Page 27 of Forever Mine

“Okay, okay. I think we should take our seats. The show is starting soon.”

Beau brings our hands up and kisses mine before walking with me to our seats. We take up a whole aisle with his family. I’m a little giddy as Elle moves to make sure she can sit next to me. There’s small talk all around us, and I sit here and pray that everything works out, not only on stage but with everything else too.

Ford speaks first and welcomes everyone. The atmosphere is electric, and I love seeing everyone excited and happy. Ford talks about the importance of the facility and mentions how it’s going to serve the wounded heroes and make a difference in so many lives. I get a little overwhelmed emotionally being a part of all this. Beau leans toward me and whispers, “You okay?”

I nod my head as I wipe a lone tear. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m good.”

“I need to go up to present the check. You want to go with me?”

Vigorously, I shake my head side to side. There’s no way I’m going up there in front of all these people. “No, thank you. I’ll stay right here.”

He laughs quietly. “All right, I’ll be right back.” He kisses me before walking down the aisle and then toward the front of the auditorium.

Ford introduces a few businesses that are sponsoring tonight's events. Each of them comes forward and announces their donations. Beau is standing to the side, his eyes on me the whole time. When it’s his turn, he goes to the podium and talks. “Uh, I have something planned to say, but first I wanted to thank someone special. Earlier this week, we had a bit of a hiccup with this event. In the span of a few hours, we lost our catering, and our entertainer had to cancel. I want to thank my wife, Natalie Blaze, for all the hard work she put into tonight. She recruited our caterers—Sugar Glaze Bakery for the desserts and Red’s Diner for the hors d'oeuvres. And the entertainment, the performers, dancers, cheerleaders, and band—she’s put together a great ensemble and I’ll tell you I saw dress rehearsals earlier today, and it is amazing. Anyway, Nat, please stand up.”

My mouth drops. I would sink farther into my seat if Elle wasn’t sitting next to me, dragging me up to stand. I look around the huge convention center. The whole town of Whiskey Run is here. I know my face is red, and it gets even worse when everyone around us starts to clap.

When it dies down, Beau continues, “Thank you, Nat. I love you, and I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

I mouth the wordsI love you too. He smiles and continues his speech. He talks about how important the facility is to Blaze Whiskey as a company. He talks about his brother Huddy, who just got back from the military and how the services are going to help so many lives. He presents the check, and there’s an audible gasp in the crowd when he announces the amount. He’s making his way back to where I’m sitting and watching me the whole way. When he sits down, I can feel all the eyes on us. If there are people in town that didn’t know Beau Blaze was married, they do now. And heck, anyone not here tonight will know tomorrow. All my insecurities are suddenly lifted. I lean into him, and he puts an arm around my shoulder. “Yes.”

He puts a finger under my chin. “Yes what?”

“Yes, I want you to move back into the house… into our bedroom tonight.”

His body jerks. “Are you sure, Nat?” He leans in to whisper into my ear, “Once I’m back in, I’m never leaving again. We’ll work through any problems we have, but I’m not leaving you again.”

I slide my hand to his thigh and squeeze. “I like the sound of that, Beau.”

He covers my hand with his. “Me too.”

Chapter15

Beau

“Nat, baby?”

I spent the last two hours loving her body, trying to make up for lost time. We’re both exhausted, but I can’t sleep.

Her voice is tired, and I know I’m keeping her awake. “Yeah?”

“Thank you for everything you did to help with tonight. We really couldn’t have done it without you.”

I can hear the smile in her voice. “I’m pretty sure you just spent the last two hours thanking me.”

I span my hand across her lower back, pressing her body against mine. My cock stirs. “I could probably go another round.”

She’s sprawled out on top of me. Her legs are wrapped around mine, and her head is resting on my chest, right on my heart. She runs a finger along my rib cage. “I think we should sleep. We have tomorrow.”

I run my hand down her back and swat her softly on the ass. “You mean we have forever.”

I hold my breath, waiting for her response. Waiting for her to tell me we have thirty more days or something else like that. But I breathe easier when I hear her huskily say, “Forever.”

Before I can stop myself, I blurt out the question that’s been on my mind. “How many children do you want to have?”

She lifts her head up and looks at me through hooded eyes, blinking. “What?”

I shrug, trying to hide my excitement. It’s like a switch has been turned on inside me, and now I can’t think of anything but getting her pregnant. She pats me on the chest and asks again, “What did you say, Beau?”

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