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“Bed. Apparently, he partied hard last night too.” More giggles. I assumed they had all slept through the chaos, so I kept my mouth shut about it. The last thing I needed was for Amelia to be afraid again. “Are you eating with us tonight?” Amelia nodded. Tia and Cadence whispered, eyes darting to me occasionally. This was why I hated teenagers. Amelia had let the dogs out, so I watched them play out back for a bit while the girls ate. Ewan appeared, shaven, dressed, and alert a few minutes later and the giggling happened again. Especially when he tossed out a, “Good morning, ladies.” Amelia and I shared an eye roll. The girls went home one by one and we cleaned the house. Amelia and I ran to Target and spent way too long sipping coffee, talking about her party, and getting me some new clothes. I at least wanted to look like I cared when we ate with my parents. Mom would make it low-key, food on the patio, coffee, and grilling him to no end, but it would give me more confidence if I looked nice.
Ewan slid his MINI in behind Reese’s car and we piled out. I took note of the cars in the driveway. Both my parents, Reese, my grandmother, my youngest aunt, and a truck I didn’t know were already there. Lydia was tutoring late, but I knew Ollie was there. My stomach roiled. I pushed the door open letting Merlin tear up the steps through the kitchen and into the backyard. I heard Olive bellow a series of basset barks at his arrival. Amelia and Ewan followed me up and into the living room where everyone wore a cheesy grin and Reese sat with a guy who looked as uncomfortable as I felt. At least our misery was mutual since Julian had missed Easter. Everyone threw out a casual hi, and Mom appeared from the kitchen acting shocked to see us, hugging everyone. I went through introductions and offered drinks before asking Mom if I could help, then finding a spot on the porch when she declined. My grandmother followed us out.
My cousin Austin demanded a rematch so I chased him through the yard with a Nerf crossbow until Amelia joined in and took his side against me. I caught Ewan watching from the porch as he nodded and chatted with my Grams. My nieces and Kristin came through the gate, and I was accosted with tiny niece kisses.
“How’s the stalker?” Kristin hugged me sideways, and I went into the events from the night before as we trailed after the girls. My sister-in-law shook her head covering her mouth. The whole night was awful, but Kristin offering to let me borrow clothes made it a little better. Our older half-brother kept to himself, but his wife was practically one of us. Ewan strolled out to the yard and extended his hand to Kristin. They exchanged pleasantries. He was ridiculously charming and gracious, not that I had any doubt he would be, but it was nice to see him put so much effort into being likable. When my middle niece, Veronica, accused him of sounding like Peppa Pig, Ewan dropped down on his knee and talked to her about it, making her giggle and squeal.
Once Mom called for dinner, we all made our way to the massive picnic table and Amelia talked excitedly with Mom about starting her junior year of high school and applying for colleges. Julian and Ewan talked about baseball. Veronica kept approaching him, asking him questions which he promptly answered and patted her head. He hated when his accent was treated like a novelty but seemed to enjoy the compliment from Veronica. Ewan raved about the food making Mom feign embarrassment, my grandmother grilled him about his past and his job, and after dinner I sat on the deck with them while he trailed the girls through the yard. The big push-over bent to their every whim, pushing them on swings and guiding them through monkey bars.
“He needs kids.” Grams gave me a pointed look when Ewan caught two-year-old Annie on the slide and tossed her in the air. I shrugged, hoping my face didn’t give me away. Mom made a comment about us just meeting, but I stopped listening. He did need kids. Amelia was pushing Veronica on the swing while Ewan caught Annie over and over until Holly asked him to kick the ball with her. He snatched Annie up, taking her with him, and kicked the ball with the oldest in his slacks and dress shoes. The insane thought that I wanted to give him all of it wormed into my mind. I wanted a family, and I wanted it to be with him.
