Page 42 of Cannon

Cannon’s hand picked up her hand and placed it on his chest.

“This was for you. He’ll calm down and wait his turn. And from now on, when you feel horny, you come tell me. I don’t want you suffering.”

Jesse smiled, then giggled. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of horniness described as suffering. Has anyone died from horniness?”

Cannon’s chest vibrated as he laughed at her. “No, I’m sure not, but I can’t make this pregnancy easier for you. Your body is nourishing our girls. I can take care of the horniness though, so please let me.”

“Okay,” Jesse agreed.

Jesse laid there for a little bit, holding back sleep. In the dark of the night was when Cannon shared about his life growing up,and she didn’t want to miss it if he wanted to talk. She waited, but he didn’t say anything, just laid there beside her breathing deeply.

She believed they’d made strides toward moving their relationship forward, but she wondered how it would be when they had the girls here and had to go back to the real world. She was relaxed, but if he wasn’t going to bring something up, she was. In bed at night was one of the few times they could guarantee they’d be alone.

“Have you thought about names for the girls yet?” Jesse said softly.

Cannon’s body moved a little under her hand.

“I guess but not actual names, more I wonder what we should call them since we can’t call them Sparky one and two.”

Jesse chuckled and then leaned up a little to brush a kiss against Cannon’s jaw. His beard wasn’t quite as bristly since he wasn’t trimming it close.

“I like this side of your personality.”

“Have you thought of names yet?” Cannon asked.

“I know Clara has become very special to you and your grandmother was too. What if we did variations of their names? Maybe for Clara, we do Clarissa? Or with your grandmother’s name Virginia, there’s a lot of variations. I’m kind of partial to Ginny.”

Cannon was quiet for a little bit, and Jesse let him think. The closer they became, the better she knew him, and he knew her. Sometimes Cannon needed time to think things through.

“I love that idea, but what about your mom? I know she was special to you.”

Jesse patted Cannon’s chest and closed her eyes. She loved that he was thinking about her feelings.

“We could always give them Kathryn as a middle name. Or we don’t have to. I even thought about Franks as a middle name but couldn’t make it sound right.”

Cannon’s hand grasped hers and held on tight. “I want to thank you for forgiving me.” Cannon’s voice broke, and Jesse could hear the tears in his voice. If she could find his dad, she’d teach him something.

“I thought I’d never have this. I never dreamed of kids because who would want my kids? I didn’t believe anyone would ever want my brokenness. You could have kicked me out after everything I said, but instead, you let me in.”

Jesse leaned up and wiped the tears off his face.

“Everyone is a little broken and bruised and needs to be given a little grace. Of course, I would forgive you. I love you, and you are genuinely sorry. And the more I know about you, the more I can understand why you did what you did. I’m on our side. We’re a team.”

She leaned over to brush a kiss against his face again, but Cannon turned, and his lips met hers. It wasn’t the blazing passion from the night they’d been together. It was a slow, sweet claiming wrapped in the promise of their future. Each touch reminding her of his love. He pulled away and rubbed his nose against hers.

“Jesse Franks, I’ve arrived at that place where I can’t imagine life without you.”

“Ditto, Cannon.”

He chuckled, then placed a quick kiss against her lips then laid back. For some reason, having Sarah check on his father was a thought that wouldn’t leave her mind. She needed someone to dig into the girls’ homelife anyway. She’d send a text in the morning.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jesse sat with her feet up, feeling another one of those freaking stupid Braxton Hicks contractions. At her appointment last week, she’d thought she was in labor only to be told they were only practice contractions. She’d had to look up who named them. Of course, it was some man in the 1800s who’d never experienced them for himself. Half the time they didn’t feel like practice contractions. They felt like what she imagined the real thing to be.

Cannon had gotten upgraded to a smaller walking cast and a brace for his arm. He’d been thrilled to lose the wheelchair. He’d even gone back over and done a couple of office tasks at the range.

Jesse, her dad, and her sisters had all sat down and gone over exactly how the garage would function going forward. Once the girls were here and she was able to work on vehicles again, then she’d structure her days at the garage to make it work best for her and Cannon. Since school was starting soon, she’dtalked to the administration about how she planned on doing the classes going forward. They’d be twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Her dad, Scoop, and a couple others would be her coverage when the girls were born and after for a little bit.