Just Enough

by Michelle Gross

  “I wanna have your babies. I didn’t say I wanted to right now,” she yelled, and because she looked so serious and her cheeks were still so red, she looked fucking edible to me.

  I held up my hands, laughing. “All right, bite a guy’s head off.”

  “So,” she waited. “Are we or not?”

  “Like right now?”

  “No. Future. Fu-turrreee… Why? You want to marry me now? Like right now?” She smiled.

  “If you want to be my wife, Emily, just tell me, and I’ll tie our names together in a heartbeat.”

  “I want to,” she said immediately, and as happy as she was making me right now, her eyes looked ridiculously hazy like she was on the verge of falling asleep or passing out.

  “It doesn’t count when you say it right now because you’re drunk, but if you remember in the morning… And still want to, then tell me and I’ll take over from there.”

  “I’ll remember.”

  “Come on.” I scooped her up before she fell asleep and carried her to bed. As I did, I couldn’t help but tell her. “You better remember this conversation in the morning.”

  As she closed her eyes, she mumbled. “I will.”

  Chapter 39

  _______

  Emily

  To the bathroom I went when I woke up that next morning. I might have awakened Benjamin in the process when I fell out of bed trying to crawl over him when there had been no point. I was just so out it. I groaned as I clutched the toilet and waited for my stomach to empty itself, only nothing came, and I was stuck with the realization that I wasn’t going to throw up. My stomach churned like I would though, and the pounding in my skull told me it was going to be a very long morning.

  I was hung over.

  I survived a night drinking.

  “So… Feel like doing that again?” Benjamin stood by the door rubbing his eyes with a sleepy smile.

  “Ugh,” was my response.

  I got drunk, and I had no need to do it again anytime soon. I wasn’t on the verge of becoming an alcoholic. I was okay. Years of silent fear and a knotted stomach, I could finally put it to rest along with my lonely childhood.

  I had a sober father now. An amazing guy who happened to be my best friend. And a mom who put effort into getting to know me more now than she ever did when I was little.

  Speaking of Dad, I lifted my head and caught Benjamin studying me. “What time is it? I need to shower and become a person before Dad gets here. You know he’s gonna come help even though we told him he didn’t have to.” He was still staring. “What?” I asked.

  “Nothing.” It didn’t look like nothing by the way he was staring. He turned away. “Get in the shower. I’ll bag up our mess from last night and take it down in case your dad does show up.”

  I peeled off my clothes and twisted my hair in a clip. I got in the shower once the water was nice and hot. As I lathered myself with a loofah, I slowly came back to life and started thinking about the night before.

  Those nachos were so good last night.

  So was riding Benjamin. I smiled as I dipped my face underneath the stream of water, making sure not to get my hair wet.

  I was a chatterbox last night. I bet I could recall at least a hundred different questions I had asked him ranging from the solar system to the mole on the side of his neck.

  I wanna have your babies.

  I dropped my loofah and made the mistake of opening my eyes. “Shit.” I blinked and pulled my eyes out of the hot water, then I covered my mouth when I put together the rest of the night.

  I wanna marry you first though.

  The last of the night right before I drifted to sleep was the most important part of all.

  It doesn’t count when you say it right now because you’re drunk, but if you remember in the morning… And still want to, then tell me, and I’ll take over from there.

  You better remember this conversation in the morning.

  Now I was in a rush, turning off the water and opening the shower curtain as I dashed out of the bathroom with just a towel.

  “Benjamin!” I yelled just as I stepped into the bedroom. Everything was packed up and ready to go for the move so when Benjamin stood next to the window holding a tiny box, jumping a mile when I caught him by surprise and dropped the box, I knew his heart was hammering just as much as mine. I saw him clear as day.

  I slowed at the door, gripping my towel as I entered. “What is that?” I watched as he quickly bent down and picked up the black box, tucking it into his back pocket.

  “What?” He scratched his neck and looked the other way. “Nothing.”

  “You said to tell you if I remember,” I rushed out, and he looked up quickly. “I remember.”

  “Then…”

  “Yeah, the sooner, the better.” I took a step, then he came toward me.

  “Truthfully…” His voice was low as he pulled the box back out. “I’ve wanted to do this probably since the moment you became mine, but I thought that you’d rather wait until we were together longer…” He opened the ring box, and a tear slid down my cheek as I caught sight of my ring. “I love you, Emily. There’s no one I’d rather spend my life with than my best friend. Marry me.”

  I let him slip the ring on my finger before I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I love you.”

  “Ready for the rest of our lives?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Should I pound on my chest now?” he asked, and I laughed.

