by Ava Walsh
“Don’t worry about me, Rose, I’ll be fine. Will you be alright?” Teresa smiled at Rose, hoping that would make her less fearful. Rose was hesitant in answering.
“I have no doubt in my mind that Mr. Mason will look after me. It’s you I’m worried about, back in the big city with another soul you’re responsible for.” Rose patted Teresa’s hand, which was now resting on her shoulder.
Teresa straightened up and sighed. She wasn’t sure how she would be able to explain to Rose that she had lived that life forever, and the city was where she felt most comfortable and safe. That if she was going to be a mother, she would be a fierce one and not let anybody or anything stand in her way.
“I’m going to drive up to town and say my goodbyes,” she said instead, and Rose tried to hurriedly stand up.
“You’re leaving now?” Rose asked. She could see the old lady’s hands shake.
“Rose, sit down, please. I promise to call often, every week if I can. You’ll see everything will be fine. I’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning.” Teresa tried to sound as cheerful as she could as she left the kitchen to go and change into something presentable.
The shock of the situation hadn’t settled in yet. She was going to be a mother. She was carrying Derek Mason’s child. As if falling in love wasn’t enough, the Universe had found another way to provide her with a constant reminder. Was it a false alarm? She placed her hand over her belly, but she couldn’t physically feel anything different. She had known, though, for some time now, that she felt differently on the inside. This was what it was, this was what was holding her back in this town. Her child was what was keeping her in Klaire. But she would have to leave. There was no other choice. She had to go back to the city and try and get some semblance of her life back.
She changed into a dress, slipped into her sandals, put on her sunglasses and left the house. It was time for goodbyes.
***
It was nearly sunset by the time Teresa drove back up to the cottage. She parked her car at the usual spot and got out. Too many people had wanted to stand and chat. She’d been invited to people’s homes for tea and cake, a big lunch and then dinner again, which she’d had to politely decline. What she was thankful for, though, was that she at least didn’t feel as sick as she had in the morning. Now it was time to pack her bags.
“Rose!” she yelled out as she pulled the mesh door open and stepped in, flinging her bag onto the couch in the living room. She didn’t hear a response and walked over with creased brows to check the bathroom. There was no sign of Rose anywhere in the house. This had never happened before.
“Rose!” she yelled again, and walked out of the house. Where could she have possibly gone at this time of the day?
Outside, in the navy blue light of the evening, she watched as an old brown Lincoln came to a halt next to her own car and the driver’s door swung open with a bang.
Derek stepped out with determination, taking long, meaningful steps towards the house.
“Where’s Rose?” Teresa asked him loudly, but he didn’t answer. She hadn’t seen him this close in weeks and she could feel her calves giving way. She was so afraid that she was going to fall and faint.
“I dropped her off at your neighbor Martha’s house,” he said gruffly, climbing the porch steps two at a time.
“She was with you?” Teresa asked in horror, knowing now exactly what Derek was doing here.
“She walked all the way up to my house to see me,” he said. By now he had reached her.
“Derek….” Teresa began to say, but he had grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him again.
“How dare you plan to leave without telling me? How dare you.” His voice thundered in her ears. She lowered her gaze and looked away from him, tears threatening to roll down her cheeks.
“What do you want me to say, Derek?” she asked, and he caught her chin roughly and turned her face to him.
“That I’m going to be a father,” he said, and Teresa gulped.
“I thought you wouldn’t want to know. Why would you want to know? Why would you want to be bogged down by a woman who you asked to stay away?” Teresa knew that tears were rolling down her face now. She wasn’t in control of her emotions anymore.
“Because that is why I moved to Klaire. To get away from the memory of the child that I lost.” Derek released his grip on her and Teresa felt like her world had shattered around her.
“You lost a child?” She managed to mutter the words.
“My ex-wife. She had a miscarriage. It was part of the reason we broke up. It was too painful for both of us.” Derek turned away from her and placed his hands on the porch railings. Teresa’s hand flew to her mouth. She was in shock and sympathy. But she didn’t think Derek was the sort of person who wanted her sympathy. He would detest it.
“So you moved to Klaire?” Teresa asked. She could see his shoulders heaving. He was sighing loudly.
“I couldn’t live in Austin anymore. Besides, I was fed up of my father’s politics. I wanted to get away. So, yes, now you have your answer.” Derek turned to face her again. His face had relaxed now and, even though he was staring at her, his glare wasn’t fierce. He was trying to study her to see what she would say or do next.
Teresa breathed in. “I’m sorry, Derek,” she managed to say, and he shook his head.
“I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to another child of mine. You should have told me, Teresa.” He took a few steps towards her.
“I didn’t think you wanted anything to do with me.” She wiped at the tears on her cheeks.
“You know I told you to stay away because I didn’t want to lose my wits around you again. You must have known that. I have spent the last two weeks battling with myself every day to come and see you.” He placed a hooked finger under her chin and lifted her face up to his again. Teresa bit down on her lip and sniffled.
“I only realized today,” she said, and Derek smiled.
