Page 18 of Purrfect Planning

But she’s here and except for the shadows under her eyes and the paleness of her milky skin, she looks gorgeous as ever. Her tawny brown hair hangs around her head in a halo of curls and I can’t remember the last time I saw her with her hair down. I guess it would be the night I met her. The night we made love and made a new beginning for the two of us.

“I didn’t want to bother you,” she said.

I lean over her and breathe in her soft, spicy floral scent. I search her green eyes, my own demanding.

“You willneverbe a bother, sweetheart,” I mutter, angry all over again.

“You left, Micah. I know why you left too. You didn’t want to be bothered with this situation…or me anymore.” I can’t stand the tears in her eyes.

“You’re breaking my heart, sweetheart.” I tug her up and into my arms, sitting down on the bed to hold her across my lap. “I’m telling you, yes….” I sigh. “I was scared about how much I’m feeling for you. Just seeing you every day was making me want so much more from you, from us. I wasn’t sure if that was what I wanted.”

“I bet,” she grumbles.

I lean down and kiss the top of her head gently. “Let me finish.” She moves and then settles, her head buried in my chest. “I did get a little…concerned.” She huffs into my chest. “No, settle. I missed you the entire time I was gone. I couldn’t stop thinking about you and I was coming back, honey. I promise you that I was coming back to you as soon as possible. Harmony’s call just got me back here a little sooner.”

“So what do you want to do now?” She asks, her voice small and soft.

“I never thought I’d meet a woman that would make me want to try again. To forget about all the hurt and pain that can come with love and rejection. To put myself out there and take a chance.”

Her head comes up and she eyes me skeptically. “You didn’t seem like you wanted to give us a chance when you left. You didn’t seem like you could get away fast enough.”

“I’m an idiot, baby.” I shrug and smile at her. “What can I say? I should have realized that you were the one that was going to be my perfect woman.”

Her brow lifts and finally I see a little spark in her green eyes. “Perfect? There’s no such thing as perfect,” she huffs.

“There is to me. It’s you. It will always be you and if it takes me a lifetime to prove it to you, I’ll do it. I’ll spend every day proving to you that I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got your back. I love you, Aspen. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone.”

“You just love me because I’m having your child,” she scoffs.

I shake my head so hard that I swear I see spots. “No. Absolutely not. Don’t get me wrong, I love this baby. But before there was a baby, there was you. And I knew that there was something special about you from that first day. I’ve never wanted a woman like that and it just took over me. Made me reckless and needy and damn horny as hell.”

“Yeah, I remember,” she laughs.

“But when you took off at a run, I just figured that was it. We weren’t meant to be anything because if we were…you wouldn’t have left like that.”

“I couldn’t. I’d never done anything like that before. And then when I found out you were my competition, I couldn’t think about that first night. It was too damn painful.”

“I promise you, I will never cause you pain again. I will spend the rest of my life making you happy and taking care of you. You’re my dream. You and this baby. I don’t give a damn if it’s a boy or a girl, if they look like me or they look like you. Although if I had the choice I’d love them to look like you.”

Her hands lift up to wrap around my neck and my whole heart lifts, swelling with love.

“Fuck, baby. I have missed you so damn bad.”

Her eyes search mine. “I missed you too, Micah. So much.” She hiccups a sob and it tears my heart out. “I didn’t think you were coming back. I haven’t been able to sleep.”

“And that’s why we made her stay overnight. She needed the rest.” The doc stomps in the door. “I’m gonna assume you’re the dad?” He lifts his brow at us and Aspen flushes, attempting to schooch out from atop me but I don’t let her. My arms tighten and I eye the older man closely.

“Is she alright? Really?”

He nods at her and then me. “As long as you keep an eye on her and make sure she eats right, rests and doesn’t get too stressed out, she should be fine.”

“So she can’t be what she’s always been. Because the woman is a workhorse. She doesn’t like to slow down.”

“Well, make her. She’s got to take it easy at least for a little while and I get the feeling that you’re just the guy to get her to relax.”

I nod my head. “Absolutely. She will slow down or I’ll tie her down.”

The doc chokes on a cough. “That probably won’t be necessary. But I expect not to see you in here again,” he mutters, staring seriously at Aspen.”

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