Page 15 of The Fate of Us

I can’t even answer her. I am still in awe of what I just heard.

She giggles as I stare at her. “Are you that surprised?”

I blink a few times before pressing a quick kiss to her lips. I murmur against them, “No, I just never thought I could be so enthralled by a song before. I didn’t want it to end.”

She smiles against my lips. “I liked singing for you. It gave me a confidence I haven’t felt in a long time.”

“You can sing for me whenever you want, Anna May.”

She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me into her, kissing me slowly, deliberately. “I could get used to this.”

I pull away slightly. “Kissing me? I think we both feel that way.”

She laughs as her lips brush against mine. “No, Noah. Falling for you.”

My hands slide to her hips as I pull her into me, kissing her deeply.

I could get used to this too.

* * *

After we steppedout of the shower, I told Anna to take a nap while I planned dinner. There wasn’t much in the house so I made a quick trip to the store. I check on her before heading back into the kitchen. She barely even moved while I was gone. I smile as I watch her sleep. She looks peaceful, relaxed, like she can finally breathe for the first time in seven years.

I scramble around the kitchen looking for pots and pans. Everything in here is dated and old. I feel like I am cooking in Dottie’s kitchen. My grandma never cooks, always orders takeout or has dinner with her neighbors. I don’t even think she has looked at her cooking utensils in years. So I can easily manage since I do it all the time at Dottie’s.

I find a few candlesticks in a closet and set them on the dinette just as a pair of arms wraps around me from behind.

“You didn’t have to do all this,” she says.

I might have gone a bit overboard with the salad and garlic bread and lobster ravioli but I wanted today to be special for her. I bought firewood and started a fire to warm the house up a bit since the storm brought in a cold front.

“I wanted to,” I answer as I turn her around to face me. She looks adorable in the pajamas she has on.

“What?” she asks as she looks down at her outfit. “I had nothing else to wear. These are all old clothes I used to have here. I had to wash them in the sink to get the mustiness out.”

“It’s cute,” I say as I tug on the oversized t-shirt she has on to bring her lips to mine.

“It’s crazy how this stuff used to be tight on me. I never thought I would see the day where it was too big.” She pulls on her shirt to cover the bit of stomach that was showing where she tied it. “I’m glad you didn’t know me then. Or you never would have kissed me.”

I rub my hand over the scruff that is growing on my face. “Anna, baby, it doesn’t matter what you look like.”

She rolls her eyes and tries to step away from me but I hold her in place. “I’ve seen the pictures of you but your body had nothing to do with what I saw. It was the happiness on your face, the way your eyes shined with laughter. Your smile makes me weak in the knees.”

“You wouldn’t be saying all that if you knew me back then.”

I grip her chin. “Trust me. I would have. Don’t get shy on me now, Mayberry. I know the confidence you have. The way you show it in the bedroom. You can have that anytime. Just believe in yourself. No one is judging you by your weight.”

I drop my hands to her ass, gripping it firmly. “I don’t care how much you weigh. You look fucking fantastic now. And if you had a little more here,” I grip her ass hard before running my hands up her stomach, “or here,” my hands move to her breasts, groping them under her shirt. She lets out a mewl and I grin. “Or even here. I wouldn’t feel any different about you.”

“How do you always know the right things to say?”

“How do you always know the right words to sing?”

She smirks. “Fair enough.”

I hate how self-conscious she is. I know it was hard when she was younger and I am not lying when I say I would be attracted to her no matter what she looked like. I am lucky she looks like a fucking siren now with her hourglass shape. A temptress in disguise. I just want her to feel comfortable and confident like she is with me when we’re naked.

I change the subject because I know it will take time for her to gain her confidence. “Let’s eat.”

---