“And you were planning on just leaving town without a word to me?” he said, and she tried to look away from him, embarrassed.
“You’re not going anywhere. Not you or my child.” Derek pulled her to him again and bent his head down to kiss her. He was kissing her softly, taking it slow this time as he massaged her lips with his tongue. She clutched at his muscular arms, craning her neck up to accommodate his height.
He pulled away from her and said, “Just when you thought you were going to make a smooth exit,” and resumed kissing her again. Teresa had to lift her body up on her toes to be able to kiss him and, when he realized that, he used his arms to lift her up onto his lap. They continued kissing as Teresa wrapped her legs around his waist.
“So you’re not going to buy the house, I presume?” she asked with a laugh, pulling away from him again.
“I’ll do whatever you want me to do. Do you want me to buy the house? I’ll sign the papers now.” Derek was smiling, his eyes were heavy-lidded and he was looking at her with a glow of happiness that she had not seen in him before. She bit down on her lip and laughed.
“No, I want to keep it.”
Chapter Eight
Teresa had a hard time bending down. She placed a hand on her bulging belly and lowered her body as low as she could. Her fingers grazed the top of the book and she managed to snatch it up in a quick, deft move. She smiled. She was getting quite good at this.
“What are you doing? Why didn’t you just ask me to pick it up?” She heard Rose’s voice behind her and turned to look at the woman hobbling up to her. Rose’s joints had gotten better, but she was still not very steady on her feet.
“My book fell out of my hands. It wasn’t such a big deal.” Teresa smiled at Rose, who was shaking her head indulgently.
“I don’t know how you can read while pacing around the place.” Rose admonished her, and then came to sit down on the garden chair, overlooking the flourishing apple orchard. Teresa took a deep breath in. It smelt of apples everywhere. She instinctively stroked
her belly and smiled.
“Any day now, dear. Any day.” Rose was smiling too.
They heard the sound of Derek’s bike and looked towards the front of the house. In a few seconds, he came into view. Whisky had run ahead to greet him and he came striding towards them. Teresa was still not used to seeing him. How delicious he looked in the sun, with his broad shoulders, the hat that he was going to tip at her and those hands he used to grab her. She still had goosebumps every time he looked at her. She wondered what their child would look like. Would it have light skin like its father, or Teresa’s dark complexion? Blonde waves or black tight curls? She couldn’t stop imagining it. She couldn’t wait to meet the baby.
“Hi there.” Derek was smiling as he walked up to her and pulled her into his arms, gently now that the baby in her belly separated them.
“Hi,” she managed to say, before he muffled her voice with his lips. His hands crawled to her back, bunching the fabric of her dress behind her. He was kissing her like he’d seen her for the first time, like he wanted to push her onto the grass and climb on top of her. He always kissed her like that.
“Hello, Derek. I’m here too,” Rose interrupted them. She was still embarrassed around them when they kissed, although she’d seen them together for the past eight months behaving like they’d just met.
Teresa chuckled as Derek drew himself away.
“Hello, Rose. Enjoying the sun?” he asked, and threw Teresa a wink.
“You should reprimand this young lady. She keeps bending down and picking up things. It’s not good for her.” Rose was a tattle tale and Teresa rolled her eyes. Derek threw her another look and they both laughed. As long as they had Rose around, they could be sure that they were overly looked after.
“So, I have something to show you. Will you come with me?” Derek turned to Teresa again, grabbing her hand and beginning to walk away.
Teresa bit down on her lip and turned to Rose, who shrugged her shoulders in mock surprise.
“What is it?” she asked Derek, but he was silently leading her to the back of the house and then right in through the back porch. Whisky followed them at his heels.
“What kind of a surprise is it?” she asked him again, unable to deal with the excitement. Usually, he surprised her with flowers from the garden or a sudden kiss when she wasn’t looking. This was bigger than that. He led her through the different rooms, through the hallway and to the corner of the house on the ground floor. He stopped in front of the room under the stairs.
“So I’ve been working on this for a few weeks. And I finally found the last part that completes it.” Derek looked excited. She still had no idea what it was. He had already built a nursery for the baby upstairs beside their bedroom.
He went over behind her and placed his hands on her eyes and then, with his feet, pushed the door open.
Teresa took a few steps into the room. She had barely been inside this room before. Derek used it to store his farming gear before.
“Ready? There,” he said, slowly dragging his hands away from her face. Teresa opened her eyes.
The room was freshly painted, a light pistachio color that immediately lifted her mood. White, wooden cabinets had been fitted to the walls and neatly arranged with books. A large, oak table had been placed near the back French windows along with a leather armchair. On the side of the table, a brand new computer had been fitted as well. The floor was thickly carpeted, and a small cradle was placed in the center of the room.
Teresa whipped around to face him.
“What…?” She had no words.
“It’s yours. It’s your office. And the cradle is for the baby when you want to spend your day here.” Derek walked around the edge of the room, running his hands over the walls. Teresa was too dumbfounded to say anything. This was hers?
