by Sylvia Fox
“Again.”
“I love you, Mr. Joshua Kincaid.”
“Oh, sweet Teagan. I love you, too.”
Chapter Twelve
Teagan
I thought Joshua was spoiling me before, but now, after telling him about the baby, he’s downright pampering me. I now have a credit card with the incredibly descriptive limit of the sky and have been tasked with picking out a room for a nursery as well as a theme and hiring painters and purchasing furniture. I tried to put up a fight about it, but he wasn’t having it. Joshua says he trusts me to go with my gut, but I send him pictures of everything and let him weigh in on it all before making a single purchase. This isn’t about me, this is about us. Our baby. It would be all wrong to do it all myself.
He’s gone into overdrive, trying to get all the meetings and negotiations tied up as fast as he can so he can get back into the country sooner so we can do all of this together. Every night when he gets back to his room, he calls me and we talk for hours, even though I try to get him to go to sleep. Dark circles stand out under his eyes and I know it’s because he’s burning the candle at both ends and not sleeping or eating enough. But he keeps telling me it’s all worth it. That he’s been exhausted before and he’ll be exhausted again but that he’ll never get another chance to experience my first pregnancy with me. I smile from the inside out every time he says it.
Tonight, his call comes in a few minutes early and when I answer, he looks particularly amped up. “Guess what,” he says, a wide smile stretched across his face.
“What?” God, he’s so handsome. He might be the most attractive man I’ve ever seen in all of my life. And the more I get to know who he is on the inside? The more I realize that his face and body are nothing compared to his heart and soul.
“You have to guess, silly.”
“Ummm.” I stare off into space, trying to come up with something that would make him this wound up. “You had a shit ton of coffee and plan to work all night?”
Joshua shakes his head. “Nope. Guess again.”
“You decided to pick up cocaine as a habit?”
“Uh. No.” Joshua grins. “You’re terrible at this game.”
“I’m just trying to figure out why in the world you would be so amped up…” I trail off as a thought hits me. “Oh my gosh! You’re done! You get to come home now, right?”
“Bingo. I knew you could do it.” He sits, holding the iPad close. “I have a flight scheduled for early tomorrow morning. I’ll have you back in my arms by sometime tomorrow night.”
“But, what about the negotiations? The merger?”
“It’s done, baby doll.” Joshua leans back and folds his hands behind his head.
“Already? But … how? I thought things were going terribly.”
“They were. But I got inspired to speed things up and nothing gets in the way of me getting what I want once I’ve set my mind to it.”
“And did you get what you wanted?”
“Of course I got what I wanted. I’m going to be a very rich man, baby doll. All the better to spoil you and our little nugget with, of course.”
"Wow. So you'll be home almost a full month ahead of schedule." I lick my lips and lean towards the camera. "We'll get to spend the rest of the summer together. Unless my dad kills you. And then I get to spend the rest of my life alone."
"Don't you worry about that. I know your dad and he's the kind of man who listens to reason. What kind of father would be upset about finding out his daughter has the heart of a man who can make all her dreams come true?"
I roll my eyes. "The kind of man who was fully invested in teaching his daughter to make her own dreams come true without having to rely on anyone else to do it for her."
I have a point and Joshua knows it. Robert Flowers prides himself on how well he raised me. He's going to have a small aneurysm when he finds out that I’m pregnant before I’ve even completed my degree. And when I tell him that I’m considering dropping out of college to raise our child? Yeah, he won't like that, either.
Onscreen, Joshua looks as deep in thought as I am, his brows drawn together, his lips pulled into a taut line.
"Joshua?" I frown into the camera. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No, baby doll. You most definitely did not say anything wrong. I don't think you ever could say anything wrong, I just got lost in thought." He leans forward and folds his hands under his chin. "I think it's time that we tell your parents. About us. About the baby."
I can feel the color drain from my face. "Do you?"
He nods. "I do. I didn't want to do it over the phone. And I didn't want you to do it without me there. But now that I'll be back in the country, we can invite them over for dinner and explain everything face to face." He smiles, happiness lighting up his face.
"Oh, God, Joshua. I'm scared."
"Why? What's there to be scared about?"
I let out a long breath, shaking my head. "They're going to be so shocked. They devoted their lives to making sure my lifepath was clear in front of me. And I kind of stepped off it big time. I don’t want to be a disappointment."
"Are you happy, Teagan?"
"Huh?" His question takes me off guard.
"Are you happy? With me? At my house? With my baby in my belly?"
"Yes. Happier than I've ever been in all of my life."
"Then don't you think that means you didn’t step off the path, but onto it? I think any parent, especially yours, would be thrilled to find out that their little girl has found a life worth living."
The thought makes me smile, because I would love for Mom and Dad to be as happy about all of this as I am. But part of me is afraid that it’s all just pretty words and that my dad is going to kill the father of my child at dinner.
Chapter Thirteen
Teagan
I don't sleep. I try. I stretch out in Joshua's bed and wrap myself up in his blanket and bury my nose in his pillow, trying and failing to find his scent. The bed stopped smelling like him weeks ago, but that hasn't stopped me from taking a deep breath each time I lay down in the hopes that I'll find him again. Tonight though, the knowledge that I'll see him tomorrow, it's enough to keep my thoughts racing from one excitement to the next.
