“Yeah, that’s true. Maybe this was all a mistake. It’s a bit heavy for me. I think I might need to skip out of here before I get sucked in too deep.”
She bursts into a peal of laughter, expanding my heart even more. God, I love this woman—she’s everything. I hope this will be the first day of the rest of our lives.
* * *
“Do you want dessert?” I ask her, leaning across to grab the menu before I wait her answer.
“Of course I do! Have you seen the chocolaty thing? It looks amazing.”
“Do you want it here?” I cock an eyebrow at her. “Or shall we eat it in the limo?”
“Can we do that? Will they let us take it away?”
“I’m sure they will. I’ll ask. I don’t see why they wouldn’t let us.”
I think she can see what I mean. I want to eat it in the limo so we can have some alone time. There’s been a connection growing between us all night long, and it’s grown the more open we become with one another. I can feel a shift. This is definitely a more grown-up version of us.
It takes me only a few minutes to arrange for us to take our desserts in a box, and I take Jodi back outside to the car which has been waiting in the parking lot for us the whole time.
“Where’s the driver?” She chuckles. “We aren’t going anywhere without him here.”
“That’s okay. We can just sit in the back and eat these. I’ll message him and get him to come back.”
“Yeah, alright. Sounds good. The car is almost as luxurious as the restaurant anyway.”
Just before she steps into the car, I feel compelled to seal the deal. I spin her around and lightly press her back against the car. I rest my forehead against hers so I can stare deeply into her eyes. She breathes raggedly, her eyes glazing over with what I’m sure is love.
“You’re everything to me. I hope you know that,” I murmur. “I can’t express how much you mean to me.”
She grabs hold of my hands and rests them against her belly, causing me to stop breathing. My baby is in there. I can almost feel the life blooming inside, and it feels wonderful. There’s even a little stirring, almost as if my child knows I’m here and is reacting to me. I really hope this bond is growing already.
“Wow,” I gush. “Wow, that’s my baby. My baby is in there.”
“Yep. Amazing, isn’t it? It won’t be long until we can see our child.”
I move my lips toward her and kiss her softly, claiming her gently as my own. This right here is my family, the be-all and end-all as far as I’m concerned.
“We’re going to make this work, Jodi,” I reassure her. “I love you so much, and we’ll be happy.”
She wraps her arms tightly around my waist and holds me to her. “I love you too, Brock. I really do.”
“Come on then. Let’s eat this chocolate before it melts. It’s too delicious for that.”
We slip into the car and hide ourselves behind the tinted windows, alone at last.
22
Jodi
I’m all giddy and carefree, like a teenager with absolutely no responsibilities, as I sit opposite Brock. I keep giggling randomly because the happiness is so desperate to break free, and he joins in like it’s infectious.
“How’s your food?” he says teasingly. “I only ask because it’s all around your mouth.”
“It is?” I frantically try to brush it away. “Is it gone? God, this is so embarrassing.”
“Come here.” He slides along the seat and crashes his butt into mine. “Let me get it.”
His fingers send electrical jolts from my mouth straight to my core. There’s a fluttering in my panties that threatens to make me do something crazy. I’ve always been very wild around Brock, and he’s often dragged me out of my comfort zone, but now I should at least try and be sensible. But that thought immediately flies out the window as he replaces his fingers with his tongue, licking the remaining chocolate from me. “Oh wow.” My heart bursts, my head spins, I lose my freaking mind. “Brock.”