Didn't Expect You (Against All Odds #2) - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,104

precious.

Our baby is now seven weeks old. This little demon likes to wake up several times during the night and sleep throughout the day. We’re not surprised at all. While I’m rocking and singing to her, I notice Nyx watching me. She stands by the door holding a glass of water.

“Like what you see?”

“Love who I see,” she corrects me, setting the glass on top of the dresser. “Both of you.”

“We love you back,” I respond, looking down at the already sleeping baby. Praying that she stays like that for at least a couple of hours.

“I never thought I could love so much,” she continues. “I…I was afraid that you wouldn’t care for her and now… Looking at you two together makes me want to have more babies with you.”

“Marry me,” I ask.

“Still making those plans to propose, Mr. Chadwick?” She grins because I keep asking about her dream proposal.

I want to make it special. There’s a ring in the nightstand drawer waiting for her, but I can’t find just the right moment.

“Obviously,” I answer as I set our sleepy girl on her bassinet, ensuring that she’s safe.

“I think you’ve told me that you can’t plan the best moments of your life,” she argues, and fuck. She is right.

“Well, this time is different,” I say, reaching for the box that’s been tucked in for too long. Then I walk to where she stands.

“Different?” she asks as I bend on one knee and smile at her.

“Well, I decided to stop asking you because clearly you don’t have a preference. And the best moment won’t be while we’re in an air balloon or on top or the Eiffel tower. It’ll be when you say ‘yes.’ So, this time, I am not only asking you to marry me. I am handing you my heart, for always. This is a promise that I’ll love you for eternity if you accept to be mine. I swear that I’ll hold you when things seem to be crumbling around you. I compromise on having sex only twice a day during weekdays. Weekends…well, that is a different story.”

She smiles. “God, you’re proposing, and we haven’t even…”

“That should tell you how much I love you, Nyx. I’m a patient man, also demanding,” I say and I’m not sure if it’s a promise, a warning, or just a fact. “We’ve done everything backwards, and it has worked for us. I would love for you to be my wife, but if you—”

“I love you more than you can imagine. Of course, I’d love to be your wife,” she agrees.

Standing up, I cup her delicate face between my hands and brush her lips with mine.

“I’m going to kiss you,” I warn her. “This time I’m not going to censor myself. This is going to be better than the first kiss we shared. But it’ll feel like the last we’ll ever have. It’ll feel as if I’m trying to fill my lungs with the oxygen your blood carries. As if I’m trying to fuse us.”

“Please,” she whispers.

As we kiss, I let our souls entwine. The gentleness of the kiss only lasts for a few beats before her wild side takes over. She’s a cyclone. She’s the most powerful storm.

This kiss is full of fire that spreads through us. I lift Nyx and carry her to the bed where I set her down. The night light we have for Nova’s routine lets me see her features. She’s breathtakingly gorgeous, and in this moment, I realize that I want more than just make her mine. I want to surrender myself to her.

I move closer, settling myself on top of her. Our eyes meet, our noses almost touch, and I can feel her warm breath against mine.

“I love you, Nate,” she whispers.

Instead of mirroring her words, I kiss her.

Slowly.

Tenderly.

Lovingly.

I want for us to savor every second of this first time. Like a slow dance under the moonlight. My mouth moves down to her neck as I strip her from the oversized t-shirt she’s wearing. I love that she wears my clothes when she goes to bed. I love that she’s about to be mine. Most of all, I love that she loves me back.

My hands slide under the waistband of her boxers and push the fabric down. This is finally it, and I’m not even sure where to start because there are so many things that I want to do to her. This is when everything that’s happened in my life before differs from this moment.