  “I wouldn’t get mad if you did.”

  Epilogue

  ______

  Emily

  The Shenanigans of Gorilla Ben and a Hottie named Rosie

  Vol. 10

  By E. Loves

  Closing chapter…

  Gorilla Ben snagged one of the triplets as the little guy tried to sneak away while Rosie nursed the newest addition to their family. Mattie made their fourth child. Gorilla Ben had gone and done it right the first time a little too well when he impregnated his Rosie with not one but three. Thankfully, this time she got a break and only had one.

  She told herself, she’d put her foot down and make sure there would be no more funny business when the kids were sleeping, but all he had to do was step next to her and Rosie forgot all about things like that, and the need to be with her lover overcame everything else.

  Two of their little ones had as much fur as Ben while the other two were more like their mommy.

  Only it was when Rosie laid Mattie down to sleep that trouble came to visit their island. A man pulled open their makeshift door and stepped inside their small bungalow. Gorilla Ben was gone for a hunt, taking the triplets along with him.

  “Who are you?” Rosie jumped up and grabbed the spear next to their bed that she used to catch fish.

  “You’re the ape’s Rosie?” he asked with evil intent.

  “You think you’re the first to mess with him?” she asked. Mattie began to cry. Rosie’s eyes darted between her babe and the stranger standing in her doorway.

  “No, but I’ll make sure that my attempt counts,” he responded.

  “What—”

  He darted out for her and she moved to Mattie. Only he grabbed her before she got to him. “Your gorilla is just too special to ignore,” he told her.

  “I know.” She smiled, tapping on his shoulder. He saw that she was smiling at something behind him. He turned his head slowly to see what it was. He jerked upward, reaching for the rifle against his back.

  Gorilla Ben stalked forward, eyes glowering at the man that dare lay his hands on his Rosie. Only before he could attack, one of their triplets who they called Peter, tripled in size and attacked the man for trying to kidnap his mom. The other two soon followed after him.

  The bungalow couldn’t hold their rampage and it crumbled. Gorilla Ben was always rebuilding them a home, but this would be the first time it wouldn’t be because of him.

  Seemed their little ones were just as fierce as their father.

  ________
/>
  Reviews:

  *****

  Can’t believe the author is finally ending Gorilla Ben and Rosie’s story with the next volume. : (

  _________

  *****

  These two hold a special place in my heart. Even though it’s so lighthearted and funny, it’s still charming and sweet with all its outrageousness.

  _________

  *

  How is this story still going????

  _________

  Emily

  Faith: Another one slipping out. Not the same lady as last month!

  I snorted as I read her text. She was spying on Dad again. It was becoming a habit of hers to gossip about Dad’s rendezvous with different women. Apparently, my dad was quite the older playboy now that I had moved out of town.

  I glanced up at the wall above me and took in Mom and Sarah’s wedding picture hanging on our wall. Next to it was a picture of Dad and me on my own wedding day from six months ago. That had been a great night. That had been an amazing week.

  Actually, this was an amazing life.

  I got all weepy and stared around my living room. On the walls were countless memories. We’d only been living here for a year, but this house was our home. Since moving, Benjamin and I lived rather spontaneously. We’d already picked up and vacationed in Tennessee three times just because we wanted to. If I decided I wanted to go somewhere, we’d go. Same as with him. We started our life that way, and it was fun and romantic, but now there was something else we both wanted more. Not that we wouldn’t head out and go somewhere in the middle of the night ten years or ten days from now because we would.

  Benjamin lived to show me every little thing I believed with complete confidence.

  I wrote full-time now. I was actually in the middle of finishing up Ben and Rosie’s story as well as starting on something new that Benjamin said was brilliant. I couldn’t go by what he said. He was biased when it came to me—his wife.

  Yes. I loved calling myself his wife.

  I sat around the house, waiting until noon so I could go to the dealership and eat lunch with Benjamin when a single email, followed by a phone call after I replied to it, surprised me into rushing to the dealership quicker.

  He was with a young couple when I got there, walking them around the lot. He made sure to smile my way when he spotted me, and I pointed toward the building to let him know I’d wait in his office for him. He nodded and focused on his clients. I was bursting with energy, but I could always take a moment to respect my husband when it came to his job. He was great at his job, and he looked after his employees and customers, making sure they could afford the best he could offer them.

  He had a good rep around here, that was for sure, if the Facebook page reviews were any indication. He was doing great; we were doing great out here on our own.

