AllFreeNovel
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I fist the cotton of his shirt at the heart and tug him forward until our lips meet in the middle. Soft and warm, Devlyn kisses me with unprecedented tenderness. Once, twice, his lips sweep over mine reverently. Then his tongue paints my bottom lip and I gasp. Invite him in. Taste him on my tongue. Melt into him.
Crawling into his lap, we shift until his back presses against the cushions and I straddle his hips. His fingers curl at my waist as mine lace behind his neck. The kiss deepens as his hands shift and trail up my spine beneath my shirt. My fingers finding their way into his long, thick strands.
“Love you, Shelly.” His lips kiss along my jaw, down the column of my neck, across my collarbone.
I curl my fingers in his hair, scrape my nails over his scalp. “Love you, Dev.”
Over the next several hours, until the faint light of dawn filters through the windows, we love each other. With lips and fingers. Light touches and whispered words. Occasional scratches and bite marks. Skin on sweat-slicked skin. Linked and bonded through the most pivotal, base connection. The most real and raw and undeniable connection. His body and mine.
Until my heart no longer beats, until my lungs no longer fill with air, I will love this man. Will share my heart with him. Will let him hold it close to his own. Let him care for me—for us—in a way no one else ever will.
Because Devlyn isn’t just a boyfriend. He isn’t just the father of the baby growing in my womb. This man is my heart. This man is my soul. More than anything, this man is my life. Where I am meant to be. In his arms, every day of forever.
TWELVE
DEVLYN
“Put that down,”I shout across the living room of Shelly’s apartment. She narrows her eyes. “Please,” I say a bit softer. “You shouldn’t be lifting anything that heavy.”
Bending at the knees, Shelly sets the box on the floor and I breathe easier. “It’s not even heavy.” She rests fists on her hips. “Maybe ten pounds. Knickknacks from the kitchen junk drawer and the stuff I had on the fridge.” Her eyes drop to said box. “Heck, it’s probably not even five pounds.”
Last week, Shelly had a checkup and the doctor said all looked great with the baby. We got our first baby picture with the ultrasound. Dr. Webster said the baby is roughly the size of a sweet potato, which I thought was odd as a visual reference but it works.
She asked if we wanted to know the gender of the baby. We declined, opting for the surprise.
During that same visit, Dr. Webster noted Shelly’s elevated blood pressure and ordered she take it easy. Rest as much as possible. Not strain herself or lift anything too heavy.
Packing up her apartment and moving her into the house have made this directive difficult.
Shelly spoke with her landlord at the start of the week and since she only has two months left on her lease, they agreed to let her break it. Granted, she won’t get her deposit back, but the money doesn’t concern me more than her well-being.
One step forward, then another, I hold her at arm’s length. “This sucks, I get it. But you heard what Dr. Webster said. You need to take it easy. Pack up the boxes and I’ll carry them.”
Her eyes fall shut as she takes a deep breath and sighs. “Ugh. I hate this.” She shakes her head. “Feels like I’m helpless. Incapable.”
I wrap my arms around her waist and draw her close. Press my lips to her cheek. “You aren’t and you know it. Pregnancy won’t last forever. We’re almost halfway there.” I kiss her other cheek. “It’s a big adjustment, but if it keeps you both safe, then it’s what matters most.”
Warm arms tighten their hold on my waist. “I know.” She kisses my neck, then takes a step back. “I’ll go work on filling the boxes in the bedroom.”
Hours pass as Shelly and I fill boxes with clothes and books, dishes and small appliances. I carry them out, one by one, and load them in my car or hers. When not an inch of empty space is visible in either of our cars, we lock up the apartment and drive across town to the house.
We park in the driveway and I start unloading both our cars. Pile the boxes in the empty space near the sliding glass doors. Do my best to separate the box stacks by room to make the next step less stressful. When all the boxes are in the house, I help unpack, but let Shelly place her things where she’d like them.
“Is everyone getting together tomorrow?”
Weeks have passed since we last hung out with her friends. Not because we haven’t wanted to; life has just been busy for us all.
“Yeah. Cora messaged earlier and asked if we’d be there.”
I peel newspaper off a plate and hand it to her. “Did you answer?”
Shelly spent so much time with her friends before our relationship blossomed. Now, she sees them less often. Not because of our relationship and the pregnancy, thank goodness. I’d be upset if I were the reason. Between love and marriage and babies, everyone else’s lives have changed too. Both Cora and Autumn have newborns. Cora and Gavin, as well as Micah and Peyton, are still in the honeymoon phase.
She nods. “Mm-hmm. Told her we’d bring potato salad.” Her eyes find mine. “Hope that’s okay.”
I shrug. “Potato salad’s fine. Kind of prefer macaroni salad, but it’s cool.”
She knocks my arm with her shoulder. “I meant me responding without checking with you, not the potato salad.” A soft chuckle leaves her lips and I love hearing the gentle laughter.
