Page 347 of Now and Forever

Chapter 125

Callum

Knocking against her workroom door, I pushed it open and tried to persuade the stubborn woman to come and join me. “It’s been five minutes, Stella. You need to come out and eat dinner or I’ll very well pluck you out of that seat and take you to dine with me. You choose,” I threatened, but she only gave me a beautiful smile that made my heart beat a little speedier than usual.

“Coming, Callum.” The undaunted woman blew me a kiss. “Give me two minutes and I’m all yours.”

I loved how she said I’m all yours.

“Not a second more, you hear?” I parted the room as I went to the kitchen and waited for her. She had skipped lunch and settled for a sandwich. When she hadn’t eaten dinner, I was ready to spoon-feed her.

Luciana’s mother’s event was right around the corner and she was busy emailing and texting, approving and disapproving orders for the last few days. She needed to take a break and eat or she might fall apart from exhaustion.

So I barged in there and asked that she eat, hoping that by throwing in the idea that I could make her buttermilk pancakes, she just might be tempted to leave her workroom. Of course, I would adore the chance in proving to her that I was very well capable of making some damn pancakes as well.

A minute later, she breezed into the kitchen—eyeglasses and all—looking like a delicious dessert.

“Sit and eat, please?”

I pulled the chair for her to sit on before she plopped her butt and muttered, “Nom, nom. Thanks for the pancakes, babe, but I need chocolate syrup.” I groaned as I marched towards the fridge, taking the thing she asked for and drizzling it all over her pancakes. “No strawberries?” She arched her brow, goading me to snap.

She was enjoying making me suffer and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to kiss or spank her this instant. “Strawberries and what else? If you have any more add-ons, best you tell me now.”

“Orange juice; that’s it.” She blew me a kiss as she started to work on her pancakes.

I was cutting her strawberries in halves when she broke into my thoughts.

“Callum Kensington, hot playboy and badass billionaire with an affinity for doing naked stunts is my personal butt boy.”

She looked entirely too smug, so I threw her a piece of strawberry and much to my awe, the woman caught it with her mouth.

Damn.

Without thought, I came to her, plucked her out of her seat and shoved her on the counter, kissing my wife with a passion that burned like a raging furnace inside me. “You wanted chocolate syrup?” I dipped my finger onto her plate and swiped a line of syrup onto my chest, on my cock and everywhere else. “Give a go at me, wife.”

“You and chocolate?” She licked her lips. “You’re on.”

The mess we left for the next day was unbelievable, much to my housekeeper’s delight since she wanted us to make babies…

A baby, however… comes later.

For now, I have to start at the beginning.

CALLUM

I wanted to renew our vows because, this time, it was the real deal. I wanted to see her eyes as she said the words to me. We had even returned to where it had all started, St. Lucia, because I wanted to be in a place which held great memories for us.

I chose to propose to her next to Richard’s burial plot. It might seem weird to some, but I wanted her family to be a part of this, too. I also wanted them to know, if they were watching, that I was serious about Stella.

“Ever since you came back into my life, nothing has ever been the same. You came and you marked me anew.” I looked into her eyes, seeing only her; her big heart, her love for me as well as my future with her, my wife. “I was suffocating, drowning in my sorrows—and you—you came and you breathed new life into me. You have seized my soul when I didn’t want it possessed. You burned and made your mark even though I held you at arm’s length.

“I love you. I am so in love with you that I want to make you my wife twice. I want to hear you say the words to me, before our friends and family, that you’re mine and I’m yours because I am yours…

“You—” I spoke, breathless as I tried to reign all the flooding emotions that were overwhelming me at the moment. “You own me, Stella, and I wouldn’t want for anything if you make me your husband again. Marry me and be mine forever?”

Tears formed in her eyes as she broke down in front of me.

My wife was a beautiful mess and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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