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His smile lights up his handsome face and when I turn back to Amelia on the stage, I burst into tears like a fool. A proud, ridiculously happy fool. Michael nudges me with a teasing grin and hands me a tissue. When I’m done blowing my nose, I catch him wiping away a tear of his own, as proud of Amelia as I am.
But for me it’s so much more, because I can remember the stage I was forced to walk across after I turned eighteen. The raucous calls from that crowd are nothing like the mild cheers from this one. I don’t have any regrets because things turned out just the way they were supposed to, but I’m so grateful that Amelia never had to go through the same thing.
After the ceremony, Michael and I hurry back to the house to put the finishing touches on the party we’re hosting for all the kids and their families. It’s easy to do when there are only eight of them, but I still want everything to be perfect.
The twinkle lights are strung along the stone wall separating the garden where we grow most of our own vegetables from the vineyard, and I spent all morning picking wildflowers and arranging them into centerpieces for the tables we’ve set out in the back courtyard. Michael makes sure the sound system is set up so everyone can dance and soon we’re surrounded by other happy people, enjoying each other’s company.
It’s so simple, but it was something I never dared to hope for before Michael. And things are about to be so much better. As I’m swaying in his arms to a slow song, he points out the village boy who’s had a massive crush on Amelia for years, flirting extra hard with her tonight.
“He’s got to make his move before she goes,” he says, leaning down to nuzzle my neck.
“I hope he’s not heartbroken,” I say, rooting for him and hoping she’s not dazzled by one of her new college friends once she’s back on her home soil.
“I hope you’re not going to be,” Michael says seriously.
Sighing, I rest my cheek against his chest, smiling at the sound of his steady heartbeat. “I’m just her sister, not her mother. I’ll be fine.”
And I think I really will be, especially since we never heard a peep out of Uncle Harris after we got away. Perhaps he was just happy to be rid of us, or we disappeared so quickly that he never got a chance to find us. Regardless, he could be in prison, dead, or just carrying on with his same old petty crimes for all any of us care.
“You act like her mother most of the time,” he says with a slow smile that gets my blood racing. “There’s nothing wrong with that, though.”
There’s a hint of sadness behind his smile that he wouldn’t want me to notice but of course I do. Soon, that sadness will be erased. Despite the hectic workload at the vineyard, we’ve been trying for a baby for the last two years. Nothing ever came of it, and I was beginning to think something was wrong. But after the last few weeks of thinking I was struggling with a nasty stomach bug I couldn’t shake; I finally went into town and bought a test. I was afraid to get my hopes up again, but I took it this morning and have been bursting with the news ever since.
I didn’t want to overshadow Amelia’s graduation, and we’re surrounded by guests, but I can’t stand keeping the secret anymore. I slip out of Michael’s embrace and take his hand, leading him toward the house. It’s as if he can read the news on my face and he sucks in a breath, gripping my shoulders.
“What is it, April?” he asks. “Please tell me what I think you’re going to tell me.”
“You know me so well,” I tell him, drawing it out a second longer. But then I blurt it out with a laugh. “Yes, we’re going to have a baby.”
He wraps her arms around my waist and lifts me off the old plank floor, turning in a circle as he whoops with joy. As he loosens his grasp and I slide down his hard body, he gives me a kiss that makes my knees tremble. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I begin to push him backward towards the bedroom.
The music and laughter from our party waft in through the windows, but I can’t wait until everyone leaves. French people can drink and dance until sunrise, and I need to be with my husband right now.
As soon as we’re through our bedroom door, we tumble onto the bed, pushing aside the quilt Amelia and I made aftergetting lessons from one of the village ladies. Michael’s hands roam down my side, pulling up my dress until he finds the spot I’m dying for him to touch.
“You know just what I need,” I murmur, stretching out and reaching for his long, silky hair. A hundred times he’s wanted to cut it to make it easier out in the hot sun, but I’ve begged him not to.
“And I’m going to give it to you, baby,” he says, shoving my panties down and sinking his fingers deep inside me. Then he pauses, looking up at me with wonder in his eyes. “Baby,” he says as if just remembering. “Do I need to be careful?”
“You better not be,” I warn, making him laugh. He knows I like it rough and wild most of the time.
His hand moves lazily against my wet heat, making me squirm as he kisses me long and slow and sweet. His tongue swipes across my lower lip as he pulls back to look down at me, his blue eyes dark with the same desire that makes me cling to him. There are laugh lines etched into the tan around those eyes I love so much and they crinkle now when he smiles at me.
“You’re so beautiful,” he says. “Every inch of you.”
“You’re sweet,” I tell him, breaking out into a grin. “Now give me every inch of you.”
He snorts, then goes back to easing his fingers in and out of me. “Settle down there, little one. We’ve got all the time in the world and lots and lots to celebrate.”
But he can’t resist for long and soon he nudges my legs apart with his knee, leaning down to take my nipple in his mouth as he rubs his cock against my opening. With an almost pained look on his face, he pulls me roughly to him so that our chests collide, just as he sinks all the way inside me.
“Yes,” I moan, wrapping my arms around his neck and sliding up and down. I love being held tight against him; safe, secure, and cherished. “Oh, the things you can do to me.”
He tugs my hair back and kisses down my throat, his long, smooth movements building up a delicious longing that only he can satisfy. I let my head stay tipped back, taking in every sensation as I watch the lights from outside flicker across the ceiling. The music swells and changes to a loud, hard rock song, and I smile.
“Perfect,” he says. “Perfect timing.”
I know just what he means, because he begins to move faster, drive deeper. Both our breathing gets shallower and our hearts pound rhythmically. My moans get louder as my fingers dig into his back, then slide up to grab onto his hair. He loosens his grip around my body to slip his hand between us, his palm sliding down my belly to the crux of my thighs. The moment he brushes my clit, I let loose and scream; the sound drowned out by the rowdy party music outside.
