“I don’t think it’s the only thing that needs cleaning.” Shane chuckles and kisses my neck. “I can still feel chocolate all over my chest.”
“Me too. Oh God, I hope I didn’t get some… up there… That can’t be good for the hygiene at all!”
He pushes himself up, eyes finding mine as he smiles down at me. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll get you all nice and clean in the shower. I’ll give you a personal, thorough wash down there.” He winks and I burst out laughing.
“Oh lord, that did not sound as sexy as you thought it did.” I cup his cheeks and bring him in for a kiss, still laughing against his lips before he stands up and brings me down from the counter.
A few hours later, after we’ve showered and I’ve made Shane and I dinner, we wander into the theater room hand in hand. We’ve only used the theater room once since I’ve been basically living here with Shane. I’m not a huge movie fanatic, but I dolove the double seats in here where Shane and I can cuddle up close under a blanket while a film plays on the massive screen.
He brings us up to the middle row and down to the center, then pulls out his phone as we sit down together and uses the smart devices to turn off the lights in the room. I love the fact that this entire castle is basically a smart home, although that can’t be too practical during a power outage. But Shane assured me that it rarely happens and even if it did, his generators would take over quickly.
Once the room is plunged into darkness, I expect the big screen to turn on next, but instead a soft mechanical sound above us draws my attention. I look up just in time to see a huge section of the roof retracting and giving way to the night sky through a large skylight.
“Shane!” I gasp in awe when the stars above come into view. In the city, we rarely get to see the stars this clearly because of all the lights.
“They were announcing a clear sky tonight. I thought it would be nice to watch the stars a little before bed.” He kisses my temple, pulling me close to him as he drapes a soft blanket over us.
“I love it. Although if you had told me that this was here sooner, I would have probably spent all my nights here whenever you were away.” I giggle, resting my head against the crook of his neck.
“Well, now you know for future times.” His finger caresses beneath my chin before tilting my head back to capture my lips.
When we pull apart, I find myself gazing at this beautiful man I get to call mine and tears well in my eyes as a lump forms in my throat. “I love you, Shane. I love you so much, I don’t even understand it sometimes,” I whisper, looking deeply into his turquoise eyes.
“Angel,” he murmurs with such softness I feel it down to my toes.
“When we first met, I used to wonder why you made my heart beat funny, why this strange feeling would fill my stomach every time you looked at me. I’d wonder why every time you came too close to me, I suddenly didn’t remember how to talk or act properly when I’d never had that issue before. I’d find myself questioning what it was about you that made all these weird yet amazing things happen to me, what it was about you that made this side of me wake up.”
Shane cups my cheek, his thumb caressing my reddened skin as a tear slips free and he catches it instantly. I bring my own hand up and mimic his, my finger tracing his adorable dimple that appears as he smiles at me.
“I could never come up with a reasonable explanation at the time, but now, I know. It was never something specific about you, it wasjustyou. It was my heart and soul letting me know that you were the one I was meant to wait for.”
Shane claims my lips with a passionate kiss within the next second, bringing my body back to life. Then he makes love to me beneath the stars for the next hour, pouring all the love he holds for me out through every touch and soft caress.
Chapter sixteen
Aubrey
Froot Loops, watermelons, and caramel sundaes.
~ One Month Later / March ~
“Still a lucky bitch with no symptoms I see.” Emma narrows her eyes at me with a displeased look.
I giggle while biting my lip. “Nope, but I did start getting strange cravings. So, maybe?”
I shake the bag of Froot Loops in my hand as I dig into it and stuff more into my mouth. It’s not something I’ve ever done,eating dry cereal in the middle of the day, but apparently, it’s been my snack of choice for the past two weeks.
We were in bed when the mood struck. Shane was watching video clips on his tablet while I was going through a list of potential employees to hire, and then the thought just popped into my head. I told Shane how much I was craving a bowl of Froot Loops, and he immediately took out his phone and ordered ten boxes.
I laughed at how quick his response was and thought he was a bit aggressive with the ten boxes. But apparently my man knows me better than I know myself because I’m now on box nine… in two weeks.This can’t be healthy.
“Oh, I miss those cravings. There was something so satisfying about eating them when they showed up, better than any food. Mine were pickles and brownies.” Cecilia gets this happy faraway look in her eyes as if she’s picturing eating them right now.
“Yes, weallremember your cravings,” Emma deadpans. She’s been extremely cranky lately, but I can’t blame her. She’s now thirty-seven weeks and if she doesn’t give birth by the end of the week, she’s going to be induced.
“Well, I don’t. You know, since I wasn’t around at that time.” Ronnie frowns at Emma who sits awkwardly in her armchair.
We’re currently in Emma’s home, except for Morgan who wasn’t up to joining us. The twins are now a month old and she’s finally getting the hang of it, but she’s still extremely exhausted. She and Clay hired a full-time nanny named Natalia, who lives in the pool house apartment they have in their backyard. I’m sure that’s helping out a lot, certainly when the boys are away.
