Page 33 of The Substitute
Derek
It was the best weekend of my bloody life.
I feel closer to Maya than I ever have with anyone, and I’m not ready to go back to real life and let everything else interfere with our perfect little bubble.
“What are you thinking?” she asks as she glides her fingers up and down my naked torso. We woke an hour ago, and I couldn’t resist taking her again. She offered to make breakfast, and I’ve discovered that I enjoy seeing Maya cooking in my kitchen, but I wanted to lie here with her for a while first.
“That I’m not ready to share you with the world again.”
“Well, I’d say we should take the day off—since you’re the boss and everything—but we have work to do.”
I smirk at that and kiss her forehead. “What do you want out of life, Maya?”
She looks up at me in surprise and frowns. “What do you mean?”
“What do you want? Not just today or this year, but long term.”
She swallows hard and sits up. “I think I’ll go ahead and start breakfast. Hey—”
She yelps as I tug her back onto the bed and cover her with my body, pinning her there.
“Answer my question. Please.”
She licks her lips, those amazing blue-gray eyes watching me. “I don’t want to.”
“Why?”
“Because it’ll probably send you running for the hills, and I kind of like this.”
I kiss her lips, the touch soft and slow. “I’m not going anywhere. I live here, remember?”
“You know what I mean.” She sighs and traces her finger over my collarbone, not meeting my eyes. “Okay, well, I didn’t know what I wanted. For a long time, I thought I was lost. But I had a conversation with Stella not long ago that brought some things into focus for me.”
“Go on,” I urge when she pauses.
“Well, I like to work, and that’s fine for now.”
“Okay.”
“But”—she finally looks up, meeting my gaze, and there’s so much vulnerability there it takes my breath away—“really, in the grand scheme of things, I want to have a family.”
My stomach clenches at her admission, and I wait as she continues.
“I like taking care of people. I love the idea of raising babies, caring for a home and a husband, and helping out at school. I like to cook. I don’t hate to clean, but if I had help with that, I wouldn’t complain.”
I never had that growing up. My mum was so distant and preoccupied with her work and my father that I didn’t have a doting parent. I realize that if I were to have a family, I’d want that for them.
And the only person I can see filling that role is the one currently in my bed.
“You’re quiet. See, I told you it would make you uncomfortable.”
“Not at all.” I clear my throat. “I think it’s admirable that you know yourself well enough to understand that you want a family.”
“You don’t think it screams 1950?”
“No, I think it screams lovely.” I chuckle and kiss her nose and then roll away from her before I do something stupid like ask her to marry me right here and now.
I’ll have to wait a while for that.