Mom snapped me from my madness when she demanded I tell her about the Mason incident from the night before. I went through the horn and the clothes and how violated I felt. She agreed, rubbing my back, and promised to come help me clean up the following Saturday after work. Dad agreed too. The thought of going into my place was sickening. I felt like everything was dirty, desecrated, and gross. I shuddered thinking about it. I didn’t want to clean it, I didn’t want to go back, and I certainly didn’t want to ever be alone there again.
I took Ewan a bottle of water and took his button-down shirt when he stripped it off to keep playing. His tight black undershirt made me want to drag him somewhere private. “Is tonight as bad as you anticipated?” Ewan chugged half the bottle, and I folded his shirt neatly over my arm.
“No, yet another thing you made too easy for me. Next Saturday Mom said they could help with my apartment.” I watched him to gauge his reaction, and he frowned before nodding. He liked me being at their house, but would never ask me to stay instead of going home. I wanted him to ask me to stay. Well, demand… Ewan wasn’t much for asking me to do things. Amelia jogged over and jumped on her brother’s back.
“Louise said we can borrow some movies. Tonight we watch Disney movies!” She squeezed his neck with one arm and threw the other in the air. He groaned and let her hang off of him for a few seconds before slamming her to the ground, and I made my way back up to the porch. I dropped next to my grandmother. She patted my arm and smiled lightly like Grams always did.
“He’s a good-looking fella,” she mused, trying to sound innocent. That translated into my eighty-year-old grandmother wanting to jump him. I nodded an agreement.
“He is. You can add accomplished, smart, funny, and kind to that too.” I watched Ewan walk up the stairs before he kissed my head. As much as I loved my Grams, the woman was shallow. Men were excused from the most terrible acts if they were good-looking and gaining weight would guarantee she talked about you behind your back.
“Need a drink?”
I hopped up. “I’ll get it, sit down.” But Ewan shook his head, pushing me back down in my seat. My grandmother and I shamelessly watched him walk into the house to make drinks. He made everything unsavory about my past vanish by just looking at him. The sun set, and we chatted on the porch about work. He and Dad locked into a conversation about him heading the accounting department of his company for the last few years. Dad started about his bed and breakfast in middle Tennessee, and of course, started asking for accounting tips. Ewan laced his fingers with mine, settling them on his lap while he talked, actually humoring my dad. Something swelled inside me that could only be described as adoration. We barely humored Dad, but Ewan was doing it, and doing it well. Once it got chilly, we went in and settled around the dining room table to continue the conversation. Ewan rested his hand on my knee casually as he spoke to Dad about his citizenship and how it came to be.
I helped Kristin get the kids bathed before they left. “You are in love.” She articulated every word as she tossed a towel at me, and I pushed off the bathroom counter. I didn’t answer.
“Ewan is too.” Amelia appeared in the doorway and closed it behind her. “Like he’s sad about you having to go home once your place is clean and told Dad about you. He never talks to Dad.” My face flushed at her words as I plucked Annie from the tub and wrapped her in a towel. Amelia never talked about her dad, neither did Ewan, but I knew their father was involved in their lives a little. Kristin smirked at me and I shook my head. There was no trying to deny it.
The girls all hugged us and showered Ewan with kisses as he promised to see them again soon. Reese and Julian left for a movie a little later, and Amelia sorted through movies, trying to find the perfect one. She ended up with four. Mom and Dad hugged us, making Ewan promise to come back, and we left.
“Which one tonight?” Amelia demanded, handing me the movies. I handed her back Beauty and the Beast. Duh. “Why?”
I turned to see her in the back seat. “It’s my favorite. Like that was my dream when I was little.”
“A prince?” Amelia looked at me incredulously.
“That library.” I whistled, making Ewan laugh. “Seriously, though, wanna make me love you, a library would do it. Floor to ceiling books, well-lit, and all mine.” I winked at Amelia, and she giggled. We unloaded at their house, and I let the dogs out while Amelia put the movie on. I was curled into Ewan and Amelia had her head in my lap while we watched from the couch. She and I watched the movie, but I felt Ewan watching me. He would kiss my palm occasionally, or play with my hair, but stayed quiet. We walked Amelia to her room and he tugged my hand gently in his.
