Page 126 of Forbidden Desire

“She’s beautiful,” whispers Marco. “Thanks for letting me stay.”

I look up at him and press my lips into a smile, in disbelief that he would think I would ever want him to go after tonight.

“Always,” I whisper back.

He looks at me curiously.

“Stay for always.” I squeeze his hand.

We stare at each other for a moment, our thoughts silently brushing against one another. I grab his hand and quietly pad out to the hallway, but not before he stops and turns on her sound machine. I smile at him, impressed at how with the routine he is. It’s sweet, and incredibly sexy. He doesn’t even know how good he is.

I lean against the wall outside her nursery and pull him toward me. He places his hands on either side of my head and I’m finding it hard to breathe.

“Now what?” he whispers.

I give him a look that answers his question. He nods knowingly and leans in to kiss me. My lips part to fully welcome him, wanting to taste him, and he eagerly accepts. I moan softly into his mouth as his tongue swipes slowly against mine, taking its time to explore.

I reach for his shirt, unfastening the buttons as he guides me away from the wall. We fumble with our clothes all the way to the bedroom, frantically trying to get the layers that separate us off. We muffle our laughter as we stumble across the apartment, trying not to wake Josie. There’s a playfulness to our desperateness, and I can’t stop smiling until we tumble onto my bed in a naked heap.

Now that we’re here, I take a shaky breath as he hovers over me, his hands on either side of my head. I look up into his brown eyes. There is something different in them this time. I can see it in the way he looks at me. I can feel it in the way I look at him.He presses his forehead against mine as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking. I reach up and wrap my hands around his arms, his muscles tense against my palms as my fingers wrap around them.

“I love you,” I whisper.

“I love you,” he whispers back.

I lift my hips slowly, coaxing him. He reaches down and positions himself against me. I brace myself against his arms before he pushes into me slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. I let out a quiet moan as I feel the length of him fill me inch by inch. When he can’t go any further, he stops, feeling me surround him and leans down to kiss me.

We’ve never felt this close before. So in tune. So in the moment. I know that I will love this man all my days. I tangle my legs around him and he begins to move rhythmically, every movement pleasure-filled. I know I never want this to end.

Chapter 60

Marco

One month later

The living room is full of cheerful voices singing in unison. All eyes are on Josie who is perched in her high chair with a crown atop her head and a rainbow of balloons surrounding her. I can tell she is loving this attention by the smile she has plastered on her face, one tooth popping through her gums. I laugh softly to myself, feeling all the love that’s in my heart.

Erica sets a small cake in front of her and kneels next to the high chair, looking up at our daughter with a bittersweet smile on her lips. I know this is a big moment for her too. Josie is getting older, and while she’s only a year, it’s the start of many birthdays to come. I walk over and kneel beside her, putting my hand on her back and rubbing it gently. She looks over at me, blinking back tears and I give her a reassuring smile. I’m here. I’ll always be here. For every birthday.

We look back up at Josie just as the song ends. She claps enthusiastically and reaches for the cake in front of her. They call it a smash cake for a reason because she slams her hands into the cake, a spray of frosting and chocolate cake crumbs flying. Erica and I fall backward, landing on our asses, cake in our hair and on our faces. We look at each other and burst out laughing, along with the rest of the party guests, who are watching the circus before them.

I gently pull a few cake crumbs from Erica’s long, dark lashes and she works at getting the frosting out of my hair. I steal a quick kiss before helping her to her feet. We look at Josie, who is shoveling cake into her mouth.

“It’s safe to say she likes cake,” I say with a smirk.

Erica lays her head on my shoulder and laughs softly. I look around the room at family and friends who are gathered around my penthouse, here to celebrate Josie. Erica’s parents are across the room with my mother, talking animatedly as they look at their granddaughter. Erica’s brother, Troy, is nearby with his family. He’s trying to hold his son, TJ, back from going after the cake. Jacob is enjoying a whiskey at the bar in true Jacob fashion. Erica’s best friends, Sadie and Beth, busy themselves with piling presents on the floor.

It feels like one big family, one that’s accepted me into it, despite everything. There are no more secrets. Erica’s family took the news of me being Josie’s father surprisingly well. Though their relationship is still strained from a past, that has nothing to do with me, and it’s getting better. They’re great grandparents to Josie. Telling my own mother was one of the most fulfillingmoments of my life. She’s always wanted to be a grandmother. She couldn’t care less how it happened, and accepted Erica and Josie into her life like they’d always been there.

I was most nervous about Erica’s best friends. Beth and Sadie were the only two who knew the big secret that Erica had been hiding. They had been there for her through everything, which is why when I met them, before we got into the process of getting to know each other, I thanked them. Sincerely. I owe them so much for helping Erica and Josie get through everything—through pregnancy, and most of Josie’s first year. Beth was warm and welcoming. Sadie needed a little bit of work, but we’re all past it now.

Erica, Josie, and I are arealfamily now. It didn’t take long for me to ask them to move in with me to my penthouse. It makes more sense for us to be together here, with space to grow. I missed both of them too much to live apart. Now, we get to come home together here. Erica and I cook dinner while Josie plays with her toys, which have taken over my living room. A sight I never thought I would see, but wouldn’t have it any other way. I love the pastel colors and stuffed animals that are scattered across my old life.

“What are you thinking about?” asks Erica, breaking me from my thoughts.

I look down at her, my arm wrapping tighter around her just at the sight of her. She looks beautiful. She always does, but today she’s glowing with happiness. I think she feels what I do too. Happiness. Our lives have blended together in a beautiful unison. There’s proof of that surrounding us here at this party.

“I love you.This.”I look around the room and back at her.

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