Page 152 of Until I Have You

“You bet!”Abigail replies and starts to step away.

But I’m going to take every moment I can.I pull her back into my arms and kiss her, deeper than our first one.

Gasping into my mouth, Abigail settles her hands around my back on my shoulder blades.Her arms are the only place I can really let go, the only place I can rest.

I haven’t rested in a long time.From having to clean up after my brother, to my marriage ending, to being a father, then onto building my own company, living somewhere completely new…

Abigail is my safe place.

I move my lips to her ear, cradling the side of her face.“I missed you more.”

Abigail laughs, then slaps my side with fondness before backing out of my grip.“Prove it.”

My dick jumps.“Dammit, Abigail…”

She leaves me in a wake of her giggles as she goes to follow Bonnie inside.

§

The whole afternoon, Bonnie is a whirlwind of enthusiasm as she helps Abigail unpack, her tiny hands eager to dive into every bag.She’s on a mission, rifling through the suitcase with a curious sparkle in her eyes.

The room is filled with their shared laughter and the soft rustle of clothes being unpacked.Every item that comes out of the suitcase seems to spark another story from Abigail’s trip, and Bonnie listens with rapt attention, absorbing every detail, her little face scrunched in concentration.

We have an assembly line, Bonnie and I.She takes the clothes out, I refold them or put them in the hamper to be washed, and then Bonnie determines the correct drawer to store the clothes in.

I had to buy a new chest of drawers to fit both my clothes and Abigail’s.I’m not going to let her feel like a stranger in her own home for even a second.

“Oh, look at this!”Bonnie exclaims, pulling out a bag of various candy bars that were squirreled away in the middle of a packing cube.

“That was supposed to be a surprise,” Abigail says with a sheepish smile in my direction from her place sitting crisscross on the bed.

“Can I have some?Please?”Bonnie asks.

I check my watch.T-minus one hour.

Staying busy has settled my nerves, but time is ticking down to what I have planned.“Actually, we should be getting ready for dinner.And you can’t be having chocolate unless you want to ruin your appetite.”

Bonnie narrows her eyes at me.She knows about the proposal and has been a top-notch secret keeper.In that glare, though, I know she could easily reveal the surprise.

I swallow.We’re going to need to have a discussion about bribery.“Okay, a piece.”

“Half,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest.

Abigail snickers.“Oooh, she’s a negotiator.”

Eying Abigail, I reply, “Wonder where she gets that from.”

She shrugs, but her smile is unmistakable.

“Okay, you have your chocolate, Bonnie, and then we all have to get ready for dinner.We’re going out.”

Abigail sighs.“Do we have to?I’m tired.”

My heart starts pounding.

I got this all wrong, didn’t I?Planning a proposal for her right when she gets home.What a fool I am.

“Daddy bought you a new dress,” Bonnie says, trying to entice.“I helped pick it out.”

---