STEALING IT

by Robinson, Rachel

  Tears spring to my eyes as my gaze lands on the store front window. He draws my attention back to his face. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. It’s perfect, Aidan. I can’t believe you went through all this trouble. It’s stunning.” I laugh a short burst. “I love it more than I loved the old store. How is that possible? This is too much.” Suddenly I’m struck with how large of a gesture this is, and my heart aches.

  His hazel gaze is wide. “Magnolia,” he says, choking up. “It will never be enough. I’ll never be able to do enough for you. Not in one lifetime.”

  I sniffle, and he guides me closer to the window, the one that he definitely had put in because the old house didn’t have a window this big and this beautiful. There is a display set up, I now realize. It resembles the scene I set up for Christmas, and my stomach sinks. The fire. The reminder. I close my eyes and blink away several tears. It’s different, though. It has little houses lining a street that resembles the downtown in Bronze Bay. In front of the purple house is figurines of a man on his knee extending a ring box, and the woman is standing, both hands clasped against her chest. My breathing quickens when I recognize what’s happening in the display. I’m so intent on focusing on every other detail that I lean forward to put both hands on the window.

  Slowly, I turn my head and find Aidan kneeling on the sidewalk, ring box extending up to me. “Hi, I’m Aidan Mixx,” he says, words shaky, hand trembling.

  I know this game. Through tears, I say, “Hi, I’m Magnolia Sager. It’s nice to meet you.” He grins.

  “Reset button?” Aidan asks, his questioning eyes full of hope. He removes the sparkling diamond from the box and turns his palm up, requesting my left hand. I give it to him.

  “Reset,” I reply as he slides the ring on my finger. He looks so dashing and handsome. The picture of love and respect. He stands, taking me in his arms. Seeking out his lips, I kiss him deeply.

  Clapping starts mid-kiss. I turn in his arms to see a crowd of people smiling wide and cheering. Jenny is in there and so are Kendall and Juliet. Andrea’s family looks tearful as they witness Aidan’s act of selfless love and the proposal. Everyone who means something to us is here for this moment. All of Aidan’s cohorts are in uniform, fists in the air. An older woman breaks off from the crowd and walks toward us.

  Aidan squeezes me once. Then I realize who it is. It’s his mother. She visited me once in the hospital, but it was when I first arrived, so the meeting was very foggy. Her smile reminds me of Aidan’s and I feel the sharp pang of sympathy for Aidan. “Mrs. Mixx,” I say, slipping from Aidan’s tight hold. “It’s so nice to see you.”

  She shakes her head. “No, seeing you two is nice. Thank you for letting me be here to see this, son.”

  Aidan swallows hard, running a hand through his hair. “I moved my mom here,” he says, meeting my gaze. “It wasn’t permanent when I first brought her over, but she’s happy here and I think it will be a good thing.”

  I open my eyes, shocked. “A good thing? It’s a great thing. An amazing thing. I’m so happy for you,” I say, locking eyes with Mrs. Mixx. “For both of you.” Aidan told me he visited her and that things were choppy but improving. I didn’t push the boundaries by asking for details, but I’m so proud of him. For overcoming. For being the man I always knew he could be, and by doing the world’s hardest act: forgiving.

  “Sometimes all we need is the grace of a reset button,” she says, squeezing her son’s arm, then meeting my gaze. “It’s the greatest gift of my life.”

  Aidan’s tearful gaze is soft as he leans over to hug her, and my heart swells. Mrs. Mixx pushes away. “You two enjoy this moment. I love you. The both of you.”

  When she returns to the crowd, I’m visibly shaken with emotion. Aidan brushes the tears from under my eyes. “That was a yes, right?”

  I nod. “A forever yes,” I confirm. “This was so beautiful, Aidan. All of it. Thank you so much for this.”

  He brushes his lips softly against mine. “Thank you for giving me a life.”

  Wiping my nose and hiccupping, I laugh. “You’re welcome. Now, I think there’s something else you’re supposed to give me tonight.”

  He pulls away, a glimmer of feral desire spiking. “Only one thing?”

  Epilogue

  Aidan

  SHE’S SILHOUETTED AGAINST THE window, her curves on display as she looks over the ocean. Magnolia is naked, ready, and most importantly, she’s my wife. To have and to hold. For the rest of my life. Approaching her, I drop a kiss on her shoulder and she turns to look at me, finding my lips with her own. It’s the last night in my apartment before I move in with her. She’s made a big bed on the floor like the first time we spent the night together, and I’m looking forward to having her body any which way she’ll give it to me.

  “You tired?” I ask. She helped me move the rest of my stuff into her house today.

  She quirks one brow. “What do you think?” she replies, reaching a soft hand out to trail down my chest, abs, and ends on my cock. “I mean, if you’re tired. I get it. You were moving all those heavy boxes.”

  My body reacts instantly to her touch, hardening to my full length and girth. “Magnolia, I could have performed far more energy draining activities and I’d still want to fuck you all night. Let’s be honest with each other.” My fingers trail between her legs to find her soft and wet. Dipping a finger in, I watch as her eyes close and her head falls against my chest.

