Sighing, she rolled to her side and brought up her hand. A ring sat on her fourth finger and it was never coming off. She was Austin’s and he was hers. Life couldn’t be more perfect.
She closed her eyes, but a few minutes later, she sighed and pulled the covers from her body. There was no way she was going to fall asleep now. Best to get up.
Her feet hit the cold ground and she winced as she dug around for her slippers. After she pulled on her robe, she wrapped it around her waist and headed out of the room.
Austin was already up and moving for the day. He was dedicated. Emma tried but after the second day of waking up with him, she convinced him it was better that she slept in. After all, she was just slowing him down.
In the kitchen, Emma made her way over to the coffee machine and poured a cup. Just as she finished stirring in some cream, the door opened.
“Good morning,” Austin’s low voice said as he came in and shut the door.
She tapped her spoon on the edge of her mug. A few seconds later, Austin’s arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her against him. He nuzzled her neck.
“How’s the official Mrs. Maverick doing?” he asked. His breath was warm against her skin.
“Sad to wake up alone,” she said, turning around to slip her hands up to his neck.
Austin let out a growl as he put his hands on her waist and pulled her up to set her on the counter. Emma giggled as he ran a trail of kisses across her collarbone.
“I’m here now,” he said. His voice was low and full of intent.
Emma ran her fingers through his hair. “Oh, really,” she asked, pulling back to look into his eyes.
He wiggled his eyebrows as he leaned into her. “Animals are fed. I’m all yours. Plus, Sean’s here. He can take care of everything else.”
Emma laughed. “That’s what that smell is.”
“Hey, I don’t smell that bad,” he said, leaning down to sniff his arm.
“Sure. We’ll go with that.”
Austin leaned in and gently kissed her cheek. He pulled back and peered into her gaze. “You’ll still love me if I stink?”
Emma pretended to be thinking. “Well. . .” Then she grabbed his face and pulled him toward her. “I promise to love you even when you smell.” Then she leaned closer to him. “That just means we can shower together,” she whispered in his ear.
Austin pulled back to look at her. “Well, good thing I’m a rancher then. I’m always sweaty.” He pulled her hips toward him and she responded by wrapping her legs around his waist.
Lifting her off the counter, he carried her to the stairs.
She giggled. “Now?”
He peered up at her. “No time like the present, my dear.”
Emma held onto him as he carried her up to the second floor.
“After all, how else do you think we are going to make all those adorable babies?” He pressed her back against the wall at the top of the stairs and took that moment to gently kiss her lips.
All thought left her mind as she reveled in the feeling of his body against hers. When he pulled back, he set her feet on the ground. With his hands now free, he pressed them on either side of her and peered into her gaze.
“I meant it when I said, I want you to be the mother of my kids.”
Emma’s heart swelled as she thought of what the sentence meant. It was as if all the things she’d ever wanted converged at the same time.
Standing on her toes, she tilted her face up and kissed him. “I love you, Austin Maverick.” And that was the truth.
He reached up and grazed her cheek with his thumb. “I love you, Emma Maverick.”
She shifted her lips to kiss his palm. “Good,” she whispered. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and got lost in his kiss. She was happy. She was home. He was all she’d ever wanted.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my wonderful husband who puts up with a wife who took on so many projects this year but made sure she didn’t lose focus on her goals.
Thank you to my five wonderful children. Your enthusiasm is contagious even though you drive me crazy sometimes.
Thank you to Victorine Lieske who created my fabulous covers! I’m so lucky to have such a talented writer friend!
Thank you to my writing group buddies, Michelle Pennington, Judy Corry, and Victorine Lieske. You helped whip my characters into shape!
Thank you to my beta reader, Victorine Lieske. You’re never scared to tell me when something’s not working.
Thank you to my editor, Sandra Poole. You made my book so clean you can eat off it.
Get ready for the next series!
Stay tuned for the next series.
Marrying an Athlete
Book 2 of A Fake Marriage Series
Other Books by Anne-Marie Meyer
See the other books by her:
Forgetting the Billionaire
Book 1 of the Clean Billionaire Romance series
Forgiving the Billionaire
Book 2 of the Clean Billionaire Romance series
Finding Love with the Billionaire
Book 3 of the Clean Billionaire Romance series
Falling for the Billionaire
Book 4 of the Clean Billionaire Romance series
Fixing the Billionaire
Book 5 of the Clean Billionaire Romance series
See other books by her pen name Amy Linnabary
The Fairytale Prophecies (a Young Adult series)
1. Cinder Heart
2. Fairest One
3. Peculiar Beauty
The Adventure Brothers (a middle grade series)
1. Save the Bats
2. Free the Dolphin
About the Author
Anne-Marie Meyer lives in MN with her husband, four boys, and baby girl. She loves romantic movies and believes that there is a FRIENDS quote for just about every aspect of life.
Connect with Anne-Marie on these platforms!
anne-mariemeyer.com
Marrying a Cowboy Page 16