I've only spent one night with the man I love. Yes, we've spent each night since then talking via Facetime and most of the day texting each other, but I haven't been able to touch him. To smell him. To feel his warmth against my skin. I can't believe I finally get to feel his strong arms around me again after all this time.
Will it be the same? Will I still love him as much when he's right here in front of my face? I have no doubt that the answer is yes. I never believed in soul mates until I met Joshua Kincaid. But now? I have no doubt that soul mates exist because I know without a doubt that I have found mine. And he'll be right here, with me, in the next twenty-four hours.
With that thought swirling around in my head, making my heart ache with happiness and my soul cry out with joy, I finally fall asleep with my hands folded gently over my stomach.
Joshua sends me a text the moment he lands and I start pacing the house. I don't stop moving until I hear the thump of a car door outside and then I rush out the front door and launch myself into his arms. He draws me close, one hand threading up into my hair and I bury my face into his shoulder, breathing him in. He smells even better than I remember.
"Oh, Teagan." His voice is thick with emotion. "Let me see you." He tilts my head back and stares into my eyes, a smile pulling up at the corners of his lips. "I’ve been stunned by your beauty each night when we Facetime, but now, standing next to you..." He shakes his head. “You’re gorgeous, baby doll.”
I reach up on tiptoes and press my lips against his. Nothing I can say could possibly do justice to the way I feel. Hopefully, he'll get the gist of it through my kiss. His tongue sweeps into my mouth and I melt into him, my body pressing against his until the cabby clears his throat behind us.
"Your bags, sir."
/>
Joshua breaks the kiss and presses his forehead to mine. "Thank you,” he says to the driver without breaking my gaze. He gives me one last kiss and then releases me to pay the man.
I grab one of his bags. "It's so good to have you standing right here next to me," as I heft it off the ground.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Joshua raises an eyebrow and puts his hands on his hips.
“I’m helping you with your stuff.” I draw my eyebrows together, confused.
“Right. And that is not okay. You have my baby in your belly and that means you do not have to lift a finger.” He takes the luggage from my hands.
“But I like lifting fingers.”
“Yeah, well, I like lifting fingers for you.” He leans a shoulder against mine. “You’re my girl. And I like to take care of you. And I want to take care of that little human you’ve got brewing in your belly. So if that means I have to carry a few more pounds of luggage every now and then, so be it. Plus, it gives me a chance to work on my physique.” He straightens and does a bicep curl with each arm, the oversized bags looking ridiculous as they hang from his hands.
“God it’s good to see you.” I hold the front door open for him as he passes into the house.
“Yeah?” Joshua puts the luggage down and draws me into his arms. “How good?”
I run my hands up the back of his thighs and grab his ass, pushing his hips into mine. “Getting better by the second.”
Joshua grins and then swoops me up into his arms. “I’m all for constant improvement.” He kisses me. “How about now?” His lips brush mine as he speaks.
“Better still.”
“And now?” He nuzzles my neck and bites my earlobe.
“Even better.” My pussy throbs and moisture gathers between my legs. I shiver in delight.
“And now?” Joshua starts down the hallway toward the bedroom.
“Even better.”
He strides through the door, gently deposits me on the bed, and rids me of my clothing. “I’ve missed this body,” he says.
I spread my legs. “This body has missed you.” I pull him down on top of me, and his lips claim mine as I fumble with his belt. When I fantasized about this moment, we took it slow, torturing each other, exploring each other. I thought I would take him in my mouth and bring him to the brink of orgasm. That he would lick me until I came, shivering on his fingers. But now that he’s here, our need for each other is all consuming. With his eyes trained on mine, he slides down his pants, pushes his cock into me. We groan in unison.
“You’re mine,” he says as he rolls his hips.
I nod, my gaze locked on his. “Yes.”
“And I’m yours.” He sheaths himself in me.
“Promise?” My entire body trembles in pleasure.
“Oh, baby doll. I swear it.”
Chapter Fourteen
Joshua
The next morning, I prop myself up on my elbow and stare down at Teagan. “I’ve invited your parents to dinner.”
I watch as all the luxurious post-coital lazies leave her body in one huge jolt of oh shit. “Really? When?”
I brush a hair out of her face. “Tonight.”
She pushes into a sitting position, her face oh, so close to mine. “Okay then.” She takes a long breath in through her nose and lets it out slowly. “I don’t know why I care so much. What’s the worst that could happen? They might disapprove, but I doubt they’d go so far as to disown me. And once they see how happy we are together, I’m sure they’ll get over it.”
“In a decade or two.”
Her eyes go wide and a smile breaks across her face. “You can’t say that kind of stuff, silly.” She drops back onto her pillow. “What did you tell them?”
“I made up some bullshit excuse about how I wanted to thank you and your family for how well you took care of the house while I was gone, but…” I shrug and then smile. “I hate to ambush them like this, but I can’t think of a better way.”
