53. Jordan
Chapter Fifty-Three
Jordan
She was laughing as she waded deeper into the water, her back to me, hair swishing, skin glowing.
Undoubtedly laughing at me, as usual. The late sun hit her shoulders just right.
She looked ridiculously stunning. And smug.
Because she knew exactly what she was doing to me in that bloody bikini and those new pregnancy tits of hers.
I trailed after her, slower, watching the water ripple around her. She glanced over her shoulder, eyebrow cocked. She was bloody lethal.
“You coming in,” she called, “or just planning to gawk at me from the steps?”
“Bit of both,” I said, wading in quicker, catching her waist in one smooth pull. “But I like the view better from here.”
She squealed as I lifted her easily, the water making it effortless. Her legs wrapped around me without a second thought, and she laughed into my neck.
“Jordan…”
“I know, I know. Pregnant lady, don’t drop you. Heard it all before.”
She rolled her eyes, still grinning, her arms looped around my neck. “You’re a menace.”
“I’m just in love with a woman who’s trying to seduce me slowly with her new boobs.” I dragged a hand over the curve of her back, over the edge of her bikini. “This thing’s criminal.”
“You paid for it.”
“And now I’m paying the price.”
She pressed her hips against mine and gave me that look that was too bloody clever for her own good.
“You’ve got thoughts,” she murmured. “I can feel them,” she said, pressing herself against my shorts, feeling my cock straining.
“I’ve got problems,” I muttered, dragging my mouth along her shoulder. “And all of them are you.”
She laughed, her forehead against mine, and I had to pause. Just for a second. Not because of the raging hard-on she was giving me. But because this was…everything we needed. This was our life, taking shape in all its chaos and sheer, dumb luck.
“I love you,” I said quietly.
She looked up at me with that knowing smile. “Good. ’Cause you’re stuck with me now, Jordan Taylor.”
I loved the way she said my name. Because soon, it was going to be hers.
We spent the afternoon in the water, her legs around me, her laugh carrying over the ripples, until eventually I scooped her up and carried her inside.
She crashed hard around 4:00 p.m. flat on her back, one hand splayed over her bump.
One minute she was talking, the next, out cold.
The tropical heat and exhaustion of growing our little boy had finally caught up with her.
Somehow it made me love her more. I watched her sleep peacefully for a bit, then finally woke her softly with a kiss to her shoulder.
She thought we were just heading out for dinner.
Which, fair enough, we were. Kind of. I might have been up to something…
something that involved candlelight, a private stretch of sand, soft lights strung above the table.
But I’d been planning this for weeks. Since the scan.
Since I looked at her face on that hospital bed, eyes glassy, the weight of what we’d made between us.
That was the moment I knew how I was going to do this.
I’d loved her before that day. But after, I knew I couldn’t go back to a life without her in it, permanently. So no…this wasn’t just dinner.
She walked out of the villa barefoot, wearing a long, olive coloured floaty dress that swayed around her legs.
Her bump had appeared properly by the end of the week, and I was gone all over again.
She was the most beautiful, glowing pregnant woman I’d ever seen.
Her hair was wild from the salt air and she had this glow about her that I hadn’t seen in a long time.
She was just stunning. When she spotted me waiting by the table, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“What have you done?” she asked.
“Nothing illegal,” I said, trying to act innocent. “Promise.”
She gave me the Kate look, full of suspicion and amusement. “This is…fancy.”
“It’s almost our last day.” I shrugged. “Gotta mark the occasion.”
“It’s Wednesday. We go home Saturday.” She laughed.
“Shit, really? Even better.”
She laughed as I pulled out her chair. The table was lit with lanterns, the sea metres away, the noise of it somewhere in the background.
She stole food off my plate like she knew it was her right to do so, transferred her onions to my plate because they made her feel nauseous lately, and rolled her eyes when I told her I wanted a dozen babies just like her.
“Let me push this one out first, then we’ll talk. ” She laughed.
“Deal. But I warn you, this kid’s gonna be adorable,” I teased.
“If he looks anything like you, he will be,” she said, her hand brushing my jaw. Her other hand rested under her chin as she gazed softly at me.
She looked good out here. God, I was nervous.
Just before sunset, when the sky turned that stupid, perfect molten gold colour, I stood up and offered her my hand.
She took it with a confused but curious look on her face, and let me lead her to the shoreline. A cushioned area sat waiting on a soft, patterned rug.
“This is very romantic, Jordan,” she said, suspicious but smiling as the lantern light caught her eyes which appeared more turquoise than ever against the sunset.
I dropped into it and pulled her gently into my lap, her back against my chest, so that my hands could settle over her belly.
“I’m glad you think so,” I murmured, pressing a kiss into her hair. “You deserve to be treated like this after throwing up non-stop for two months.”
She huffed out a laugh. “What a charmer.”
“Hey, I’m serious. You’ve been a bloody warrior. I’ve just been the guy holding your hair back.”
We sat for a while like that, the waves rolling steady in the background. Her fingers laced through mine, like they always did, and I felt her body ease against me. But I was absolutely sweating. My heart was hammering so hard I could hear it in my ears.
That was my moment. I reached into the pocket of my shorts.
She shifted with my movement. “What are you…”
“Before you tell me off,” I murmured, pulling out the ring box, “I already know I’ve gone overboard.”
She turned, her eyebrows drawn together, then gasped as I flipped the box open.
“Oh my God, Jordan.” She gasped loudly.
“Shhh. Don’t shout. It’s a ring, not a Ferrari.”
“It’s enormous,” she whispered, her hands flying to either side of her face. “Like…I could injure someone with this.”
“Perfect.” I grinned, brushing her hair back.
“Because this is how I feel about you, Kate. Big. Reckless. A bit mad, probably. But I need you to know that you and this baby, this whole messy life we’re racing through, I want it all.
I want the sleepless nights and the 2:00 a.m. nappy changes.
You shouting at me when I forget to pack something.
I want to watch crappy dating shows with you every night in bed.
I want you: clever, and brilliant, and stubborn as hell.
I want you everywhere with me, forever.”
She didn’t say anything, just blinked at me, wide-eyed with a wobbling bottom lip.
“So,” I said, my voice catching. “Will you be my wife, Katie?”
She nodded. Quick and certain with no hesitation. Then she threw her arms around me, tears already spilling.
“Yes. Obviously yes, you idiot. I love you so bloody much.” Then she pulled back, laughing, wiping her cheek with her wrist. “But Jeeeesus Christ, Jordan…”
“I know.” I smirked. “It’s a lot.”
“It’s obscene. Wait till my mum sees this.”
“Wait till I get you the earrings to match.”
She groaned and kissed me hard. Then held out her hand to admire the rock, because yeah, it was massive. But so was the moment.
“I love you,” she whispered, still wiping at her eyes. “But you’re so bloody extra.”
“Lucky for you,” I murmured, resting a hand over her bump, “the comeback kid is yours forever.”
Her eyes searched mine as though she was trying to memorise the moment forever before her lips brushed against mine.
“Forever sounds perfect.”