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Want to let me in?
Barrett walked to her door, vibrating with the need to hold her. Willa hesitantly opened the door a crack. As soon as she registered his presence her face split in a wide grin and she threw the door wide, holding her arms up to him.
He walked through the door, his face set in serious lines, stooping to wrap his arms around her and picked her up against his chest on his way. He gently kicked the door closed behind him. He stood for a moment with her in his arms, his face tucked into her neck, his baby inside of her, a dream for which he had almost lost hope. He prayed his dream was not going to be her nightmare.
“Barrett,” she wheezed, stroking his hair back from his face, “I’m okay.”
He immediately loosened his grip but did not release her.
“I’m okay, Viking, and I’m so sorry to worry you,” she murmured, her hands stroking through his hair, easing him, soothing him.
She didn’t sound like she was freaking out. He slowly drew away to look down into her freckled face.
She was pale, and it looked as though she’d been crying, but she was smiling. With Willa, that smile could mean anything. He frowned as he studied her face while she stood patiently waiting for him to finish his assessment.
“You’re okay,” he rumbled, his voice gritty with need.
She laughed softly. “I am okay.” Her face creased with worry. “I’m so sorry, my love. It was a knee jerk reaction. It won’t happen again.”
“Willa,” he said, his voice gruff with his promise, “I am your fast car. Me. I’ll take you wherever you need to go.”
He shook her lightly within the cradle of his arms with the last words and she responded by pressing closer to him, wrapping her hands around his thick neck, and laying her ear over his fiercely beating heart.
“You are my fast car, you are everything.”
His chest expanded with his deep breath in, and she felt his tight hold ease ever so slightly. He released his breath slowly and pressed his lips to the top of her head. She missed him immediately as soon as he leaned away from her.
He studied her face. “What happened?”
She smiled and ducked her head shyly. There was no mistaking her excitement and his heart leapt with joy. She smiled a true smile and lay her palm over his heart.
“Something came up,” he opened his mouth to ask but she spoke over him, “not something bad, just surprising.”
“Is it about your business?” he poked.
“Not exactly,” she blushed, “although my business might be affected. I need to think things through. I promise you, it’s not bad. You’ll like it. I know you will. Please, Viking. Give me one week, one week and I’ll tell you everything.”
He wrapped an errant curl around one long finger. The color was coming back to her face, and she seemed solid. A week. That was fine, he’d take that deal.
He had plans of his own to make.
Chapter 43
Ducks
Willa
Was it too early to get one of those obnoxious bumper stickers stating there’s a baby on board? I snickered to myself, fully embracing my future in motherhood. What a change a day makes.
Yesterday, a lot of uncomfortable truths came to light, the primary one being that I did not want to release my grief because it was the only memory I had. Tears welled and I laughed out loud as I swiped them away. I wasn’t losing it; I was feeling it. Feeling the sadness of my tragedy without the guilt and shame, feeling the horror of it all without blaming myself, feeling compassion and tenderness towards the girl I was, and the woman I’d become.
I could feel Barrett’s love for me when he lay me down ever so gently on the hotel bed last night. He loved me like he’d never loved me before, holding his big body off me as he gently filled me and agonizingly slowly brought me to completion, his kaleidoscope eyes locked on mine. For a moment, I thought his were wet but before I could be certain he tucked his face into my neck and shuddered his release.
I needed to make sure he knew I loved him.
I needed to make sure he knew I wasn’t fragile.
Not anymore.