  It took thirty minutes before he found me in his office. He carried a handful of papers, and when I saw him see me, my heart caught the moment, the beauty that we were. He wore his dark-rimmed glasses and his sexy bedroom eyes met mine with affection, and these days, his hair was longer and a bit unruly, especially when my hands were in it every night. He had on his dark khakis and a button up shirt, but I knew what hid underneath and it had my stomach quivering with need.

  “Hey, babe.” He walked to me and planted a kiss on my lips. “You mind waiting a bit before we go eat, got a couple outside wanting a quote from the bank.”

  I smiled. “I can wait,” I told him. “Benjamin.” I gripped his hand.

  “What?” His eyes went up in smoke as his gaze slid over me, and believe me, there was nothing casual about it. “Is today one of your ovulating days?”

  I snorted, biting back tears that seemed to stay with me as of late. He knew I didn’t keep up with that. I stopped my birth control three months ago, and we were patiently waiting for him to knock me up. It hadn’t happened yet, but I was three days late.

  But that wasn’t why I was here.

  “I spoke with a literary agent earlier,” I said quickly, meeting his eyes to see if it clicked yet.

  “What about?” he asked.

  “My new series… She loved it. She wants to take me on as a client,” I whispered through a thrill of emotions.

  His mouth dropped. “What?” He was smiling, and so was I. “Are you serious?”

  I nodded vigorously. He scooped me up into his arms and started yelling. I was pretty sure everyone could hear him in the building. “You were doing just fine self-publishing, but this is great too.” He placed me down and cupped my cheek. “I’m so fucking proud of you, you know that?” My eyes began to water as I took in the sincerity of his smile and voice. He was glowing for me. I sucked in a deep breath and started crying because I couldn’t help it. “Whoa, hey, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

  “Because,” my voice was muffled with tears. “I knew you’d act this way.”

  He looked confused as he smiled down at me. “Why does that make you cry?”

  “Because like you said, I’m doing great self-publishing, but I couldn’t wait to tell you just so that I could listen to you praise me.” I wiped my eyes and grinned. “Silly, right? I knew you’d be ecstatic for me, so I couldn’t wait, and I had to come tell you.”

  He looked amused as he pulled me into his arms. “This is worth coming to tell me.”

  I shook my head, wanting to cry again. “I would have never tried by myself if it weren’t for you. Benjamin, you’re my inspiration, my motivation. Without you, I would have had no push to even try writing even when I enjoyed to.”

  “You would have,” he said without hesitancy. “It might have taken you a decade longer to realize and get there on your own, but you would have still gotten there.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I’m just so damn glad that I get to be a part of your life, whether it be the real or fictional world you created.”

  “You’re exactly the person I want to celebrate every high and low part of life with.”

  “Are you crying again?” he asked. When he tried to pull my arms away, I clung tighter to him, wiping my tears across his shirt as I soaked in the warmth of his chest against my cheek. “Are you sure I haven’t done the deed right yet? Are you pregnant, babe?”

  I laughed. “Could we get lucky twice in one day?”

  He slid his hand up my leg and cupped my ass. “I feel like we’ll be getting lucky thrice today.” I snorted. “But hide somewhere, you’re distracting me from work.”

  “Hurry,” I urged him.

  He turned away from me and swaggered toward his desk, picking up his phone. “We have the rest of our lives, what’s the rush?”

  I smiled freely. “Every second counts.”

  “That, it does.”

  The End

  More Books by Michelle

  ___________

  Paranormal romance series: A Grim Awakening

  ’Til Fear Do Us Part, Book 1

  ’Til Grim’s Light, Book 2

  ’Til Death We Meet Again, Book 3

  Falling for Fear, Book 4

  Contemporary Romance:

  Fall From Grace

  About the Author

  _________

  Michelle is from a small town in Eastern Kentucky where opossums try to blend in with the cats on the porch and bears are likely to chase your pets—this is very true, it happened with her sister’s dog. Despite the extra needed protection for your pets, she loves the mountains she calls home. She has a man and twin girls who are the light of her life and the reason she’s slightly crazy.

  As a kid, she was that cousin, that friend, that sister and daughter, the talker who could spin a tale and make-believe into any little thing so it was no surprise when she found love in reading and figured all these characters inside her head needed an outlet. They wanted to be heard, so she wrote.

  The voices keep growing faster than she gets the time to write.

  The stories are never going to end. That’s perfectly okay, though. We never want to
stop an adventure.

  She writes and loves many different genres so sign up to her mailing list to keep updated on her releases. The signup form can be found on her Facebook page.

  Connect with her:

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/michellegrossauthor

  Instagram: @michellegrossmg

  Twitter: @AuthorMichelleG

  Join her mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/cRXrUX