  I laugh at the instantaneous reaction. “Don’t laugh. It’s not funny.” Magnolia pants.

  “It’s kind of funny. It’s a good thing.”

  “It’s why I have your rings on my finger,” Magnolia retorts, yelping in pleasure as I press against her G-spot and rub back and forth. “That feels so good.”

  I pull out of her and she shudders in frustration. “You only married me because I’m good with my hands?” I say, mock hurt on my face, brow furrowed. She smirks, takes my dick in her hand and kneels to put it in her mouth. It’s my turn to groan as I watch her slide it in and out of her mouth, licking a long line from base to tip every few pumps. “Go ahead, you’re going to work me into a frenzy and then stop abruptly, right? I’m on to you.”

  She smiles around my cock and I think I might come right then and there. “You really are going to kill me, Magnolia.”

  She pops her lips off of me and stands. Running a finger along my lip she says, “I don’t want to do that, now do I? I want you forever, and you’re wrong. I’m not going to work you into a frenzy and then stop. I’m going to work you into a frenzy and then sink down on to your cock and ride you.” With her pointer finger that might as well be a fist, she pushes my chest. Backing up to the pallet of blankets on the floor, I lay down and fold my arms behind my head.

  She’s a vision of sexual prowess and beauty as she stalks toward me and follows me down. Her lips are everywhere and finally, she brings her sweet pussy right where we both want it. Riding me up and down at an infuriatingly slow pace, she brings herself to the brink of orgasm. Every muscle in my body is coiled, ready to release, but I hold back until she comes. I hold back because I want to remember this moment. The one where my wife takes her pleasure from my body while simultaneously giving me the world.

  Magnolia sinks all the way down until she’s filled herself with me. I grit my teeth as I feel her cunt grip my cock as she explodes into orgasm. She doesn’t have to ride me anymore. Feeling her wrap around me as love laced moans ricochet off the walls of my empty apartment, is all it takes for me. I grab her hips to hold her in place and release deep inside her. Collapsing on my chest, I can taste her breaths as she pants in relief.

  “Round one,” I say, kissing her ear.

  She kisses me, holding my face. I’m in for it. I can see it in her face. “Will you go down on me next and then you can be on top. Also, from behind in front of that window, and then more of your tongue between my legs?”

  My softening hard-on immediately responds to her request
. I laugh. “You have quite the itinerary.” I jut my hips up, and she moans. My cock reports to steel hard status. “Sure you want me to pull out to go down on you?”

  “No. You’re right,” she says, closing her eyes, pulling at my shoulders to roll me on top of her without disconnecting our bodies. “Aidan Mixx, I love you so much.”

  “Not because I’m inside you?” I reply, biting my lip.

  She shakes her head left and right, her eyes still closed as she languidly appreciates my thrusts. Her lashes flutter as her gaze finds mine. Laying a hand on my cheek, she says, “Because you’re mine.”

  My heart does that thing. Where it beats and stops at the same time. “I love you too.”

  Bad boys don’t reform. There isn’t some lesson we learn that turns the tides. What happens, and I’m pretty sure it’s true for most of us is, we casually stumble into the woman made for only us. Sometimes it’s not lightning striking, or a divine symbol reflecting a “This Is It!” sign above their heads. It’s in the way they praise you. Touch you a little differently than all those who came before. It’s in the way they react to your smile. How they live without you. When you tally the score, it’s undeniable proof that what you’re feeling is real. There is no hesitation in requiring more of their love. Their time. Their life. There’s no doubt there is only one.

  _______________

  Kendall graduates on a Tuesday. And leaves for college the following Friday. She was accepted into a summer study program that lets her start her freshman year early. The air is hot and the breeze is strong as I close the trunk on Kendall’s car. Magnolia is a mess—crying off and on constantly. She’s standing next to me clasping my hand so tightly I’ve lost all blood flow to my right arm. “I left my phone charger in the house,” Kendall says, jogging up the front steps to go in the house.

  Magnolia sniffs and whispers, “Only a few more minutes. I only have to hold it together for a few more minutes.”

  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t choked up a bit, too. If not because the emotions rolling off Magnolia are intense, but because I’ll miss the kid myself, too. My mom comes out on the porch and slowly makes her way down the steps. She’s happy here, becoming accustomed to the slow, beachy way of life this small town offers. She has Bingo at the fire station every Friday and Gin with the girls that work at the General Store on Wednesday nights. Starting over with my mother hasn’t been all peaches and cream. I have questions about my childhood and she has answers. Sometimes not ones I want to hear, but she always gives me honesty and that’s all I can ask for. We’re repairing our bond one day at a time.

  The woman standing next to me was the one to stir that milestone, and I’ll be forever grateful for the push in the right direction. Kendall kisses my mom on the cheek. “Bye, Mimi. Keep these two out of trouble. I’m sure now that I’m out of the house they’re going to rage and party. Keep them cool,” she says, smirking at me. “Make sure they don’t do anything stupid.”

