that I had done wrong?
When I picked up the ring I had found last week and was having resized, I would prove to her that she had me. Hell, she’d had me the morning she sang off key and shook her ass in my face. I hadn’t realized it then, but she’d had me.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away. It was just a surprise to me, and I wasn’t sure how you would react. I didn’t want to force anything on you.”
I cupped her face in my hands. “In this life, you will always be my number one priority. Your happiness is my goal. Never doubt me again. Promise me that,” I said, needing to know that next time, she’d come to me. Not her father.
She nodded. “OK. I promise.”
I kissed her lips gently. I wanted to get her naked and inspect every inch of her body to see if it had changed. Were her hips wider and I hadn’t noticed? Did her stomach show any signs? Were her breasts tender?
“I need you to do something for me,” I told her, reluctantly letting go of her mouth.
“What?” she asked breathlessly.
“Get naked. Let me explore and see if I can find any changes,” I said with a grin I couldn’t wipe off my face.
She blushed. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “Very.”
I could see the arousal in her eyes as she watched me. She liked the idea of me touching her everywhere. Paying extra attention to areas she loved me to kiss.
“I’ll give those sensitive nipples special attention,” I promised as I slid my hands to the waistline of her skirt.
“Oh?” she asked, leaning into me.
“Mm-hmm. Any other tender place that needs my expertise?” I asked, cupping her ass in my hands.
“Ahhh . . . yes.” She arched into me.
“Then let’s get you undressed and find out just where I need to kiss. This could take hours.”
Reese lifted her hands into the air and gazed up at me. All that trust in her eyes made me want to beat my chest and roar. This was my woman. I’d never let her down.
Reese
When we left Chicago, Nonna was already knitting a baby blanket. My father had been right. She was ecstatic. Raul had also been thrilled. He kept referring to himself as Uncle Raul for the rest of our stay. But after three days, I knew we needed to get home and tell Mase’s parents.
Mase had become overprotective. I kept assuring him that I could walk around and I didn’t have to rest yet—I wasn’t even showing. I really hoped I wouldn’t get morning sickness, because I wasn’t sure he could handle it.
He was also anxious to get me back to the doctor so he could go, too. He had a million questions I didn’t have the answers to. The one thing he never mentioned was marriage. I was torn about that. I hadn’t wanted him to propose because he thought he had to, but then his not even mentioning it worried me, too. I convinced myself that it was my pregnancy hormones and I had nothing to worry about. Even if he never asked me to marry him, he wanted me. He wanted both of us. I didn’t have to wear his ring or have his last name to be his.
Getting home and telling his parents was our first priority. Maryann brought over a chocolate cream pie, and I made a pot of coffee. I could see the unease in his stepfather’s eyes and the excitement in his mother’s. I wanted him to just blurt it out and get it over with. I wanted them to be happy, but I worried they’d feel I was trapping Mase. That was my biggest concern.
“Thanks for coming and bringing the pie. It’s been a long day of traveling, and Reese needed to rest,” Mase said. I shot him a frustrated frown. He made me sound like a wimp. The reason they were here was that he insisted I get comfortable and relax.
“We never get invited over. This is a treat,” Maryann said, smiling at me brightly. She was so excited about being here that I felt guilty for not inviting her over more often. I needed to make it a point to have them over more.
“I’m ready for some pie,” Charlie piped up. “Let’s talk and eat. She wouldn’t let me touch it before we got here.”
Maryann rolled her eyes and slapped her husband’s shoulder. “You’re being rude. They have to tell us something.”
Charlie