TWENTY-TWO
Ewan
The night had been perfect. Jovie looked beautiful despite the stress on her shoulders and her family was everything I wanted in the future. They were kind and accepting. It was a beautiful thing. I didn’t speak when I pulled her down on the bed with me. There were no words to give my thoughts justice so I tried to put it all in a kiss. It was gentle and slow so I could savor it, make it last. As I slowly undressed us piece by piece, my eyes stayed locked on her, and she gave up on trying to speak. Every time Jovie opened her pretty little mouth, I covered it with mine. Jovie finally embraced the silence and enjoyed it. I ran my hands over her, all of her, taking my time and memorizing every inch of her smooth skin. A few places I brushed made her shudder, and I smirked.
When she skimmed her nails up my back, I broke our fixed gaze to close my eyes and let out a slow breath. She did it again. The way she watched me with her nieces, talked about me with her family, made me realize I wasn’t crazy. I loved her, and Jovie loved me. I saw it swirling in her dark-blue eyes and written on her face. By the time I sealed the deal, I thought Jovie was going to combust from anticipation. I kissed her, sucking her lip into my mouth when I slid into her. Her moan was everything. It was mine. No one else got that pleasure. No other man got to see her like I did.
I kept the pace slow and methodical, kissing her deeply every chance I got. She cupped my face, stroking my jaw, touching my hair, and letting out soft whimpers of pleasure. It was a far leap from the sex we had been having—we were focused entirely on the intense connection between us and the emotion behind every move was amplified. I whispered to her, telling her she was beautiful, telling her I never wanted anyone else, telling her I was hers. When she came, it washed over both of us with the force of a hurricane, and I slammed my mouth into hers. I groaned against her bottom lip and she cried out my name, arching further into me and moaning. I fucked her harder, riding out our orgasms before I collapsed, trembling on top of her and she stroked my hair with her shaking hand. The quiet was overwhelming, the love making was overwhelming. I had always found the term a cheesy and cliché euphemism, but in that moment, I completely understood. I felt her breath catching in her chest and broke the silence.
“Jove?” My voice was barely a whisper and she responded with a quiet “uh-huh”. “I love you.” She wiped the tear from her face and kissed the top of my head. I moved to prop on my elbow and wiped the next tear from her cheek.
“I love you, too.” Jovie smiled her smile that lit up my whole world, and I kissed her. It was slow and tangible. I tried my hardest to put everything I felt into it, everything I was willing to give her, and she did the same. I felt every bit of it. I laid back, pulling her to my chest and started sliding my hands through her hair. Her hand rested comfortably on my chest, and I covered hers with mine. Everything was falling into place. I was never more sure of anyone or anything as I was right then. She was where I belonged. Jovie and Amelia were the people I was supposed to live for, the ones who made up all the things I wanted so desperately. Before my mother died, my parents talked about their romance openly. My father said he knew the instant he saw my mother she was his, and no one else would ever satisfy him. Until Jovie, I never thought that person existed for me, but my forever was here in my arms.
“Do you remember when I told you I wanted nothing from you?” Jovie shifted to look up at me and I nodded. “I was wrong.” Tears filled her eyes again, and I wiped them away. “I want it all, everything you have to offer.” To make her point, she slid up my body to look in my eyes. I smirked, trying not to look too cocky, and she kissed me lightly before dropping back down on my chest. Jovie was getting it all whether she wanted it or not, but I was not about to tell her just yet.
I jerked up in bed when the Doctor Who theme rang out from the dresser. I had begged her to keep her ringer off at night, but it was loud and clear. She must not have made it to bed from Amelia’s room the night before so I groped for her phone and slid my thumb over the screen to answer it. I grunted into the speaker.