  My mom laughs, a throaty cackle I never remember hearing during my youth. It’s a new memory. One I’m fond of. “They’ll rage. And they’ll miss you with all their heart, darling. Go get that degree. Stay away from the boys. Always wear clean underpants, and tell the truth even if you lose friends for it.”

  I nod, running a hand over my mouth. Sound advice. “Yes. Stay away from boys,” I echo one sentiment.

  Kendall laughs. “Come on, Aidan. I’m an adult now.” She waggles her brows.

  Magnolia sighs next to me, trying her best to stay strong. “Boston is so far away, honey.” This was a point of contention. It’s where Kendall dreamed of going. It’s far away from Florida and the time she’ll be able to visit home will be scarce. “Call me every day. Even twice a day if you feel like it. If you ever need anything, just ask. I’ll be right there.”

  “We’ll both be there if you need us,” I add. “Now drive safe and get out of here before your poor Mom loses her mind.” Magnolia hits my shoulder playfully and pulls her daughter into her arms. The hug lasts a long time and neither of them are ready for it to end. A tear slips down Kendall’s face and she’s quick about brushing it away.

  She meets my eyes, and her grin widens. Mouthing the words, “Thank you” she pulls away from the embrace and walks toward me. “Give me some good advice,” she says, standing taller than she was moments before. “Big ole SEAL like you must have something really intuitive and insightful for me before I go off into the world outside of Bronze Bay.”

  Magnolia cries out when she’s reminded that Kendall is leaving even though the car is packed to the nines and the engine is on and waiting. She covers her mouth and reins it in. “This is harder than I thought it would be. I’m sorry.” Magnolia moves back to link arms with my mom and leans her head on her shoulder as she wipes at her face with a disintegrating tissue.

  Under my breath I say, “Well first, never forget how much that woman loves you,” I tease. Kendall smiles, shaking her head.

  “Like I could forget.” I can see the emotion swelling in her eyes. “What else?”

  I nod once, meet Magnolia’s eyes, and look back to my stepdaughter. “Not everyone gets a reset button, Kendall. Don’t be afraid to live full throttle.” I shake my head, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Cherish the moments you’re happy. Learn from the ones when you’re sad, and whatever you do, never let your past cloud your present.”

  She leans in and hugs me. “I won’t,” Kendall promises. When she releases me, she kisses Magnolia once more and she’s gone.

  “Come on inside, I made lunch,” Mom says, leaving us to return to the kitchen. I affirm we’ll be inside in a second and take Magnolia into my arms.

  “I’m going to miss her so much,” she says.

  “She’s going to miss you,” I reply.

  Magnolia kisses me, snot smearing under my nose. She apologizes when she pulls away and uses her wadded tissue to wipe it off me. I cringe. “You going to pull it together so we can try out our new bed tonight?” It’s her newest auction purchase.

  “Of course,” she cries out. “I’ll never miss a chance to sleep with you.”

  Pressing my lips together, I raise one brow. “Mrs. Mixx, I don’t want sleep with you.”

  She pretends to be offended.

  “I want to put a baby inside you.”

  Magnolia blushes a furious shade of red. “And start all over?” she says.

  Cupping her cheek, I kiss her softly once. “Reset.”

  Author’s note

  I’ve never written a book about a mother before. I think it’s because the task always seemed too large, too powerful. To encapsulate, and effectively portray a role that means so much to so many people. My mom raised me by herself. Granted, my dad was in the picture and helped out a lot, and I had grandparents that loved me dearly, I think, for a daughter, it’s their mother that dictates the strong character traits they embody. Some may say that coming from a divorced home is a negative, that it weakens the children, but I’m living proof that the broken home I came from, as do so many others, had a positive impact in my life well into adulthood. I knew early on what hard work and sacrifice looked like. I saw firsthand how difficult it was for my mom to be at a million different places at the same time and still get dinner on the table.

  She is a hero. A living, breathing representation of how you take a bad decision, or a difficult time and you use it to shape yourself, and your children. Her resiliency prepared me to be a military wife. Her fierce determination is why I will never quit something I start. Her work ethic is to be admired by all. Her honesty in the face of adversity is a testament to the person she is and now to the person she raised.

  I tilt my hat to the single mothers out there. No one deserves respect and admiration like you do. I hope you know how much you’re loved. They’re watching. Give them something fierce and brave to look at.

  Other Titles by Rachel Robinson

  CRAZY GOOD SERIES

  CRAZY GOOD

  SET IN STONE
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  TIME AND SPACE

  THE REAL SEAL SERIES

  BLACK AND WHITE FLOWERS

  HERO HAIR

  LIFE PLUS ONE

  BRONZE BAY SEAL SERIES

  KEEPING IT

  TOSSING IT

  STEALING IT

  ROMANTIC COMEDY

  FROG HOG NOVELLAS

  Frog Hog – Valen and Hutch

  EROTIC ROMANCE

  THE DOM GAMES

  Visit Rachel Robinson online

  www.racheljrobinson.com

  https://www.facebook.com/racheljeanrobinson