My Chance (Chance #2) (25 page)

“Baby, I feel you, and you’re amazing.”

His words set me off, and I couldn’t stop.

“That’s it, baby, let go. You’re perfect.”

He moved faster. I didn’t know how, but I climaxed again.

He brought his hands to my cheeks and swiped away my tear. “I love you.”

I threw my arms around him, and our chests were so close that I couldn’t have slipped a thread between them. “Just hold me, okay? Stay inside of me.”

His lips grazed mine. “I’ll hold you forever.” He turned us to our sides.

I kicked off my heels and slid my leg between his. I looked up at him. “I can’t believe your dad gave us a house. Can you tell me about it?”

He moved some loose strands of my hair and tucked them behind my ear. “That house is where I have some of my happiest memories. I remember playing in the backyard with Ellie and my mom. My dad was around on weekends. Since his office was in the city, the commute was long.” Alex looked up as if he was either remembering or looking to heaven. “I haven’t been there in over fifteen years. I can’t believe my dad never sold it. After we lost them, we moved to an apartment in the city. Maybe we can ride out there this week. We can check it out and maybe we can have our first Thanksgiving there. Can you cook a turkey?” Alex laughed.

I shoved his shoulder. “Yes, I can cook a turkey.” I had no idea if I could or not. “Let’s put it this way, I’ll do my best. I haven’t had to cook much lately.” I got up to get ready for bed.

I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when he came up behind me.

“You’re so sexy when you’re brushing your teeth… naked.”

I rinsed my mouth and dried it. “Yes, that was very sexy. You’re so weird.” I reached around him for my pajama top and slipped it over my head.

Alex stood there, in all his naked glory, looking at me. I walked into my room and climbed into bed, and he followed. He lay behind me and spooned with me.

“If you don’t like the house, we don’t have to live there.”

“I’m sure I’ll love it. Will we live there or at your apartment?” I turned in his arms and looked at him.

He seemed deep in thought. “I think we should talk about that. I don’t want the club hours once we’re married. I don’t want to be a husband who leaves his wife alone all day if you decide not to continue at Walker-Stone. That’s your decision, of course. I’m thinking about being a silent partner and letting Tyler and Brett manage the day-to-day business. We can keep my apartment in the city and go to the house on weekends or live on the island year round. What do you think?”

“What will you do if you don’t work?”

Alex laced our fingers. “I think I want to take some time to decide. I’ve been thinking about my mom a lot and what she’d want for me. Maybe I’ll work with my dad. I don’t know. I’d love to have something to pass down to our kids other than a nightclub.”

I smiled. “Our kids.”

“You do want kids, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. I just can’t believe everything that has happened this year. In a few weeks, we’ll be husband and wife. How did this happen to me, a shy, anxiety-ridden certified geek?”

“It happened because we found each other. We don’t have to make any decisions tonight. Let’s get some sleep, and we can talk about it tomorrow.”

He kissed me, and I fell asleep in his arms.

I was so thankful it was a short week. We drove to the house on Thanksgiving like Alex said we would. Shelter Island was different from the city. It was peaceful and smaller than the metropolis I was used to. Alex turned down a long driveway to a sprawling house. Alex parked in the circular drive, and I stared out the window.

“What do you think? Do you like it?” he asked.

The house was gray with white trim. It had a wraparound porch with chairs on it. “It’s much larger than I imagined.”

“We’re not in the city anymore. Come on, let’s go in.” He opened his door and got out of the car.

I was still in awe when he opened my door. He reached for my hand and helped me out. We walked up the wooden steps to the front door. I stood there taking in my surroundings while Alex unlocked the door. I heard the waves and a few birds. It was so peaceful. We walked in. The interior was impeccably decorated in stripes and nautical prints, which made sense considering the house was on the water. Jack must have had a caretaker for the home, because it was spotless. If I didn’t know it had been vacant, I would have assumed a family lived there.

“Looks like my dad took care of everything. This isn’t the furniture that was here when I was young. He must have had it decorated for us. If you don’t like it, we can change it.”

“Are you kidding? It’s perfect. I love it.”

“Come on, I’ll show you around.” Alex gave me the grand tour.

The house had five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a gourmet kitchen with a butler’s pantry. It was incredible. He took me to the backyard with a path that led to the beach. One tree had a tire swing hanging from it.

“Was that your swing?”

Alex stood behind me and wrapped his arms around me. “Yeah, I loved that swing. And that dock over there.” He pointed to the wooden dock off to the left. “I learned how to dive right there.”

I could tell he’d really loved living there. “You know what? I think this is perfect for us. I love it.”

“Me too. I always have. I just didn’t think this was an option.” Alex looked at his wrist. “It’s almost noon. I don’t think we’re cooking a turkey today. Let’s go eat, and then we can relax in front of the fire.”

We spent the day eating turkey sandwiches Alex picked up at the deli down the street. We laughed, talked, and made love while the fire crackled behind us. It was a perfect day.

