Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 164828 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164828 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
I smile at my beautiful man as his eyes fill with tears. “I do.” I slide the wedding ring on his finger.
“And do you, Nathan, take Eliza Bennet to be your lawful wedded wife, from this day forward, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do.” He smiles as he slides the wedding ring on my finger.
I giggle in excitement and he bites his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing.
“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Nathan lifts my veil back, and to the cheers of our family and friends, his lips slowly take mine as we smile against each other.
We made it…
Our way.
Five years later
I stir the gravy on the hotplate, and a text comes through on my phone:
I smile and text back.
Please!
I put my phone down and continue with dinner. Twenty minutes later, I hear the key in the door.
“Daddy!” I hear Ashton cry.
“Dada.” Gracie struggles to get down from my arms, but she toddles in a run toward the front door. I smile as I turn back to my stirring.
Daddy is the favorite person in the house. His homecoming is a huge deal every night. Ashton is four, and Gracie is eighteen months old. We live in our apartment through the week, so that we are close to the hospital for Nathan. For the weekends, we bought a farm an hour outside the city. Life, for us, is hectic… and so happy.
I hear Nathan laugh out loud, and then I hear Ash scream in excitement.
He’s getting tipped upside down by his feet out there like he does every night.
I hear Gracie squeal in excitement. She’s getting tipped back and kissed on her neck right now. Ha, no wonder him getting home is so exciting.
He’s the fun one.
“Snoopy, no.” I hear Nathan gasp.
I smile as I stir, every single night without fail, Snoopy, our cat, likes to brush up against Nathan’s dark suit pants, leaving the evidence of fur for his affection, much to Nathan’s horror.
“Snoopy, no.” Ashton says as he steps in to be dad’s bouncer.
Nathan walks around the corner with his children in his arms. He smiles softly when he sees me.
“Hey, babe.”
“Hi.” I beam. I still get a physical reaction to my husband. Nothing is hotter than Nathan Mercer in his suit.
He kisses me, his lips lingering over mine, and the kids struggle to get out of his arms. He puts them down, and they run off.
“How’s my girl?” His hands run down over my heavily pregnant stomach.
“Good.” I smile against his lips. “Huge.”
He chuckles. “And fucking hot.” He pulls my hips toward him. Nathan Mercer has a new fetish. He’s officially obsessed with my pregnant body.
I’m all hormonal and horny, so we are a good match. Although, I’m quite sure that married pregnant people are not supposed to act like we do. We’re bad.
His tongue tenderly explores my mouth as he kisses me, and I feel my feet rise up from the floor.
“I got you something today.” I smile.
“I’m fucking starving,” he says, distracted. He turns and looks into the oven and then realizes what I said. “You did?”
I hand it over proudly. I did good with this present. I wrapped it and everything
“What is it?” He holds it to his ear and gives it a shake.
“Just open it.”
He tears the wrapping off, and his eyes widen. “Eliza,” he whispers.
I giggle. It’s the latest book from his favorite author, Giraldi. I ordered it in, especially. It doesn’t hit bookstores until next week.
“I haven’t read a book in so long.” He stares at it in awe. “I can’t wait to read this this weekend.”
“I know. You deserve this book, honey.” I love that he’s so excited. He doesn’t get time to read anymore. With work and the kids and me, he falls into bed in an exhausted heap every night.
He opens the front page and sees the message I wrote.
Truer, Madder, Deeper.
Forever.
He holds the book over his heart and smiles. “Thank you.” He kisses me softly. “I love it—so thoughtful.”
Gracie comes running into the kitchen and holds her arms up for Nathe. He picks her up, and she reaches for his book.
“Careful,” he says as he passes it over. “Very special,” he whispers.
She hurls it, and it goes flying across the room and lands straight into the sink full of the dishwater I have a pot soaking in.
“Ahh.” His hand dives in after it and pulls it out. It’s soaking wet, and water flies everywhere. It slops onto the counter, completely ruined.