Page 100 of Sweet Surrender
Things descended into chaos when Will said he would be staying in town for a couple of weeks and couldn’t wait to bump into Rebelle, it was like a red flag to Blake’s raging bull.
“I’m stealing you away,” Beau murmured in Taylor’s ear, pulling her onto the dancefloor and into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stroked her fingers through his hair. She spied Ruby over his shoulder and smiled brightly when Ruby made a heart shape with her hands. Then Ruby made a ring with her thumb and index finger and poked her other index finger through it, mimicking sex and Taylor burst out laughing.Thirsty old lady.
“What?” Beau asked, trying to look over his shoulder.
“Nothing,” Taylor said. He narrowed his eyes but let it go. They swayed together staring into each other’s eyes and she could have sworn she saw the rest of their lives play out in his and it was beautiful. She knew it in her bones that this man was it for her. Had always been it. There had never been anyone who even came close and as she examined her heart she knew without a shred of doubt that no one ever could. He was hers. Her love. Herperson.
“Isn’t this the part where you talk about how you had me first? Kissed me first?” she joked, she knew his MO.
He frowned. “But I didn’t get your first kiss.”
She smiled at his dejected tone. “True, but you’ll have the next kiss, all my next kisses and you’ll have my last.”
“Very good point,” he murmured, dipping his head to take one right now.
She couldn’t wait to kiss this man for the rest of her life.
*
Two years later…
Anticipation held Taylor’s stomach in a vice-like grip and she constantly felt on the verge of vomiting. She paced back and forth across the living room of the home she and Beau shared. She could feel his eyes on her, sweeping over her and assessing but she couldn’t stop. She was a wreck.
“What if we haven’t child-proofed enough yet? Our house is so freaking dangerous, why did we not do more?”
“Sweetheart, calm down. The home study was fine, we got the green light from Ali months ago which means we did enough. But if you’re still worried then we’ll wrap them both in bubble wrap or buy those big plastic bubbles and they can live in those forever and be bubble children.”
She stopped wringing her hands long enough to glare at him. “When did you get so sassy?”
“I learned from the best.” He smirked and came over to her, dropping a kiss on the tip of her nose. Dammit, she couldn’t stay mad at him when he was so sexy and supportive. Ugh, he was too perfect sometimes, her Mr Goody Two-shoes.
She looked around the room and saw that none of their furniture had sharp edges, it was all well-spaced so no one would bump into anything and there was no way anyone could grab any cables or stick curious fingers in dangerous sockets.
Taylor’s eyes locked onto the mantel-piece above the fireplace that held all their pictures, including the one of their wedding day. Taylor in her pink wedding dress, Beau holding her in his arms, his matching pink bowtie on display and both of them grinning from ear to ear. There was space next to that picture for a new one, one they were waiting to take: their first family picture.
Beau was right, they had prepared so she shoved that fear aside, having a brief moment of excited euphoria until her next fear consumed her. Taylor immediately began wringing her hands again and peered up at him. “What if they hate us?”
“Sweetheart, I love you. More than life itself and I would walk through fire for you, I’ve faced a madman for you. But I need you to stop. We’ve met them, many times, and we have a great connection with them. They don’t hate us, we wouldn’t be allowed to adopt them if they hated us. I know you’re worried, I am too. But no one could hate you,” he said, clasping her hands tightly in his.
“You so did,” she pouted.
“No, I didn’t hate you at all, remember?”
A small smile split her lips. “Fine, I believe you, but only because you’re right, I am super awesome.”
He laughed, those deep brown eyes of his glittering with amusement and he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “There’s my girl.”
“You’re awesome too, I guess,” she conceded. He dropped his head and covered her mouth with his. She opened automatically, like she always did, and hummed with pleasure. His tongue rolled and stroked against hers so slowly, patiently like he hadn’t a care in the world. How did he stay so calm at a time like this?
Outside she heard a car door slam and Beau shoved her away from him. “They’re here!” he yelled, running to the window and peering out; and she smothered a laugh.Clearly nothing like as calm as he pretended.
An ache pierced her stomach as her anxiety crept back in and she took a moment to stare at him, memorizing him and this moment before their lives changed forever. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to the heavens or whoever was responsible for bringing this man into her life. She didn’t know what she had done to deserve him, to deserve such a fairy-tale ending but she made sure she was thankful every damn day.
“They’re coming!” Beau shouted, snapping her back to the present and they both ran to the front door and swung it open. They gripped each other tightly as they watched their social worker, Ali, shepherd two small children up the porch and then they were standing in front of them and it took every ounce of Taylor’s willpower not to burst into tears.
It was Homecoming Day.
“Welcome home Mi Sun and Dal!” Ali said, ushering the two children inside. Mi Sun stepped inside first, confidently and clutched her stuffed pink rabbit tightly to her little chest and Taylor bit the inside of her cheek to stop the tears. Her heart full to bursting seeing Mi Sun carrying around the stuffed toy that Taylor gave her on their second visit with them.
