Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 129179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Just as the sun started to go down, Jordan dropped to his knee and took my hand. I heard the sound of photos being taken as he held up an absolutely gorgeous French-cut diamond set on a halo band. It was quite large but still tasteful and not huge, which thrilled me. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d told the jeweler he wanted my ring to be seen from space.
“Angel, will you marry me?”
I burst into tears as I nodded frantically. He slid the ring onto my finger, and it was a perfect fit.
When he stood up, I jumped into his arms and kissed him a hundred times as everyone around us clapped. We were married seven months later in that very spot, the swell of my pregnant belly just barely visible in my wedding dress.
Epilogue
Natalie
I waved at my mom as she went toward the guesthouse, which had become her official residence the second I told Jordan I was pregnant. He’d tried to pay her house off several times before then but she wouldn’t hear of it. Once she knew she was going to be a grandmother, all bets were off. Without the burden of an expensive mortgage, it was easy to talk Mom into taking jobs closer to home. Within three years she’d transitioned to working only in California, Arizona or Nevada. She was never far from us, and I loved it. We’d gone out for burgers at the Malibu Inn while Jordan had taken our boys to shop for a gift for me, since my thirtieth birthday was almost upon us.
I laughed when the front door opened before I had a chance to touch the doorknob. Jordan pulled me into his arms like I’d been gone for days instead of a few hours. I fell into his embrace happily because I’d missed him, too. Eleven and a half years into our marriage, we were more in love than we’d ever been.
Jordan made a husky sound as he put two fingers under my chin and tilted my head back for a kiss. It was always the same—that slide of his tongue against mine was magic. Wrapping my arms around him, I moaned softly as our kiss grew more passionate. The sound of fake gagging interrupted us.
“You two are so weird,” our oldest son announced.
Jordan and I finished kissing before we pulled apart, laughing. Jason rolled his eyes as came across the living room toward us.
“Dad’s a nut,” he said as he came forward and kissed my cheek. “He checked the door like ten times because he wanted you back home. You two love each other too much.”
I smiled as I rested my head back on my husbands shoulder. His hand rubbed up and down my side as he held me close.
“That’s not true,” our younger son argued as he came down the hall toward the foyer. Asher was eight and the spitting image of his father. “If they weren’t like this they’d be like our neighbors. They don’t even like each other and they’re married. That’s the worst.”
Jordan shrugged. “True, but you have to admit Mom and Dad are gross. They kiss and hold hands more than any parents I know.”
Asher made a farting sound with his mouth as he stopped in front of us, reaching up to kiss me on the cheek. My sons were a lot like their father. They treated me the way he did, which was why they came out to greet me the second I came home. I had no doubt Jordan had called out to them as soon as I’d pulled into the driveway.
I’d always wanted to be a mom, but I hadn’t realized just how amazing it would be. After a rough delivery with Asher, Jordan took control and had a vasectomy. It was sweet that he’d endured the pain purely because he didn’t want me to have to take birth control. Our family was small but perfect.
“Is Grandma back over at her house or did she go out again?” Jason asked.
“She’s over there and she got treats for you while we were out,” I laughed.
“Score,” he laughed as he high-fived his brother. “Asher and I are going over to her house.”
We waved them off as they raced off to walk across the driveway to see her. I knew they’d be gone for hours since my Mom’s treats were burgers and a just released movie.
Jordan and I tried hard not to spoil the boys, but my Mom had declared early that it was the right of the grandmother to dote on her grandchildren. It worked out perfectly.
After closing the door behind them, Jordan lifted me up into his arms and headed for the bedroom. We were as insatiable for each other as ever.
He closed and locked our bedroom door behind him before walking me into the bathroom. I giggled when I realized his intention. Our bathroom had been redecorated three times over the years, but one thing had never changed. The incredible view in the shower room was as good as ever. We’d added a large seating area in the shower during a remodel we did in the first year we were married. There’d been a fairly good size tile ledge to sit in before, but Jordan wanted more. What we wound up doing was building a bigger area in front of the window. It was six feet long and four feet wide, and we’d spent literally thousands of hours making love right in that very spot.