Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 16791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 84(@200wpm)___ 67(@250wpm)___ 56(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 84(@200wpm)___ 67(@250wpm)___ 56(@300wpm)
The moment seemed oddly intimate.
Even with this distance between them, he still thought about her.
Taking a step back, she left her house and went back to finish cleaning the potatoes.
“Are you feeling better?” Lee asked.
“Yes, much better.” She thought about Clayton. He hadn’t known she was there and still, he called out her name.
“You’re flushed. Are you sure you’re okay?”
She chuckled. “I’m fine. Really. Completely fine.” She washed the potatoes but as she did, she couldn’t stop thinking about Clayton or how he’d looked. Above all else, the sound of her name spilling from his lips as he came. She knew she’d hear it for a long time to come.
Glancing back toward the house, she watched as Clayton came out. His gaze went straight to her. She quickly looked down.
Had he seen her in the house? Could she trust his feelings for her? It all seemed a little too good to be true.
****
“You can do this?” Clayton asked Pete.
“Dude, I can ink anything. I’ve told you that. Stop worrying. This is a little ink. No more. It’ll be done quickly.” Pete winked at him.
“You could end up making a fool out of yourself, you know this, right?” Lee asked.
“I’ve got to do something.” Clayton ran fingers through his hair as he looked to where his crew were all making the preparations. He’d been negotiating everything for Maggie to have the wedding she truly desired. It wouldn’t be the best they could offer, but at least it was something.
He looked around him and nodded. Everything was in place.
The distance between them, he hated it. He loved her more than anything in the world and now he told her daily. He just wished he’d told her that fucking day in the pharmacy. Instead, he’d been too fucking afraid of what the results of the test were. Now, Maggie was starting to show. Her stomach was more rounded, even her tits were larger.
He got to touch her late at night, feeling her against him, but they hadn’t had sex in so long.
Watching her turned him on. Being close to her scent aroused him. Everything about her called to him, and still, she kept him at arm’s length. Not that he blamed her. He deserved it.
Now as everything was set up, he made his way into the house where Maggie had gone twenty minutes earlier. The food they’d prepared for storage had been moved with care. The idea was to not bruise any of the vegetables or fruit. In years to come, he hoped they could be more adept in the art of preserving and storage. Until then, he could do nothing other than hope and pray.
He entered the house and saw Maggie waiting for him on the steps. She wore the dress he’d gone hunting for. It was in her size, and modest as well. There was no available wedding dress, but the white with roses really suited her.
Her long blonde locks fell around her face, a natural curl to her hair.
“Clayton, what’s going on?” she asked.
“You look beautiful.”
She glanced down at her body, her hand going toward her stomach. “Thank you.”
“There’s something I need to tell you.” He took her hand and led her out of the house. She came to a stop and he knew why. He’d arranged for the crew to be there, every single one of them to witness his fall. “Maggie, I love you. I love you with all my heart and soul. I have no reason or excuse as to why I didn’t tell you, but I declare my feelings for you now, in front of everyone here. Not just because of the baby or to declare you as mine, but because you are my everything.”
He got down on one knee. “Marry me, Maggie. Marry me, and I will prove my love to you every single day. Even if you say no here and now, I will still continue to prove myself to you. I love you more than anything.”
“Clayton.” Tears spilled from her eyes. “You didn’t need to do this.”
“I did. I was afraid. I knew you were pregnant and it scared me.” He got up, cupping her face. “I needed to know the answer even though I was so fucking afraid. I’m an asshole. There’s no excuse for what I did.” He kissed her. “Please, forgive me. I will do anything for you. Just name it.”
“All I ever wanted was for you to love me.”
“You’ve got that.” He pressed her hand to his heart. “You’ve got all of me. If you want it.”
She pressed her lips together, tilting her head. “I want to stay mad at you.”
“Then do so. I’ll be your husband and you can hate me all you want.”
She burst out laughing, and he smiled at her. “The fact is, Maggie, I’m yours. I’ve been yours since the moment you walked into my classroom. I couldn’t have you then, but now, there’s no reason standing between us. Marry me. Say you’ll be mine.”