she called out, catching a glimpse of her reflection when she turned. It looked like her and yet it didn’t. Her hair pinned back in a soft chignon at the base of her neck, ready to pin her veil on, dress smooth and silky, clinging to her body and showing off the gentle curve of her belly.
“Hey beautiful.”
The deep, husky note of Jack’s voice sent shivers through her body. She’d expected it to be one of her sisters, or her mom.
“Jack!” she scolded. “You’re not supposed to see me until the ceremony.”
He crossed the room in a few strides, his long legs eating up the carpet. She didn’t have a hope of staying out of his way, of telling him to go back downstairs and wait for, and she didn’t want to anyway.
Jack took her hands in his, shaking his head like he didn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Technically I shouldn’t be wearing white,” she told him, drawing his hands closer to her bump, “but I figure it’s the only wedding I’ll ever have, so why not wear the color I want to. Right?”
“Damn right,” he muttered, pushing back out slightly so he could hold one hand higher and spin her in a little circle.
“You’re beautiful, Maddie. Absolutely, insanely beautiful.”
She let him pull her back in, this time landing firm against his chest. “You don’t scrub up so bad yourself, cowboy.” He was wearing a tux, complete with crisp white shirt and classic black bowtie. “Who tied this for you?”
He grinned. “Your mom.”
Maddison laughed. “You seriously asked my mom to tie this for you?”
“No, I’m lying. I wear them so often that I can tie them with my eyes shut,” he grumbled. “Come here.”
Maddison didn’t need encouragement. She let him hold her, cheek to his jacket. “You know I’m probably getting make-up all over you, right?
She could hear the laughter rumble in his chest. “You think that’s something I’d care about?”
“Not usually, but maybe today.”
“Just gives me a good excuse to take this jacket off. It’s seriously warm out there.”
Maddison shut her eyes, listening to the music as the jazz band started to play. This was it. In a few minutes, she was going to have to put on her veil and walk out that door, past all the people gathered in her parents’ garden.
“Thank you for letting me do all this,” she said, sighing as she gave him one last squeeze before stepping back.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
His face was serious, but she knew he was making fun of her.
“Be honest, if you’d been in charge all the guys would have been in jeans, the food would have been fried and you definitely wouldn’t have written your own vows. Hell, we’d probably be eating tater tots.”
Jack raised his eyebrows. “I was meant to write my own vows?”
She punched his arm, trying hard not to laugh. “There is only one thing that could make me call this wedding off, and that would be if you didn’t write vows.”
He grabbed hold of her again, stealing a kiss. Jack had hold of her wrists, wasn’t going to let her away. His lips were still hovering over hers.
“Does it matter if your sister wrote them for me?”
“Jack!”
“Kidding,” he said, letting go of her and holding up his hands. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
She walked to the dresser and touched up her lipstick, trying not to smile as he sidled up behind her, arms looping around her waist. Maddison ignored him when he winked at her in the mirror.
“I want you to have the wedding you’ve always wanted, Maddie. So if that means a fancy garden get-together, with me in a penguin suit and hanging candles everywhere, then that’s what we’re having.”
His voice was deeper than usual, husky, his eyes dark in the reflection.
“Don’t forget the paper lanterns,” she teased. “Or the jazz quartet.”
He shook his head. “Believe me, I haven’t forgotten.”
“Jack Gregory, get out of there right now!”
Maddison was laughing so hard she couldn’t even help Jack as Amanda stormed into the room and manhandled him to the door. She was her smallest sister, but she was like a ball of fire once she set her mind to something, an
d Jack went like a housetrained pet.
“See you down there,” he called out, blowing her a kiss just before Amanda shut the door behind him.
“You didn’t have to be quite so dramatic,” Maddison told her, fiddling with her veil.
Amanda took it from her and pushed her by her shoulders down to the seat. “He’s got you for the rest of your life, but until you’re standing down there across from him, you’re still mine.”
Maddison placed her hand over her sister’s, staring at her in the mirror now.
“Thank you.”
Her sister smiled, but Maddison could tell from her furious blinking that she was fighting back tears.
“Well, a guy like Jack Gregory goes and gets you knocked up, it’s the least I can do to make you beautiful for your big day.”
Maddison touched the corner of her eye with a tissue, trying to blot the moisture away without ruining her make-up.
“You know I’m kidding, right?” Amanda had a hand on each of Maddison’s shoulders again, her smile making it even harder not to cry.
“I know.”
“I can’t wait to be an aunt, and let’s face it. You and Jack are going to make the most beautiful babies.”
Jack was talking to the marriage celebrant, holding up his jacket to try to cool down, when the crowd went quiet. Before it had been laughter and chatter – now it was unusually silent. He dropped his hands to his side and locked eyes with Maddison as she stood in the open doors leading from the house.
He’d been with her less than fifteen minutes ago, and she’d still managed to take his breath away.
Her veil hid part of her face, made it more difficult for him to make eye contact with her, but he saw her smile. Knew she was looking straight back at him. It made everything else disappear – her sisters dressed in red on either side of her, her dad as he held out his arm for her to clasp – everything else blurred as he watched Maddison walk down the flower-strewn walkway toward him.
“Jack.”
Her father said his name, breaking the spell, waiting for him to take Maddison’s hand.