Page 126 of Enticing the Fixer

If a brain could overheat, that’s how I feel. No one. Certainly, not my ex, who spent more time avoiding me than seeing me bought me new furniture. Or even a dozen roses on Valentine’s Day. And we’re nowhere near Valentine’s Day.

He stuffs his hands into his pockets as I stare at him with what must be a gapping mouth and giant guppy eyes. “If you don’t like the furniture, you can pick out something else. And if you hate it here, we can sell it. I don’t have to have a place in Vegas. When we come in for business, we can stay at the casino or rent a penthouse.”

I march over to him and place my finger on his lips. “This is too much. You could have gotten me a bean bag chair and a dandelion.”

“Dandelions were out of season here.”

“Okay. You could have gone to Ann’s and picked up a silk flower.”

“I could have.” He threads his fingers into my hair and kisses me until my toes curl.

Okay. My toes curled at the first touch of his lips against mine, but he kept going.

He pulls back, and the love in his eyes would make a cynic believe in happily ever afters. “I want to make all your dreams come true. You filled that missing piece, and now we’re having a baby.” He places a hand on my belly and shakes his head. “I could give you the world, and it wouldn’t be enough compared to what you’re giving me.”

“Stop,” I groan and stand on my tiptoes, placing a kiss on his lips. “I don’t need anything but you.” A slow smile curves up to my cheeks. I remove his hand and wave my hand around the room. “But I’ll take this. Your house is–”

“Our house.”

I swallow. “Our house is beautiful. I love it.”

“This is only the beginning.” He walks to the living room table. Chocolate lava cake. Chocolate-dipped strawberries. Cupcakes–tons of cupcakes. To the side is a fountain of orange juice raining down into a large basin. “Non-alcoholic champagne.”

“You got me non-alcoholic mimosas.” I clutch my chest. “It’s official. This is too much.”

“You haven’t seen the patio in the backyard.” He leads me to the glass door. An in ground pool with a waterfall. A seating area large enough for a small party of 50+. What in the world. I grab his bicep. “Make it stop.”

He laughs and lifts me off the floor. “I’ll never make it stop. Be prepared to be swept off your feet every day.” He rests his forehead against mine. “And you haven’t seen the bedroom or the walk-in shower. We’ll take a ton of those after we take a skinny dip in the pool. I’ve been dying to have those thighs wrapped around my head for hours.”

“Yeah.” I yank my top over my head, twist open the door, and drop my pants on the patio. My man has excellent taste.

Epilogue

Two Years Later

Leo

Watching my 17-month-old son toddle from person to person under the twinkle lights of our patio warms my heart. He’s the most precious thing I’ve ever seen. Jax tickles his stomach, causing him to giggle, and his dark curls bounce with each shift of his body. His eyes dance with joy, and I could eat him up. I love him so much.

Maverick wraps his arm around my shoulders and hands me a beer. “Thank you for inviting us over. Dinner was great, by the way. Mostly because I didn’t have to cook.”

“Thank you.” Putting on an event of this size without a staff to do everything is more of a thrill than I anticipated. Three years ago, I would have never tried it.

“You and domesticated bliss.” Maverick chuckles. “Who would have thought.”

“Yeah, we’ve come a long way.” I take a drink from the ice-cold bottle. “I can honestly say I’m glad the only pasties and G strings I see are on my girl.”

“You and me both.” Maverick gives Ember the come-hither finger wave.

“Me?” Her eyes twinkles as he smirks.

“Yes, you.” He winks.

I laugh at the absurdity of the two of them and clap him on the back. I don’t need to stick around for the show. I’ve seen it hundreds of times. The two of them could start a fire in the middle of the ocean.

Dalton sees me walking toward him and runs up to me with his arms in the air. “Hey, sweet boy.” I heft him high into the air, soaking in the peace of having a home full of friends and family.

Kinsley has taught me the importance of an intimate life. The necessity of putting our son first and not having other people in our home. It’s allowed us to build a connection with him that she didn’t have with her mother.

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