“I know how much you miss New York. I know how much you miss your job. I fixed an internet connection for the house so you can work from here, for as long as you need to. Stay connected.” Derek stood with his back to the windows now, crossing his arms. Teresa wanted to squeal and jump with joy. Instead, she smiled widely and stroked her belly.
“Thank you, Derek. This means a lot to me.” She didn’t know how else to confess her feelings to him.
“And once you are ready, and you think you need to go back, to New York I mean, I won’t stop you,” he said. His voice had dropped a little. He was looking at her face, then at her belly, and then her face again.
“I would like my child to grow up here, in Klaire.” Teresa walked over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. She couldn’t imagine a life without him. She didn’t remember what her life was without him, without living in this house, without Whisky or Florence or Rose. Without waiting for him to come home to her every day from the farms, or the orchards, or a farmer’s market in the nearest city.
“Isn’t this life too simple for you, Teresa?” he asked hoarsely. It seemed like he was afraid of the answer.
“It isn’t too simple for you. And you’ve grown up in luxury,” she said, the smile still on her face.
“But I moved here out of choice. I wouldn’t want you to feel like you’re forced to live here in a small town in Texas. Cooped up.” He breathed out deeply and looked down at her. He was doing all this to please her. He wanted to hold on to her tightly. She wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to, that she wasn’t going anywhere.
“I’m happy here now, Derek. I have you, I’ll have our baby and now I’ll have my work,” she said, looking around the room, still in shock that he had secretly managed to do all this.
“Good. Because I wanted to ask-” and Derek fell down on one knee in front of her, as she watched in surprise. Her hands flew to her mouth.
“Will you be my wife?” he asked, looking up at her. She had never felt happier. She had never wanted something more than she wanted to be his wife
“Yes. I will,” she said, and watched as he pulled out a small, green, velvet box. He popped it open to show her the ring he had picked out for her. It had a large diamond the size and shape of an almond. He slipped it onto her ring finger as she continued to gasp for air.
“Derek!” she squealed, and threw her arms around his neck and held on tightly. He was stroking her back. They were kissing again, fervently. His hands were on her back and now feeling their way down to grab her butt.
“Teresa. I love you,” he whispered hoarsely, and she shut her eyes. He was pushing her towards the desk now, and she could feel herself growing wet. She could anticipate it, him inside her. He turned her around, just like he had the first time, and gently pressed down on her lower back. Lately, he was more cautious, because of the baby. Teresa bent forward, her hands firmly on the table. Derek Mason had just asked her to marry him and in the same breath was going to make love to her.
“I love you, Derek,” she whispered, for herself rather than for him to hear. His hands reached over from behind her and grabbed her breasts. They were swollen and bigger than usual. He squeezed them and, without warning, thrust himself inside her. She hadn’t heard him undress and wasn’t expecting it as he pushed himself inside her and pulled out.
They were both moaning. Derek grunted with every push and she screamed every time he pulled out. She could feel the flesh of her exposed butt pressing against his bare thighs, his hands gripping her breasts as he pushed and pushed again.
He was throbbing and big inside her and she could feel him moving. Derek groaned and increased the speed of his rhythm. Teresa could feel her body shake, in an effort to fulfill his need to devour her.
They were both going to orgasm at the same time. He reached down with one of his hands to rub her as he thrust inside her repeatedly. The sensation was too much to bear for her, and she came quickly and loudly, all over his hands, with him still inside her. He was shaking, too. With one hand he continued to stroke her, while his other clutched her shoulder as he emptied himself inside her.
Several seconds later, she heard a clear panting a
s the fog of her orgasm began to clear. He was still inside her but was now slumping on her back.
“That is the best marriage proposal I could have ever hoped for,” Teresa said with a laugh, and Derek laughed too, still panting. She felt him smoothly slide out of her, and she turned around to face him.
“Well, we’ve christened your office now, so it’s officially yours.” Derek was laughing as he zipped up his jeans. Teresa straightened her dress and smiled.
“What now?” she asked him, and Derek sighed.
“Time to call my parents. They wouldn’t be expecting this call from me,” Derek said, and Teresa felt a rush of excitement.
“Does this mean they’ll want to come to Klaire?” she asked.
“Sure. Especially if we have the wedding here. Don’t think Steve the Mayor will be too thrilled about the whole idea.” Derek laughed as he grabbed her by the waist again. Teresa bit down on her lip. Her life had never been this exciting in New York. They were both smiling at each other, staring into each other's eyes.
“What are you thinking about, cowboy?” she asked, stroking his clean-shaven chin with the back of her forefinger. She still couldn’t get enough of him, couldn’t stop wanting to touch him.
“Just wondering what our baby is going to look like. I hope it gets your hair, at least,” Derek said, and Teresa smiled.
Her father had been right to send her here to Klaire. It had changed her life. How had he known? He couldn’t have planned all of this. Whatever it was, she could be sure that he was passing on his blessings to her now.
*****
THE END
Bonus Book 24: Charmed by the Wolf Dragon
By: Eliza Moon
Description
A curvy girl discovering magic PLUS a sexy guy who is all she wants PLUS a secret that could kill them both!