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Sullivan was nervous. He’d never been this anxious in his entire life. The months leading up to this point should have made him more confident. Lana didn’t even try to move out. Instead, when she received the insurance check for her house, she decided she didn’t want a house of her own. She wanted to build it again and donate it to Dani’s new foundation. It was going to be a refuge for battered women and children. Sullivan had never been prouder then when she told him her idea. She was going to present Dani with the deed that evening at dinner.
The beginning of their relationship had been rocky. That was, of course, an understatement, but Sullivan didn’t like to dwell on the past. They had a wonderful future ahead of them. The trio of crazies, as Lana referred to them, were in prison. Carter had heard a good deal of their confession, and Lana filled in what he hadn’t. Victoria had been pissed to find out that while she hadn’t actually committed any of the crimes, she was still equally culpable. Conspiracy was a nice law that tied her to them.
The door to the apartment opened. Lana stepped inside and toed off her sneakers. She was dressed in a pair of sea green scrubs and had her red hair piled into a messy bun on top her head. She always looked beautiful to him, but never as much as she did in that moment. Maybe he was crazy, but no matter how many times he saw her, he couldn’t get over how she was finally his. The love of his life and the only woman he would ever love.
“Hard day at work?”
“Not particularly,” she said and crossed the room to his side. “The same as it usually is. How about you?”
“The company’s still there,” he said, then leaned down to kiss her lightly. “We’re going to make it through the mess Colleen made.”
“That’s good,” she said. “She really hates you. Why did you ever think hiring her was a good idea.”
He shrugged. “You know, my sister asked me that once. She’s qualified, and she didn’t come off as a raving lunatic when she interviewed for the job. Besides, I don’t do all the hiring. That’s what the HR department is for. I gave them my top three choices, and they made the final decision. She must’ve made a good impression.”
“Well,” Lana said. “She may be nuts, but she’s smart. I’d bet she’d been hiding the crazy for years.”
He laughed. “Let’s talk about something more pleasant than the trio.”
“Like what?”
Lana slid her hand up his chest and loosened the knot in his tie. She pulled it apart and began working the buttons of his shirt open. “We do have dinner reservations later with my family. Do you really want to start this now?”
“I want nothing more,” she said.
“Good,” he said and pulled up her top and lifted it over her head. “Because so do I.”
They undressed as fast as possible until they were both naked. Sullivan lifted her against the wall and entered her in one swift motion. She wrapped her legs around his waist and met his thrusts as he trailed kisses over her face and neck.
“So good.” Lana raked her nails over his back. “Harder,” she demanded.
“Any harder and we might break something,” he said with a laugh.
She leaned forward and sucked on his ear. Her hot breath washed over him as she whispered, “Are you afraid?”
“Never,” he replied.
Challenge accepted. He carried her to the dining room table and set her on top of it, then stepped away from her. She lay back against the hard surface, giving him a perfect view of her glorious breasts. Lana lifted her arms above her head and stared at him seductively. “What are you waiting for? An invitation?”
Sullivan ran his hands up her stomach toward her chest. He palmed each breast in the palm of his hands and massaged them. She moaned and lifted her hips. “I need you.”
“In a minute,” he promised.
“Come closer.” She licked her lips. “I want to kiss you.”
“Not yet.” Sullivan waited as long as possible to heighten her arousal. He tweaked her nipples between his fingers until they were ruby red points, then he moved his hands under her and yanked her against him so he could lean down and suck her nipples into his mouth. “Mine,” he declared as he moved over to the other one.
“Always,” she agreed.
Sullivan entered her again and rocked inside of her over and over again. He loved her with his body, heart, and soul. If he could give her more of himself he would, but he couldn’t fathom how. Maybe, over time, he’d figure it all out. He knew one thing for certain though: she was perfect—everything about her, and them together had turned out far better than he could’ve hoped for. He loved her more than he’d ever thought possible. Lana gave him a reason to do better—be better.
Her moans echoed through the apartment. This was one of the best parts of having her come home to him. They couldn’t keep their hands off of each other, and the sex couldn’t be better. That wasn’t all they had though. Love was the binding thread that tied them together. He pulled her up so she could wrap her legs around him and hug him as they road their pleasure together. Then he leaned down and kissed her as she’d demanded earlier.
He tasted her lips with his tongue and then pushed it inside her mouth. Their passion exploded, and for a brief moment he couldn’t be sure where he began and she ended. He pulled back and met her gaze. It was as wild as the emotions rolling through him. If possible, he loved her even more in that moment. They were in sync in a way they’d never been before, and he wanted to imprint it in his memory. This woman couldn’t be more right for him.