Monday came quickly, and I needed to call my parents to tell them everything that had happened over the weekend. My mom would flip out over the house on Shelter Island. I knew she wanted to be kept informed. It was difficult considering she was in Paris.

I was sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee, getting ready to call my mom before I went to work, when Alex walked out of the bedroom in worn-out jeans and a long-sleeved blue Henley. I couldn’t stop staring at him.

He looked at me with a shit-eating grin, looked behind him, and then looked at himself. He stretched his arms. “What? Is there something wrong with what I’m wearing?”

Still staring with my mouth open, I wondered how he was all mine. “That depends on where you’re going looking like that.”

He flashed his brilliant smile. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you look edible. There’s no way you don’t know how hot you are.”

“Edible huh? Well, you do look a little hungry. Do you want a taste?”

I took a sip of my coffee and almost choked on it. He laughed and sat next to me.

“That’s not funny,” I said. “You know I need to get to work. I’m not sure if Julie will be in, so Mark and I’ll need to pick up the slack.”

“I’m going into the club to do some inventory. I texted Brett and Tyler that I need to talk to them. I want to tell them about my plan to let them take the reins at the club. I forgot that Brett said he needed time off.” He got up and went into the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

I appreciated the view as he walked away. Damn, my man was fine. I picked up the phone and dialed my parents’ number as Alex came back and sat next to me. Just as my mom answered, his hand went to my thigh. I glared at him because I really needed to talk to my mom, and I knew he would be distracting. He chuckled and took a sip of his coffee. I told my mom about the house.

She was beyond excited, as if I had won the lottery. “That is so amazing. I knew Jack Logan had to be a good man. Everything I’ve heard about him told me so.”

“Yes, he’s a good man, just like his son.” I put her on speaker phone. “Say hi to Alex, he’s right here.”

Alex cleared his throat. “Hi, Mrs. Ryan.”

“Alex, you’re going to be my son-in-law. Call me Jill or Mom if you’d like.”

I looked at Alex as his face fell. I scrunched my eyes closed. I needed to change the subject. “So, uh, Mom, have you and Dad made your travel arrangements?

“Yes, your father and I will be arriving on the eighteenth so I can help with any last-minute wedding details, and then we’ll stay through Christmas. I hope that’s okay. I know it’ll be your first Christmas as husband and wife.”

“That sounds great. Thanks, Mom. I need to get to work. Tell Daddy I said hi and that I love him.”

“I will, sweetie. Talk to you soon.” She hung up.

Alex hadn’t said anything since my mom told him that he could call her Mom. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I turned to him and put my hand on his. “Are you okay? You can call my mom Jill. You don’t need to call her Mom.”

Alex leaned forward and put his cup on the coffee table. His hands were clasped together on his knees. “I never thought about it before she said that.” He shrugged.

My heart broke for him. I knew how much he missed his mom and sister. “Well, it’s your decision. I just want you to be happy. It really doesn’t matter to me what you call her.”

“I know, babe. It’s just weird for me, that’s all.” He picked up his coffee.

I watched his muscles flex through his shirt. “So after you go to the club, what are your plans?”

“I was planning on going to my apartment to make space for your things, which we will be moving in this week. It’s after Thanksgiving now, and it’s time we got moving on this, pun intended.”

I felt nervous all of a sudden. “Okay. I guess I’ll get boxes and start packing up here.”

“What’s with that look? You look like your dog died.”

I shook my head. “I just hope you like living with me. What if all my issues drive you crazy? What if you don’t like living with me? What if—”

He put two fingers on my lips. “I love you, all of you. I’m not perfect either, no one is, and I’m sure there will be times we’ll want to smack each other, but as long as it’s on the ass, we should be good.” He stood and walked into the kitchen to put his cup in the sink.

I sat there with my mouth open.

He turned. “You just going to sit there, or are you going to bring your cup in here so we can get to work?”

I stood and walked into the kitchen. He was rinsing his cup and reached for mine. He put them in the dishwasher and turned to me.

“See, I’m not messy, so that’s a bonus.” He laughed.

I smacked his bicep. “Yeah, I see that. What if I am?”

He put his arms around my waist. “Then I’ll hire a maid. I don’t care if you’re messy and leave your cup on the table. I care about you, about us.”

My hands went into his hair, and I pulled him toward me. Before our lips met, I said, “I’ll do my best to be the best wife you ever dreamed of having.” I kissed him with all the passion I had.

He picked me up and set me on the counter. He stood between my legs, put his hands on my face, and looked into my eyes. “You’re my forever, and that’s more important to me than anything.”

I leaned forward and kissed him. “You’re my forever too. As much as I’d love to stay here and prove it, I need to get to work. If you keep talking to me and kissing me this way, I’ll need to change my clothes.”

Smiling, he lifted me off the counter and put me down. “Then we’d better go. You can tell me why you would need to change on the way.” He grabbed his keys, and we left.