Devotion - Chapter 39 #2
"You seriously don't want to know ahead of time?"
"It's more fun this way." James rubbed my back again.
He was saying everything I felt. I didn't need to say anything at all. Instead I looked through the box that Rob had given James. There was everything from naming books to actual books for the baby. So that we could read him bedtime stories.
"How does it feel to be knocked up?" Matt asked.
Melissa punched his arm.
"I'm just so happy. And hungry. We haven't eaten breakfast yet."
"Oh, we'll go get the cake," Bee said and quickly stood up. "You know this means we have to hop on the kid train soon too, Mason. We want our kids to grow up and be friends."
"We have a little time," said Mason. "Matt and Rob are three years younger than James and me. And we all get along great. But yeah. I'd like our kids to grow up together. Which means all of you have to speed things up too," Mason said to Matt and Rob.
"Well, Daphne and I are moving in together," Rob said. "Babies are next after that, right?" he said with a laugh.
"You're moving out of your place in Newark?" I asked.
"Well, yeah. James asked me to run Hunter Tech. I kind of need to be here. And I want to be here." He put his arm around Daphne.
"You asked him to run Hunter Tech?"
Rob laughed. "I think you two have a few things you need to talk about. Let's all go help with the cake."
Daphne helped Rob to his feet and everyone went into the kitchen.
"You asked him to take over?" I asked. I couldn't hide my excitement. This had to mean that he was going to teach again. That he finally realized what truly made him happy.
"Yeah. He wants to settle down. I think he was looking for an excuse to move here so that it wouldn't seem so crazy fast with Daphne.
And he needs a little structure in his life.
Besides, he was handling all my emails and stuff while I was in the hospital and he really took care of things for me.
Thanks for having him handle that, by the way. "
"I never asked him to handle it."
"You didn't?"
"No. I guess he just...did it."
James smiled. "Even more reason why he'll be a great fit. And he has a lot of great ideas for the company."
"And what about you?"
"The doctor said less stress. And I want to be there for you and the baby. I don't want to be working all the time."
I smiled. "Won't you be bored?"
"I may have applied for a few local teaching jobs," he said with a smile.
"Yeah?"
"You sound surprised. I told you I'd think about it before the wedding. I thought about it...and that's what I want."
"You're going to be a professor again?"
"Well, we'll see. I haven't heard back yet or anything. And I don't want to start anytime soon. I think I need some time off."
"James, you don't even understand how happy that makes me."
"I think you just want to be able to call me Professor Hunter all the time again."
I laughed. "I'll never tire of calling you that. But no, that's not why. It's because you finally realized what you love."
"I love you."
"I mean besides me. You love teaching. It's what you were meant to do."
"I kind of feel like I was meant to be a father too. I know I said I didn't want kids for a long time, but I'm not lying when I say I'm excited. I'm really, really happy."
I smiled. "I know. And, I have something for you. I'm sorry I didn't wrap it. I was going to if we had gone home last night, but," I grabbed the onesie from my purse, "this was what I was going to give you to tell you I was pregnant."
"God, it's so small." He unfolded the onesie I had picked up from the hospital gift shop. It had the Giants logo on it. "I'm pretty sure this is for a baby boy."
"I don't know if it's just been Rob's incessant talk about it being a boy or what, but I feel like it's going to be a boy."
He lowered both his eyebrows. "Yeah?"
"You look disappointed."
"No. No, I just...I want it to be like you. Everything good in this world." He put his hand on my stomach.
"And that's why I want it to be a boy. So that it'll be like you. Everything I love in this world."
"Right now it's just a tiny dot. I can't believe that dot is going to be a baby. Our baby."
I put my hand on top of his.
"I don't want to mess it up. I don't want to disappoint it."
"You couldn't possibly, James. And it makes me so happy that you want to spend time with him before he's born."
"It's going to be a girl." He smiled at me.
I shrugged. "Maybe."
"But you're going to let me raise it as a Giants fan either way?" he said.
"Just don't tell my dad."
He laughed. "Thank you, Penny. This really is the best gift. But I wanted to ask you one more thing."
"Yeah?"
"I want you to stay home with me for the next few weeks. I know that you're supposed to finish your internship. And if you want to do that, of course you can. But I thought we could both use a vacation. You could always finish the internship in the fall if you'd like."
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that too.
The day before our wedding, I was terrified I'd never see you again.
I started writing down all this stuff about you and the way you made me feel.
I just...I didn't want to ever forget. And when you were in the hospital, my mom told me that it was my job to keep living.
In order to keep the memory of you alive.
That really stuck with me. But at the same time, I knew I wasn't strong enough. I don't know how to live without you."
"Hey." He wiped the tears from under my eyes with his thumbs. "You don't have to live without me."
"I know. And I'll never forget how lucky I am that you woke up.
How blessed I am that our story didn't end there.
" I pulled a notebook out of my purse. "I know it's silly, but I thought that if you didn't wake up that I'd just suddenly die too.
And I felt guilty for not being able to keep your memory alive.
And I started writing about, well, our story.
Of how we met and...well, all of it. And how we have this huge scary everlasting love.
The kind of love that people dream about. "
"I didn't know you enjoyed writing."
"Honestly, I didn't either. But I've always loved reading. And when I started to write about you, I just couldn't stop." I looked up into his dark brown eyes. "And I think people might like hearing all about you."
"Me?" He laughed.
"Yes. About how we started. The truth that no one else seems to believe."
"The truth?"
"About our love. How we overcame all the obstacles that everyone put in front of us. How true love has it's struggles too. And how it's so worth it."
"Hmm." He kissed the tip of my nose. "Do you really think anyone would be interested in reading about us?"
"Of course they would. Maybe it could even be a whole series."
"Is there really that much to say?"
"About you? Absolutely." I placed the notebook in his lap.
"It's barely anything yet. But I think it could be something great.
I've been trying to find my thing after graduating.
And really, James, all I've ever been passionate about is you.
I want to write this book. And raise this baby.
And be the best wife I can possibly be to you. "
"If that's what's going to make you happy."
"Nothing would make me happier. I don't ever want to go a day apart from you. And I don't want the memory of you to ever completely fade. This will make that possible." I tapped the top of the notebook.
"Can I read what you have?"
"Yeah, well, it's super rough. It's mostly just notes. All I know is that it's going to start at the coffee shop. Where our lives both changed forever. When I finally learned what living truly was." I smiled. "When I decided to break all the rules and fall head over heels for my professor."
He put his hand on the side of my face. "The best day of my life. God, I love you, Penny."
"I love you with everything that I am, Professor Hunter."
He smiled as he wiped away my tears with his thumbs.
There was suddenly a hunger in his eyes that hadn't been there before.
It reminded me of when I was his student and he was my professor.
I had sometimes thought he was the hunter and I was the prey.
That the whole thing was a game. But despite what he thought, I never saved his life. He saved mine.
We never were able to agree on who tempted who. But there was truth in both our stories, and together, it came down to two things. Two unmistakable truths that led us to this moment. This perfect moment. I looked up into his eyes. I was the hunted. But I had willingly let him hunt me.
***
James and Penny have a few months until their baby is due. And James is determined not to waste any time while it's still just the two of them.
Keep reading to see what spicy surprises James has planned for Penny in Seduction.