Page 240 of By His Vow
With her warmth against me, it doesn’t take long before I drift off to sleep. Although, it’s not as peaceful I as would hope for. Instead, it’s full of fanciful images of a future I’m not going to get.
Soft and sweet child’s laughter fills the air as the warmth rushes over my skin. The scents of summer float around me as I sip on a cool drink while staring out over the lush English garden.
Flowers of all varieties and colors fill beds and hanging baskets.
It’s the perfect summer haven.
The sun continues to warm my skin, turning my usually pale complexion, a rich golden color I love.
Footsteps move toward me, and I look over in time to see Kingston emerge from the cottage wearing only a tan pair of shorts. His torso is bare and delicious, sending an entirely different wave of heat through me.
“Everything okay?” I ask. He disappeared a little over thirty minutes ago to take a call from Kian.
“Yeah, nothing he can’t deal with,” he says before ducking down to kiss me.
With the squeals and laughter far enough away, he doesn’t immediately pull back. Instead, his tongue teases the seam of my lips, seeking entry.
The second my mouth opens, he groans, eagerly pushing his tongue past my lips in search of my own. His hand wraps around the back of my neck, angling me exactly as he wants me.
For long, blissful minutes, I lose myself in my husband while our children play happily.
There’s a bark, our pup playing with them before a loud scream brings our kiss to an abrupt end.
We’re both on our feet in a heartbeat and running toward the end of the garden to discover our daughter climbing to her feet, having obviously fallen from the monkey bars of the play set they love.
I hang back as Kingston rushes toward her and sweeps her off her feet, checking her over as if she’s the most precious thing in the world.
“I told her she couldn’t reach,” our boy points out. I glance over, meeting his green eyes and smiling.
“Sometimes we have to make our own mistakes.” Or at least, headstrong girls like us do.
When I wake a few hours later, the images from my dreams continue to linger despite my best attempt at banishing them.
Thinking about a future where Kingston and I are still together and have brought children into the world is as terrifying as it is unrealistic.
My destiny may well be that cottage and being able to watch my kids grow and play in the garden, but it won’t be with him.
A year from now our time will be over, our commitment to each other fulfilled. He’ll continue to focus on building the Callahan and Warner brand and I’ll…well, who knows.
Maybe I will get on a plane and start over in England, or maybe I’ll hang around here for a while longer. I guess only time will tell. But one thing I know for sure is that whatever we do, it won’t be together, no matter how much it hurts my heart to think about it.
“How do you feel about opening an obscene number of wedding presents?” I ask Griz when she looks up at me with her large, dark eyes. “No. I don’t really feel like it either.”
Leaving her in bed, I pad through to the bathroom to clean up before mustering as much courage as I can and heading downstairs.
No sooner have I pulled the door open does my stomach start growling. The scent filling the air is out of this world, and it ensures I take the stairs a little faster than I was anticipating.
"Oh my god,” I gasp when I find Kingston standing in the middle of his kitchen, surrounded by an array of home-cooked Mexican food.
He spins around at the sound of my voice, his eyes softening the second they land on me.
“Hey, did you sleep well?” he asks.
I shrug one shoulder, unwilling to lie to him, although I have no intention of telling him the reason for my fitful sleep. The fact I remember so vividly is bad enough.
“Well, I hope you’re hungry. I wasn’t sure what you’d want, so I made a little bit of everything,” he confesses, and I swear there’s a little shyness in his expression I’ve never seen before.
“It looks amazing. When are the rest of the guests arriving?” I tease.