Teagan swallows and bobs her head. “It’s funny. I thought this would be the most terrifying moment of my life, telling my dad that I’ve been sleeping with his boss and explaining to my mom that I’m pregnant out of wedlock. But, when I think about it, I’m not really all that scared.”
“That makes me feel pretty damn good. You have no reason to be scared now that I’ve got you. Everything’s always going to be okay.” I stretch out beside her and pull her close.
“That makes me feel pretty damn good, too.”
“What is it—besides my obvious talents as a protector, of course—that has you feeling not terrified?” I ask.
“I got to thinking. This really isn’t about them, is it? Sure, I’d like their blessing. And yes, I’d feel best if I knew I was making them proud. But really, in the end, this is about you and me and our hearts and souls and wishes and desire. It’s our life here, not theirs. So, they can be happy or they can be sad, but at the end of the day, what really matters is that we’re okay with what’s going on, right?”
I smile. “Damn straight, baby doll.”
She turns to me. “And are you happy? Now that you’re here and we’ve spent a night together, am I still what you want?”
I gather her into my arms. “Teagan. There is no doubt in my mind that you are everything I’ve ever wanted. You make me so happy. So. Happy.” I put a hand on her stomach. “And this little nugget right here? This is just icing on the cake.”
Teagan grins. “Ditto.”
“Ditto? I profess my undying love for you and all you can say is ditto?”
She scrunches up her nose in that adorable way of hers. “Yep. Ditto.”
I push her back on the bed, climb on top of her, and cage her with my arms, a hand on each side of her head. “I’ll show you ditto.” I tickle her ribs and torso and she laughs, a giant uncensored thing, her eyes closed, her face lit up with joy from the inside out. Her hair stretches out across my pillow and all I can think is that she is the woman for me. I want a lifetime of this. A lifetime of her. A lifetime of us.
“It looks even better in person than it did in the pictures.” I’m standing in the middle of what is now the nursery with Teagan tucked under my arm.
“I wanted to go with a unicorn theme, because, you know…” She twists to smile up at me. “You have a thing for unicorns.”
“I have a thing for you.”
She leans her head against my shoulder and smiles up at me. “But I thought if I threw in some cute little dragons and adorable trolls then I could also add some unicorns without getting too super girly. You know. In case we have a boy.”
Wow. In case we have a boy. My heart is full. “I’m so excited to start this life with you, baby doll.”
Teagan stares at me, her eyes wide and trained on mine. Questions flit across her face and her eyebrows draw close. She doesn’t know that I’m talking about a lifetime of us. She doesn’t know that I fully intend this house to be ours, my life to be hers. My girl is probably scared to death, uncertain as to how her life is going to unfold. I’m sure she’s wondering what she’s going to do about college. Trying not to worry about what she’ll do if I leave her. I’m sure part of her is certain that she has just ruined the rest of her life. Sentenced herself to struggle as a single mom trying to make her way through this world alone.
I know she needs reassurances. I’ve tried to give them to her through all the financial gifts, by allowing her to design the nursery, giving her free reign over this house because damn it, it’s going to be her house. It already is her house. She doesn’t know it yet, but when she moved into my bedroom, she moved in for good. I open my mouth to tell her. To ease her troubled mind. But then shut it again right away.
I haven’t done one thing right when it comes to this relationship. I started it by pretending to be someone I’m not. I slept with her, took her fucking virginity no less, without getting to know her first, and didn’t use a condom. I left her the very next day. And I got her pregnant before I even
had a chance to tell her I loved her. I am determined to do at least one thing right. I’m going to meet her parents. Ask her father for her hand. And propose to her in front of the people who love her the most.
She might be worried now, but she only has to wait one more day to find out exactly how much she means to me. That’s not too much to ask, is it? That doesn’t make me too much of a jerk? Letting her live one more day with a little bit of uncertainty about her future before I get down on one knee and promise her the world?
Beside me, Teagan lets out a long breath, folds her hands over her stomach, and stares wistfully at the crib in the corner.
Chapter Fifteen
Teagan
My dad looks skeptical when I open the door to let him and Mom into Joshua’s house. His gaze rakes over my body and his nostrils flare as if he can smell the crazy boss sex I’ve been having.
Mom sweeps into the house and wraps me up in one of her patented bear hugs. “Oh, Tea. It’s so good to see you. You look positively radiant.” She holds me at arms-length and gives me a stern look. “You know you didn’t have to hide out here all summer, right? You could have at least come to visit.” She shakes her head. “I guess I should be grateful that there’s one more month before you go back to school. We’ll get your stuff moved into your old room and I’ll just have to keep you hostage the rest of the summer, right Robert?” She turns to my dad.
He shakes his head. “It’s really good to see you, Tea-Ball.” His gaze sweeps over the interior of Joshua’s house.
Joshua appears behind us, wiping his hands on a dishtowel that he then stuffs into his back pocket. “Hello, Robert.” He offers a hand to my dad. “Barbara.” He nods in my mother’s direction. “I’m so glad you could join us this evening.” Joshua drapes an arm around my shoulder and my mom’s eyebrows skyrocket.
“Thank you for inviting us,” she says, her manners too firmly ingrained to let her do anything else.