Page 63 of Truck Up
“I know.” She runs her fingers through my hair, and it feels like heaven. “Just promise to talk to me from now on. You can tell me anything. I will never judge you.”
“I’ll try.” She squeezes me closer, and I nuzzle my face into her, giving her stomach a kiss. “Can’t promise I won’t fuck it up, though. And often.”
She chuckles. “I can handle it.”
I look up at her and smile when I see the light in her eyes. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Yes, you do.” She leans down and kisses my forehead. “I’ve got something for you. Wait here.”
She extracts herself from my hold and scoots out of the bed. I groan when I realize she’s wearing nothing but a tiny pair of thongs and one of my old T-shirts. I can just make out the curve of her ass as she walks around the bed.
“When can I fuck that ass again?” I say, not bothering to filter my thoughts.
She looks over her shoulder and rolls her eyes at me. “Always so crude.”
“You love that about me,” I say just before she disappears into the front room.
“You’re not wrong,” she calls out. There’s a hint of playfulness to her tone that lets me know we’re okay. She has every reason to hate me. She should hate me for the way I ran away, leaving her alone to deal with this mess.
I’ve still got a lot to make up for, and I’ll do whatever it takes to deserve her heart.
I roll over onto my back and kick my shoes off. When my head sinks back into the pillow, I realize just how tired I am. I’ve been on the go, mostly running on adrenaline and fear, for nearly a month.
“Here,” she says as she crawls onto the bed and straddles me. She hands me a small piece of paper.
“What’s this?” I stare at it for a moment before my eyes focus. Then my eyes widen as I realize what it might be. “Is this—”
The smile that spreads across her face is brighter than the sun on a clear day. She nods.
“Our baby,” I whisper.
“It’s just a teeny tiny nugget at the moment, but yeah, that’s our baby.”
She leans down and rests her head on my chest. I wrap one arm around her and hold her close while I stare at the tiny bean shaped nugget in the picture.
I’m in awe. Both for this woman and this tiny baby I helped create. A sensation I can’t quite explain consumes me. It feels both joyful and terrifying at the same time. I can’t put words to it but I know one thing for sure. I need this woman more than I need the air I breathe.
“I don’t want to lose you,” I admit out loud for the first time.
“Then don’t,” she says like it’s the simplest thing in the world. I kiss the top of her head as my eyes fall heavy. Being here with her is all it takes to calm my soul and put me at ease.
“Live here with me?” I ask before sleep consumes me.
“Yes,” is all she says before I drift off.
We still have a lot to figure out. It will take time, and this cabin needs a lot of work before we can make it home. But I’m committed to making it happen. As long as she’s with me, anything is possible.
Chapter 13
Family is a state of mind.
Amelia
My eyes slowly open as the morning sun peaks through the slots on the blinds. I roll over and stare up at the ceiling. It’s been a week since Christian returned, and in that time, I’ve moved into the homestead with him while he’s having the cabin renovated and expanded.
It’s a huge project and it’ll take several months to complete, but Christian isn’t wasting any time getting it done. He says he’s ready to create a home for us and our baby. He wants it ready long before our little nugget is born.
We agreed on a design for a new home, and he immediately lined up a contractor to get it started. The land around the cabin has already been cleared and the expanded foundation is poured. The walls started going up two days ago.