Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79509 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79509 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Then it was just the two of us.
He led, moving back and forth with me, dancing to the music, the sound of the crickets, the mountain breeze. His hand was tight against my back, and he held my other hand in his, his forehead pressed to mine.
“I didn’t know you could dance…”
“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “But you have a lifetime to learn it all.”
“Deacon…I love you.” I really loved him, like take a bullet for him loved him, like would remain alone for the rest of my life if I ever lost him. “Like…I can’t live without you kind of love you.”
“I know you do.” He moved his lips to mine and kissed me. “And that’s the way I love you. I’ve loved you that way…for a very long time. I’ve loved you that way since the beginning. I just didn’t know it then. You’re the only woman for me, my mate for life, a mother to all my children…the woman who gave me back my soul.”
“Deacon…”
“You were right when you said science could only explain so much. Because I can’t rationalize my feelings for you. I can’t tell you when I fell in love or why. I can’t tell you why my love is so deep when we have nothing in common. I can’t explain anything, but I know it’s real… I just know.”
I never thought this beautiful man would love me for me, the way I loved him for him. I didn’t think something so good was just a short distance away, that I would get everything I was missing from one person. My world fell apart…and then he fixed everything.
“And I know it’s going to last forever—even after we’re gone.”
I stared into his eyes, knowing how significant those words were since he didn’t believe in anything.
“Because the children we make…will live on after us—and keep our love alive.”
Epilogue
Deacon
Derek stood at the edge of the dock with his pole in the water.
Dex had a plastic version of the rod, but he didn’t seem to care that he didn’t have a line or hook. He was three years old, standing in jeans and a shirt, wearing a floppy hat to keep his face out of the sun. He kept looking at his brother, trying to make sure he was copying him exactly.
I sat in a chair in the shade and kept an eye on them since Dex was so close to the water. He had dark hair and dark eyes the way I did, looking just like Derek did at that age. But he had a subtle softness to him that he’d inherited from his mother. He was advanced like I expected he would be, but he had other qualities, like his warmth, his smile, his laughter…that all came from Cleo.
Cleo came outside, her stomach large in her summer dress. She waddled onto the deck, visibly uncomfortable in the heat because of her size. Her eyes immediately went to the two on the edge of the dock. “You think it’s safe having Dex so close to the water?”
“I’m watching them, baby.”
She rubbed her stomach as she watched them, like it was bothering her to see her three-year-old so close to the edge. “I’m gonna go—”
“Baby, sit down.” I got to my feet and indicated the chair.
“But I—”
“Sit.”
She did as I asked and took a drink of water.
I grabbed a standing umbrella and carried it out to the dock before I grabbed a couple chairs.
She smiled at me, like she appreciated what I was doing.
“Come on.” I gave her my hand and helped her up.
She walked next to me, eight months pregnant, having back pain, sleepless nights, and incredible mood swings.
But she was entitled to it since she was giving me the gift of another child. I helped her into the chair before I sat beside her.
She was much happier being close, being able to keep an eye on her boys. Her hand rested on her stomach, her hair in a ponytail, her face beautiful with that pregnant glow.
My hand moved to hers, and I held onto the armrest. “You’re beautiful.”
She turned to me, giving me a slight smile. “I’m huge, Deacon…”
“You’re pregnant. And so beautiful.” I liked it when she had that belly. This was our last baby, so I was sad it was almost over. I liked making love to her like this, making her pregnant in the first place, but we’d agreed three was the perfect number and I would get snipped once our girl was born. We would have tried for another if we had another boy, but the doctor confirmed it was a she, so we decided to keep it at three.
Her eyes softened. “I can’t wait for Daisy to get here. I’m done being pregnant.”