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I swallow thickly because no matter how sweet the gesture is, I still can’t help but feel frustrated by it.
“You didn’t want anything from me. That was the original appeal of you and our arrangement. Just orgasms and fun times wrapped up in a neat bow. Now, I want to give you the world and you’re not even asking for the bare minimum, afraid to be a burden to anyone.”
He pushes a hand through his hair.
“You’re going to be the mother of our children, but you’re also Sophie, the woman I fell in love with.”
He walks toward me. His steps are confident and measured, meanwhile, my heart is fighting to escape my chest. Stopping in front of me, one hand finds my jaw, the other grips my hip, pulling me to him. He tilts my head up until our gazes lock. My heart swells at the emotion I see behind those pools of blue. He already told me he loved me at the park last week, the day we found out we’re having twins, and he’s said it every day since, but I’ll never get tired of hearing those words from his lips.
“I love you, Sophie. I want a life with you. I want you in every way, and I know it will take time to figure everything out. I see that you’re overwhelmed, and I want to be the one to take that burden from you.
“I want to spoil you. I want to buy you things and take you places. Travel the world, then curl up in sweatpants with you on the couch. I want everything with you, Sophie, and I thought giving you a space that you can call your own, even for a little while, would make you happy. Yes, this is new, but also it feels like you’ve always been mine,” his thumb ghosts over my lower lip, “and we’re adding babies to the mix before we’ve had much time together, but I want it all with you. It’s going to be hard and messy and we’re going to be tired and irritated with each other sometimes, I’m sure. But there’s no one I’d rather be all those things with than you.”
My mouth hangs open, my brain starting to spin again, overwhelmed by this man in front of me and his thoughtful gesture. That’s what it is. His way of showing me how he feels and wanting to take care of me. Like Griffin and I agreed to work on our relationship, finding a new dynamic, I need to apply that to me and Hunter. Find a balance between my need for independence and his desire to take care of me.
I look around the condo. It’s beautiful, but I don’t have to see the rest of it to know that it’s not where I want to be.
“I love you, too.” I reach up to cup his face. “And I want everything with you.”
Hunter’s mouth curves into a smile before it drops to mine. He pulls back and my fingers glide down the placket of his shirt.
“I can’t accept the condo, Hunter.”
A faint groan escapes from the depth of his chest but he continues to hold me close.
“I know I’ve been challenging lately. My emotions are all over the place, and you probably don’t want to put up with me, but if the offer still stands to move into your place, I want to do that.”
With my announcement, a huge smile transforms Hunter’s face. “Are you kidding? Of course, it does. I want you there all the time.”
“Good, because there’s no getting rid of me now.”
Hunter lifts me into his arms, kissing me passionately. Minutes pass until we’re finally willing to separate. I look around the condo, then back to Hunter, giving him a sheepish grin.
“So, what’s the return policy on this thing?”
CHAPTER39
Sophie
The intern office is in party mode. While nerves were high this morning, with each person that has come back with their presentation complete, the excitement and office volume has increased. The office is decorated stylishly and there’s a sheet cake with buttercream frosting that I’ve had my eye on since I saw it delivered, but I’m waiting until after my presentation to celebrate. Once it’s over, I’ll drown myself in sugar.
I can’t believe the summer is over and I’m out of my first trimester. I’ll be thirteen weeks next week. After this presentation, Hunter and I are driving to Lake George for the long weekend. We’re meeting his parents and Hannah and James there. I’m so excited.
The time is flying by, but the last month has been exhilarating. I moved in with Hunter and I’m slowly setting up a home office in one of the extra bedrooms. We decided which bedroom would be for the twins and I’ve started a Pinterest board for nursery décor ideas.
Last month, the feature inBrideshit shelves. It was surreal, but I’ve still got the entire stack of issues Hunter and Emma collectively gave me to prove it happened. Since the article came out, my blog has received an insane amount of traffic and requests for advertisers. I’m making some good money with it now. And I was invited to attend a speaker panel at the Blushing Bride convention in Las Vegas next year. It’ll be a challenging time because the twins will be only a month old, but Hunter said we could make it work if I wanted to do it.
One of the best parts of theBridesfeature was the issue party that the editors hosted for all the bloggers and influencers. It was great to meet and network with so many others in the same space. I’ve also started reaching out to vendors in the industry that offer products and services that align with my sustainable wedding business.
All of that has helped shape my final presentation that I’ll be giving this morning.
All the interns were randomly assigned a slot and I’m going last. The anticipation is killing me. I want to rip it off like a band-aid, but instead, I’m sitting here overthinking everything.
June walks through the door and my stomach flutters with nerves. Maxwell gathers his laptop and heads for the door. I’m after him.
“How’d it go?” I ask June as she approaches our desk.
“I don’t want to be overconfident, but I think I nailed it.” She beams, her dark hair swishing over her shoulders as she bounces happily.
