AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Merrick’s hard, powerful body was spread out like a banquet next to her. The blissful expression on his face mesmerized her. As her words sank in, his face closed down. She couldn’t tell what went through his mind.
&nbs
p; He sat up, pulled one knee to his chest and pinned her with a hard stare. “Before I say anything, I want you to understand something. I love you. I love you more than anything in this world, Chloe. I hope someday you’ll believe that.”
Chloe couldn’t speak around the lump in her throat. She only nodded and let him continue.
“When you and I met it was like instant combustion,” he explained. “I melted anytime you came into a room. Your soft voice, your intelligent eyes. You ran the office with such confidence it was mesmerizing. I craved you from day one. It took some time, I admit, but I managed to forget about the rules I’d placed on myself about not getting involved with an employee. You were different. I knew it from the start. It was only a matter of time before we’d marry.”
Chloe agreed wholeheartedly. She’d fallen in love the minute she’d met with the devastatingly handsome owner of Vaughn’s Business Solutions. It had been only a matter of time before they were living in marital bliss. “Some people wait a lifetime for a love like ours.”
“I know.”
His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes and that worried Chloe. “I’m listening,” she prodded.
“Let me tell you about my family. Maybe you’ll understand.”
She frowned. “Your family? I love your family. Your mom is like a second mother to me.”
“They’re pretty great, huh?”
“Yes. I’m so thrilled that Blade and Lacey both found someone to love. Candice, Lacey and I are as close as sisters.”
“Lacey and Blade are both damn determined people. They see something they want and they go after it. Blade’s business is thriving. He hires on more employees every day. His reputation in construction is unsurpassed.”
Chloe heard the note of pride in her husband’s voice, but she was still confused. “What does any of this have to do with you and me?”
“It’ll be clear, just let me finish, okay?”
She nodded.
“Lacey’s doing pretty great herself. She has so many clients now she’ll have to open her own gym soon.”
Chloe had seen the proof first hand. Lacey’s schedule was bursting with clients. She was almost constantly at the gym. “Lacey and Blade are both very driven. It seems to be a family trait.”
Merrick stared out at the ocean. His entire body seemed ready for battle. “Blade leaves big shoes to fill,” he muttered. “I love him. He’s the best brother anyone could ask for, but it’s not easy living in his shadow. Dad looks at him with pride and respect. He looks at me with…”
Chloe caught the misery in his voice, and her heart hurt for him. “He respects you. I know he does.”
“Lacey and Blade both know their place in life,” he continued. “I’ve always been the one who had to struggle for everything. In school, I studied twice as hard as Blade just to get a B. In college, Blade got into some boxing, he was great at it. His grades were top notch too. I, on the other hand, stayed up every night, drank more coffee than is healthy and passed with average grades. Hell, I think Mom and Dad were just glad I graduated.”
Chloe had never known Merrick to feel inferior, and especially to Blade. She didn’t have siblings so it was difficult to imagine. Her mother had always made her feel strong and intelligent, as if she were capable of anything. Her father, although emotionally distant, had told her more than once that she could do anything she set her mind to. He’d smile with pride and say she was just like her mother.
“But look at you now,” she hastened to reassure him. “You own your own business and you’re definitely more successful than Blade.”
Merrick shrugged. “I’m not trying to make it a competition. I’m happy for Blade and his success. Anyway, that’s not what I want to explain.” He turned and pinned her with his gaze. Chloe’s breath caught at the raw anguish on her husband’s face. “I thought it would make me a better man when I hit my first million. That I’d finally earn some respect and I’d have my place in the family. I was so goddamn wrong. I’ve been kicking myself for not seeing it sooner.”
“Seeing what?”
“You. I should’ve known how successful I’d become the instant you drifted into my life. I should’ve realized that losing you is the only thing that could make me a failure. Nothing else matters. Not money, not social status. Not my parents’ approval.”
Hearing her husband’s confession and seeing the sincerity in his intelligent blue eyes turned her inside out. Tears spilled free, and her body shook with all the worry and fear and sadness she’d felt over the last six months. She swiped them away quickly, sensing Merrick had more to say.
“The first time you spoke of having babies scared the shit out of me.”
Chloe had been prepared for nearly everything, but never that. She’d thought Merrick wanted children, too. The notion that he might not had never crossed her mind. “Don’t you think I’d be a good mother?”
Merrick wrapped his fingers around her knee and stroked. “Aw, angel, you’ll make a wonderful mother. The best ever. I want children with you.” His palm cupped her belly. “I want to watch your belly swell with my son or daughter. Hell, both,” he growled. “You’ll be sexy as hell pregnant.”