“I love you,” he said as his orgasm rocked through him. She hit her peak at the same time and screamed his name. “Will you marry me?”
That hadn’t been how he’d intended to ask her. He’d planned a romantic evening with wine, dinner, and dancing. Then he’d get down on one knee and promise to love her forever. She’d been right when she’d said that.
Lana chuckled. “You have amazing timing.”
“So that’s a yes?”
He’d keep asking until she agreed, but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She was his soul mate, and they belonged together. He wanted her to have his name and let the world see how much they loved each other. She deserved everything, and he intended to make sure she received it. The image of her in a wedding dress walking toward him at the altar wouldn’t leave his mind. He had to have all of that, but with her alone.
“Depends,” she said.
“On what?” he asked, carrying her to the bedroom. “He wanted to make love to her properly. Different places were nice once in a while, but he liked to love his woman right—in a soft bed. “Name it and it’s yours.”
“Can we elope?”
He hadn’t expected her to say that. The image of their wedding was shifting. Did it matter if she had a white dress and they said their vows in a church? No, it really didn’t. Not as long as, at the end, she was his wife. “I’m not against it,” he said carefully. “But won’t your mother be disappointed if she doesn’t get to fuss over you?”
Lana had done some fussing of her own over her mother ever since Dani’s wedding. They had drugged her with some heavy duty sleeping pills, but she’d made it through it relatively unscathed. Sullivan was grateful. If her mother had died, Lana would have been wrecked for a long time.
“She won’t mind as long as I’m happy.”
“And are you? Sullivan had to ask. A part of him still didn’t believe how truly happy they were. Nothing in his life had prepared him for loving Lana. He set her on the bed and then walked over to the dresser. He opened a drawer and pulled out a ring box then kneeled before her. Not quite the way he’d envisioned, but at least he was in the proper position—on his knees. He flipped open the box.
Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She wiped them away. “It’s beautiful.”
“Lisanna, my love, will you marry me. Be my wife beyond forever and the mother of our children. Please, have mercy on me and say yes.”
“It would be my pleasure,” she said and kissed him lightly. “I never answered your question. I am so happy I’m blind with it.” He slipped the ring onto her finger. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”
Sullivan lifted a brow. “As long as it is not, ‘I changed my mind,’ then please continue.”
He was joking—mostly.
“How do you feel about starting that family a tiny bit earlier than planned?”
Had he heard her correctly? “As in working on it now or we’ve already achieved our goal?’
Lana chuckled lightly and leaned forward. “We can work on it as often as you wish, but yes, we’ve already hit the bull’s eye.”
Sullivan joined her on the bed and pulled her close for a kiss. He wasn’t sure how, but he didn’t care. They were going to have a baby. The request for an elopement made a little bit more sense now. She probably didn’t want to have a large belly on their wedding day. He didn’t care either way. She would be his wife, and in the end, that was all that mattered. He was blessed, and he wasn’t about to complain about the gifts he’d been given.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes,” she said. “I had a test done at the hospital.”
He chuckled. “We’ll have some announcements for the parents at dinner tonight.”
She crinkled her nose. “Mom will be a little shocked.”
“She won’t be the only one.”
His parents had been trying to get him to settle down for a while. They’ll be relieved to know that not only did he plan on marrying Lana, but they’d have a grandchild in a matter of months.
“If I’d have known years ago this was waiting for me in the future, I’d have done some things differently,” he said.
“I don’t,” she replied. “Our mistakes define us. They’re what make us into the people we are. You had to go down that path to be the man I need today. I’m your last, and that’s all that matters.”
“I love you so much, and I promise I’ll never make you regret the choice to be with me.”
“I know,” she said confidently. “Because, if you do, I’ll gut you.”
Sullivan laughed and pulled her into his arms. They lay in their bed for a while holding each other. There was a little time until they had to meet the family for dinner. Moments of joy should be cherished, and Sullivan wouldn’t take any of them for granted. He’d almost lost her more times than his heart could take.
The first time he really saw her as a woman should have been all he’d needed to wake him up. Sadly, it hadn’t been. At least now he had a chance to make up for it. Lana was right though. He hadn’t been ready back then. Now, he was able to fully commit to her and be the man she needed.
They’d both needed that time to grow up and become more than two young kids struggling to understand life. This was life’s way of smiling down at them. They had their whole future ahead of them. The past didn’t matter, their future did—and what a future it would be.