Chapter 36
RACHEL
Twenty-four hours ago, I never would have guessed I’d be waking up in Justin’s bed like this. No, with the date with Jamie looming, I imagined that I’d be relieved that it was finally behind me—one more down on my path to getting the man I really wanted—but that I’d spend Friday morning detoxing. Maybe go for a run and then stop in for a chai and chat with Bobbie Jean while I picked out a new romance novel as a treat to read between my grad school assignments.
Justin going caveman and showing up at the restaurant last night proved to be all the detox I needed. That possessive, growly side of his? Good lord, it works for me. The man made me come twice, no toys or batteries required. I gave up on the idea that my body would ever work like that long ago. But one thing is clear where Justin Enders is concerned: where there’s a will, there’s a way, and my man aims to please every damn day.
I stretch like a cat after a perfect nap and grin at the delicious ache in my muscles.
My reverie is interrupted, though, by the sound of footsteps in the hallway outside the bedroom.
“What’s that smile for?” Justin pads into the bedroom in a pair of black boxer briefs, holding two steamy mugs of coffee.
“Mmm…” Tucking the sheet around my chest, I sit up, and after I give my shoulders a good roll, I accept the coffee. “Just thinking about how I should be way more tired than I am.”
With a flash of a smug grin, he takes a seat on the edge of the bed beside me. “Did I keep you up too late?”
“Yes.” I bring the mug to my lips and blow over the top of it. “But it was absolutely worth it.”
He chuckles. “For the record, you were the one who initiated round two.”
I did, didn’t I? Hmm. I think I like this new, sexually empowered side of myself.
“Not that I’m complaining,” he adds with a little bounce on the mattress. “I’m gonna need to tighten the screws on this bedframe, though.”
“Whoops.” I shrug. “Sorry about that.”
“No, you’re not.” He cocks a brow and takes me in for a long beat. His bright eyes scan my face, my hair, and my body wrapped up in nothing but his bedsheet.
I can only imagine what he sees. I went to bed with wet hair, and I scrubbed my face free of makeup in the shower we took together. I’m probably a wreck.
“You know, I didn’t think you could get any prettier.” His voice drops to a low, husky pitch. “But this just-fucked glow you’ve got going on right now? It’s breathtaking.”
And that’s how women accidentally get pregnant… over and over again.
“Thank you for that. The compliment and the glow.” I give him a coy smile. “We should probably talk about birth control.”
He swallows down a gulp of coffee and nods. “I was thinking about that, too.”
“I had an IUD for years, and the experience was awful. I had it removed a few months ago.” Once Craig left, there was no point in suffering through the cramps and irregularity. Our sex life didn’t really warrant that kind of protection in the first place, but I wasn’t taking any chances, so I dealt with it.
“That’s an implant, right?”
“Yes. They can be a great long-term option for women who are done having children or don’t want more for a while.”
He smooths his thumb over the enamel on his mug, focus fixed on the movement. “Which of those categories do you fall into?”
My heart does a weird little flip, and to keep my cool, I shove a hand into my hair and blow out a breath. “Jeez, Justin. Jump right into the tough questions, why don’t you?”
“You know I don’t hold back.” He winks, easing the conversation back into lighthearted territory.
Thank God for that. It makes it easier for me to be just as forward.
“I’ve always wanted more kids,” I say, voicing that admission out loud for the first time. “At least one. Maybe two more. It was just FJ and me growing up, and while there was nothing wrong with that, I always wished I had more siblings.”
“Being one of four could be a pain in the ass from time to time, but I love being part of a big family now.”
“I bet. I would’ve loved that for Mason and Emma…” I trail off, searching for the words for what I want to say next, hoping I won’t scare him off. We just crossed the line into this new phase of our relationship. How deep is too deep right off the bat?
Justin dips his chin and catches my eye. “But?”
“But I didn’t want more with Craig.” Guilt swamps me as I make the admission, but it’s the truth. He gave me incredible children, and I would never change that. But he’s a better coparent now than he ever was when he lived with us.
Justin knuckles his nose. “So, you’d be open to more kids someday?”
With him? In a heartbeat. “I would.”
A pleased, almost goofy smile makes that dimple in his cheek pop. “Noted.”
I laugh, and the tension from moments ago dissipates. “But not anytime soon. I have a master’s degree to finish first.”
“Dually noted.” He lifts his cup for another drink, his grin promising that, if and when the time comes for us, I’m going to be in trouble.
“Anyway, I’ll make an appointment. Go on the pill. I used it before without problems, and as long as I’m the only one you’re sleeping with…”
He cocks an eyebrow. “You’re not insinuating that I’m a manwhore, are you?”
I giggle. “No. I’m insinuating that maybe we can forego condoms at some point. If you’re comfortable with that.”
His eyes widen, and I swear the man gasps. “Fuck you bare?”
Good lord, the mouth on this man.
“Don’t play with me like that, Sunny. I’ll drive you to the damn doctor right now if it’ll make that happen faster.”
Yep, I’m definitely in trouble.
“While we’re on the subject of us spending more time together, I might’ve done some finagling this morning.”
Nerves skitter through me at the possibilities. “Oh, boy. What kind of finagling?”
“I made plans for us this weekend.”
Be still my heart.
“Starting in about two hours.”
Two hours? I splay a hand over my chest and blink, suddenly a little panicked. “I have to get the kids from Crystal’s and—”
“Bobbie Jean said she could keep them today. She’s taking her kids to the lake for a beach day, so the more the merrier.”
“Oh.” He made plans for Mason and Emma on his own? Can he see the hearts in my eyes right now?
