Page 74 of Love From the Ashes

Reid was slow and gentle as he made love to her, touching and holding her as if unwilling to let it end. He held back, restraining himself so he could fully satisfy her first. Reid closed his eyes, savoring the way her body felt as he pushed her toward that pleasured peak, feeling her shudder as she toppled over its edge.

No longer holding back, Reid abandoned himself to Sofie’s touch. He could feel her body tighten around him while her warm hands caressed his skin. His nipple was suddenly in her mouth, her tongue teasing him. He let out a deep-throated groan as he reached the peak and released, the burst of pleasure rocking his body to its core. Pulling away a few moments later, he lay quietly next to her, his head resting on her stomach while his hand roamed across her hip. There was a movement underneath his cheek. Surprised, he stared at her.

“That was your daughter.” She smiled down at him, running her fingers through his hair.

“Seriously?” Reid said in awe as his hand caressed her stomach. “When did it start?”

“A few weeks ago. It felt like a small flutter at first. Now I can feel the baby move.”

“We still need to pick a name. You said a while back there were a few you were favoring. What were they?” Reid said, his finger tracing a circle around Sofie’s belly button.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I want to name her after your grandparents. You said you were close to all four of them. I thought we could use your paternal grandfather’s and maternal grandmother’s names with a few little tweaks. Instead of Alexander, I want to use Alexa. And instead of Yvonne, I want to call her Yvelle. So her name would be Alexa Yvelle Morgan. What do you think?”

“I think her name is beautiful, just like her mother.”

“That was wise of you to agree,” Sofie laughed. “I remember you saying a few times that I like to argue.”

“Oh, you do indeed. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Reid smiled as he bent and kissed her stomach, so thankful to have his family back. He hoped they never suffered through anything like this again.

EPILOGUE

Four Years Later

With Jason’s continuedmentoring and Reid’s unwavering support, I’d blossomed in my job at Morgan Systems, having been promoted to the company’s assistant marketing manager position last week. My new role brought me a multitude of new duties and responsibilities, and today had already been a busy one. By lunchtime, my tasks had included reviewing a marketing presentation, chairing a staff meeting, poring over a stack of reports, and approving several budget items and a significant expenditure for a conference. Ginny and I were to meet later this afternoon to discuss funding for our new project. And I had an interview withBoston Localmagazine in fifteen minutes. I smiled to myself. These were the days I loved, where I got to dig in and be creative and interact with management and staff.

I looked up from my desk when I heard a noise in the doorway. It was Reid, and he was standing there with a large frame in his hand. He grinned as he held it up for me to view.

“It was just delivered. I had to unwrap it and take a look. Sorry, I should have waited for you, but I was too excited to see it.” Reid eyed the document framed behind a sheet of glass.

“Oh my, it looks so professional,” I said, getting up and walking over to Reid. I studied the piece of parchment and then read part of it out loud. “Conferred upon Sofie Olivia Morgan the degree of Bachelor of Science in Marketing. Wow, it feels so good to say that.”

“And it should. You worked hard for your degree, and I’m proud of you.” Reid leaned forward and kissed me. “I imagine you want it hung in your new office upstairs.”

“I do. Jason said my office should be ready to move into on Monday, although I’ll miss having my office close to yours.”

“You can take the assistant marketing manager position and officially be Jason’s right-hand person or stay on this floor with me. Which do you prefer?” Reid teased.

“Oh, I’ll take the promotion. I’ve spent over four years as Jason’s apprentice, on top of all the administrative functions I’ve tried to learn. I’m ready to take it on.”

“I thought you’d say that.”

Mavin was suddenly in the doorway behind Reid. “The journalist withBoston Localis here. He’s a few minutes early. Do you want him to wait, or should I bring him in here?”

“You can go ahead and show him in.” I looked at Reid. “You can stay if you want.”

“No, that’s all right. I’ll take this frame upstairs and give you some privacy. I’ll be back in a while.” Reid left my office and headed toward the exit.

“I’ll bring Mr. Shaw in,” Mavin said before leaving. She was standing in my doorway again a few minutes later with a tall, somewhat thin, dark-haired man next to her. “Ms. Morgan, this is Howard Shaw withBoston Local.”

“Mr. Shaw, please take a seat.” I motioned to the chairs in front of my desk. “Mavin, thank you. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

Mavin nodded and headed back toward her desk.

Mr. Shaw took a seat in one of the chairs. “Thank you for meeting with me. As you know, our magazine features a Bostonian every month that has been a positive force in our community, particularly those who have helped our underserved population. You are our featured person for our next publication.”

“Thank you. I’m honored your magazine chose me.”

“Thank you for all the work you’ve done. Your story is a unique one. I read the memoir you published recently,Surviving My Family, which I understand is aNew York Timesbestseller. I have to say, what you went through growing up with such a violent and dysfunctional family is heartbreaking. But your story is also quite inspirational when we see how you’ve overcome all those obstacles and persevered, coming out on top and creating a better life for yourself. Your story gives hope to those who find themselves in similar circumstances. So I was curious. What prompted you to author your book and tell the world your story?”

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