Page 29 of The Bride's Desire

“I don’t want you to regret…”

“Stop. I don’t regret anything.” He chuckled. “I never thought I’d find a woman like you that is perfect for me, and now we’re having our first baby.”

“First?”

“Yes. I want as many as you can handle.”

She sputtered. “I’ve always wanted a large family so we might have enough for a basketball team.”

He threw back his head and laughed. “I’ll take it. Listen, I need to get cleaned up. How about we eat dinner and then watch a movie together? We can talk about everything tomorrow.”

“I’d like that.”

“Now, I need a kiss.” He lowered his head and started to kiss her. The heat rose exponentially as the kiss went on. He tore his mouth from hers.

“This is where we got in trouble the last time,” he growled.

She inhaled a few times and stared up at him.

“I want us to be a couple, Sweetheart. If you want to wait until after we’re married to sleep together, we can.”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t want to wait.”

He lay his forehead against hers. “Good, I’m glad. I’ve imagined you in my bed since the beginning. The very first night.”

Her eyes were closed, but he saw the small smile on her face.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be right back down after I shower.”

She nodded.

He walked out of the office to see her bags by the door. He snatched them up and started walking up the stairs. He grinned when he saw her confused expression. “I thought I’d help you get these to our bedroom. I don’t want you lifting a lot.”

She nodded, and then her mouth snapped shut, making him smile.

He put her things on the bed and walked into his bathroom. After showering and getting dressed, he pulled everything from her bags and put the clothing in the closet so she could organize it later. Her shampoos and women’s items were on the counter in the bathroom.

When he walked back into the bedroom, he grabbed the empty bags and put them on the top shelf in a closet in another room, making it nearly impossible to get to them.

When he was satisfied, he walked downstairs to the kitchen and saw her at the stove stirring something. Joe walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He smiled when she jumped a little and then leaned back against him.

“I hope you can get used to me touching you because it’s going to happen all the time. Every chance I get, I want to bond with you.”

She tipped her head back. “I want the same things.”

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the back of her head. “I can’t believe how much I screwed up.”

“But we’re over it, right?”

He nodded and then grinned. “Yeah, I want you to kick me if I say anything else stupid.”

She giggled.

He tipped her head back with his finger. “I’m not kidding. The last thing I want is to make you sad or doubt how much I love you.”

He saw the surprise on her face, and then she turned. “You love me?”

He smiled. “Yes. Very much.”

---