Page 13 of Mountain Man's Forgiveness
The air is still, my heart beating out of my chest. “I… what?” My throat closes up with too many feelings all at once.
“You don’t have to say anything.” His mouth quirks up, thumb tracing my cheek like he’s memorizing me. “I want our son to be proud of his pop and not afraid of the unknown, to see that when life throws curveball after curveball, the best thing to do is get up and keep swinging.”
“How can you be so sure it’s a boy?”
“A dad knows these things.”
Aiden
Eva laughs, the sound breaking something open inside me, her face flushed with excitement despite the tears.
I pull her in for a heated kiss. “And I want you to know that I’ve signed a six-month lease on a house near the fire station. Thought it would do me some good to be close my team as we learn each other.”
Eva blinks at me, as if it’s taking her a moment to process. “A house in town?” Her words lilt as if the very idea is a foreign concept.
“Yep.” My smile is soft, my heart hammering against my ribs. “And I want you to help me pick out the ugly curtains and the stupid mugs and fill the house with your books and help me decide on where we want to settle down eventually, if that’s what you want.”
My hands frame either side of her face, my eyes searching hers. “Most importantly, I want us to actually date. The real thing, where I cook for you, and where you sit by me at all those syrupy small-town events. And I want to hold your hand, even when people are watching. No hiding, no excuses.”
For a second, she just stands there, and I can see all the thoughts flickering across her face: the old fears, the stubborn caution, the instinct to run. And then she shakes her head, just once, sharp, and breaks into a watery smile that makes me feel like I can breathe for the first time in years.
“You’re really serious, aren’t you?” She sniffles and laughs at once.
“Serious enough to pretend to like decaf and sit through a baby shower.”
She presses my hand to her belly, her eyes steady on mine. “Only if you keep your cabin for weekends and holidays. I’d like our little one to know that part of you.”
I pull her close, my mouth taking hers. “It’s a deal.”
We head inside to the laundry room and peel off our clothes, leaving them to soak in a mix of detergent and baking soda. Then, we move through the house, clothesless. Shadows play across her skin as if hinting at what’s about to happen.
“Your floors are cold, Aiden.” She tiptoes, face scrunched.
I chuckle, scooping her over my shoulder and playfully smacking her ass. “Better now, Trouble?”
She nips my shoulder, breath hot against my neck. That’s all it takes. I toss her onto the bed, her laugh shattering what’s left of my restraint. Her dark hair is splayed across the pillows, cheeks pink, and her chest rises and falls in a way that makes her gorgeous breasts almost bounce—like she’s showing off on purpose. She fends me off with her feet until I grabs her ankles and kisses my way up the inside of Eva’s calves and thighs.
Her thick curves drive me wild as I reach the apex of her thighs. Kissing her sweet pussy is like coming home to something I didn’t know I’d been missing. I lick her sweetness, swirling my tongue until I find the exact rhthym she needs. She fists her hands in the sheets, then sinks them into my hair, fingers trembling when I suck on her clit. I work her until the first tell-tale shudder moves through her thighs, and then I back off and nuzzle her skin.
“Aiden, I nee—”
I silence her with my mouth, and she bucks so hard I have to wrap my arms around her hips to keep her still. She orgasms, sharp and sudden, legs clamping around my head as she gives in to the release. Then I reach for the condom, a wry grin.
“A little late for that, don’t you think?”
“I’m clean, Eva.”
“Me too.”
After the best damn shower of my life, we fall into bed again, the rain as our soundtrack. As the drops drum softly against the windows, she falls asleep on my chest, her breath steady, herhair smelling faintly of my soap. I trace lazy circles on her back, the weight of it all sinking in.
I’m going to be a dad. And I’ve got the woman I never thought I’d get another chance with. Ten years between us used to feel like a canyon, but now it’s just a number.
She’s my home. My heart. My forever.
And I won’t waste one more fucking second.
Is Aiden right about the sex of the baby?
