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They cuddled on the alpaca rug, momentarily quiet as the effects of their amazing moment passed through them, caught happily in the afterglow of passion.
“This is magic,” said Julie, gazing outside. “Only you would have a remote-controlled window and fireplace. The air feels amazing.”
“Not bad for fall. I bet it’s much colder back in DC, sweater and turtleneck weather. We could still do this there, but we’d have to cuddle closer,” he said.
“I can’t say I’d mind that,” she said to him sincerely. “I love holding you.”
“Julie, I’m so glad to hear that,” he said, squeezing her tighter.
“Why are you out here anyway?” she asked. “I mean, you were in DC forever.”
“I’ve lived here and there for a while. I own that place in Argentina too. It just makes more sense to own more than one place than it does to keep living out of suitcases in pricy hotels.” He reached up and yanked a blanket off the bed to cover them.
“Well, I like this place. It’s unbelievably cozy,” she said as the firelight flickered, bathing her beautiful skin in buttery light, “except during those stupid quakes.”
“Yeah, unbelievable,” he said. “Once I settled the custody thing and all that stuff happened between you and me, a deal revved up out here, so I decided to work from this house.”
“So you had it already?” she said.
“Yes,” he said, stroking her hair away from her face.
“I thought moving all the way across the country would make it easier to let you go, but that didn’t work at all. I was nuts being away from you, so I came up with a plan that sounded sane to me,” he confessed sheepishly.
She let loose with a deep, full laugh, so loud that it took a moment for her to recover. “Nuts is right!” she finally said.
“Okay,” he said. “I know. I’m a complete ass.”
“A lunatic! Once I realized what you did, I thought you’d totally flipped out,” she admitted.
“You didn’t have a clue at first, did you?” he asked.
“No, but looking back on it now, I realize how desperate and stupid I was to take the job the way I did. I mean, your assistant is so smooth,” she said.
“Hmm. You’re right. I think Cindy is in for a major raise,” he said.
Julie playfully punched him on the bicep, then continued, “After I got over being weirded out, I was actually flattered. My heart broke for you.”
“Yeah?” he asked playfully. “When was that, missy? You acted more pissed than heartbroken.” Then, before she could answer, he began to run his hands all over her, as she tried to squirm away. “We could have been here a lot sooner, you know.”
“No tickling!” she shrieked, then giggled again.
Suddenly, they both froze, fearful that they were going to wake the baby.
“I had better go check on him,” Brodie said, scrambling to his feet. “It’s been a while.”
Julie quickly joined Brodie as he touched his son’s little face.
“His temperature seems normal,” Brodie whispered.
“I gave him something to bring it down,” she said. “His symptoms should improve by the end of the day. The spots will start to heal, and he’ll be good to go in a few days.”
“So that’s it?” Brodie asked with relief.
“Yes, it’s clearing up, but it hasn’t been very comfortable for the poor little guy. His eyes are still watery, and he might itch a little. We’ll have to be careful about taking him around other kids, but he’ll soon be all good.” She smiled at Brodie and teased, “You know, at his age, he can probably be left alone to sleep through the night. I get that you’re a first-time dad, but still...”
“When he was first born, I didn’t sleep through the night. I help my finger under his nose to feel for his breath,” he confessed.
“You aren’t the first person to say that,” she said with a smile.
He kissed her forehead briskly, and she touched her finger to his lips, reminding him to be quiet as they carefully backtracked out of his room.
“So tell me again why you didn’t just admit to me that you want to be here?” he asked.
“To be honest, I went through a little struggle with the fact that I am in love with a man who hired me under false pretenses,” she said. “Surely you understand that.”
“I do. So help me, I will never not tell you the whole truth and nothing but the truth again,” he said, so embarrassed that he had to make light of it. “It’ll make a great Thanksgiving story someday,” he said, his voice overcome with affection for her.
“Well, I think we both have a lot to be thankful for,” she said.
“So what does this mean for us?” he asked.
“It means we’re an us if you’ll have me,” she said, wrapping her arms around him.
He reached for the remote to turn off the fire, because it seemed to be getting very warm in the room. He left the window open and crawled under the covers with her. “Of course I will have you, and I know Thomas will as well,” he said. “There’s only one problem though.”
“What?”
“I’m going to have to officially fire you.”
“What!? Why? You aren’t hiring anyone new. I still want the job,” she said.
“You don’t want to work outside the home?” he asked.
“No! I want to raise our son,” she said. “I just won’t take money from you to do it.”
“I see,” he said, struggling to find the nerve to ask the next inevitable question. After a gulp of air, he blurted, “Wait. You said our son. Does that mean you want to marry me?” They were the most honest words he had ever spoken, straightforward, with no trickery, accusation, or assumption involved. He mentally crossed his fingers as he awaited her answer.
“Yes,” she said, far sooner than he’d expected.
“You sure you don’t want to think about it? We’ve been all over the map here,” he said.
“Literally,” she said.
Brodie tightened his hold on her, so happy that they could finally be a family. His boy was going to have a spectacular mother, and that same woman would be his amazing mate, his life partner, till death did them part. I just have to make sure I’m everything she’s looking for, everything she’s hoping for, everything she deserves.