“I probably overstepped, but I didn’t want you to have to worry about anything.”
I appreciate that, and I’m not upset that he took it upon himself to make plans for them, too. He’s more than proved that he has their best interest at heart. So I trust him to do the right thing when it comes to all of us. It’s just…
“Craig is supposed to pick them up later this afternoon.” And I’m going to have to explain why I’m not there to see them off.
He sets his coffee mug aside and squeezes my thigh through the blankets. “Is that what’s bothering you? Or is it making plans in general? It’s okay if it is. We’ve gone from, like, thirty-five to eighty overnight, so I get if it’s too much.”
I shake my head and swallow down the lump of emotion in my throat. “I’m okay with the plans. And it’s not that I care what Craig thinks…” Though, there is a teensy part of me that doesn’t want to make waves with him right now. The divorce is so close, and I don’t want to give him any reason to be an ass in court.
“I can talk to him if you want. I know he isn’t thrilled about us seeing each other, but I think he understands that there’s not much he can do about it.”
I scrape my teeth over my lips. “No. That’s not necessary. I’ll tell him. And I think…” I pause to pull in a deep breath. “I think we need to tell the kids, too.”
He swallows audibly. “Mason already knows.”
“What?” My heart lurches so violently I almost spill my coffee. “How?”
He shrugs. “Just figured it out, I guess. He asked me about it the other day.”
Oh my god. I wrap both hands around my mug to hold it steady. “What did he say?”
“He asked if I liked you. And then he wanted to know if I’d sell him my truck if we got married.”
If my jaw could physically detach from my body, it’d be on the floor. “He did not.”
Justin nods once. “He sure did.”
Hand to my forehead, I try to imagine the conversation. “But he wasn’t upset?”
“Nope. Actually seemed pretty cool about it.” He smirks, clearly pleased with that fact.
I suppose I am, too. Mason was the one I was worried about, given how much time they’ve spent together. I was afraid he’d think I was stealing Justin from him.
“Okay, so it’s just Emma, then.” I have no idea how she’ll react. She’s only nine, but she’s already bouncing between being a sweet little girl and a cranky-for-no-reason almost-teenager.
“I actually have an idea that might help.” He takes my cup from me, sets it aside, and grips both of my hands in his. “I want us to do something with them, too. If you’re okay with it.”
“Of course I am. They already love you. They just have to get used to me loving you, too.”
He closes his eyes and gives a small smile. “Damn, I like hearing you say that.”
Good to know, because I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with him since the day he ate my chocolate chip cookies and told me he was going to help coach Mason’s football team.
“Anyway…” he continues. “I was thinking we’d take them to Wisconsin Dells one of these weekends. Do they still get a long weekend off school in October?”
October. Yes. The one that always falls somewhere in the second half of the month. He’s talking about taking a trip with us two whole months from now.
We’re really doing this, aren’t we?
“Yes, Sunny girl.” He leans in and pecks my lips. “I still plan on being around then, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He smooths his thumb over my cheekbone. “You okay with that?”
“I’m more than okay with it,” I squeak.
He chuckles. “Good. So we’ll tell them this weekend is for us, and then the weekend in the Dells is for them. Whatever they want to do.”
“But I’ll probably have class. And homework.”
“Which we’ll work around. I can take them to the water park or the arcade if you need to study.”
Mental note to give Janice Enders the biggest hug ever next time I see her, because she raised this man right.
“So…” He wraps his arms around me and playfully rocks us from side to side. “Are we telling the kids you love me today or what?”
Oh, but that ego. That ego could still use some work.
“I want my bracelet back.”On the other side of the kitchen table, Emma screws up her face in disgust.
We did it. We told her and Mason that Justin and I are officially dating. Putting the status of our relationship into that category doesn’t feel right when we’re so much more, but I don’t want to overwhelm them right now, either.
“Aw, man.” Justin frowns at the bracelet on his wrist. “Really? And here I was thinking about making you one.”
She rolls her eyes. “You were not. You were too busy kissing my mom.”
“Whoa.” I hold up a hand. “I know this is probably hard for you, but there’s no need for an attitude, missy.”
Emma scowls and crosses her arms. “But he was. I saw him.”
Justin clears his throat and side-eyes me. “Uh, you did?”
“Uh, yeah,” she mocks. “In the garage the day you fixed my bike.”
“Oh.” He shifts forward in his seat, elbows on the table, and clasps his hands, clearly uncomfortable. “I, uh, I’m sorry you saw that.”
“Me, too,” she snarks. “I rode all the way to the end of the street again and almost kept going.”
I fail at holding back a laugh. I suppose I’ll take her sass over tears and confusion any day. “I hate to tell you,” I say, sitting straighter, “but you’ll probably see more of that. Not that we’re going to be kissing all the time, but we do like each other, so…”
Mason lifts his chin to Justin. “I still got first dibs on your truck, right?”
Justin snorts. “Dude. Let me finish paying it off first.”
Mason gives a lopsided grin. “That wasn’t a no.”
Oh my god, these kids.
“Okay, you two. Clearly, Justin and I seeing each other isn’t a surprise to anyone, so—”
“Why do you call him that?” Emma pipes up. “His name is Jinx.”
Ah, yes. We should probably clarify that. But it doesn’t feel like my story to tell. So I sit back, giving him the floor.
“Jinx is my nickname,” he says. “But Justin is my real name. Your mom calling me that… it’s kinda personal. Something special between us.”
I lean my head on his shoulder and give his bicep a squeeze. “He calls me Sunny sometimes, too. It’s what people who like each other do.”
Mason wrinkles up his nose. “TMI, Mom.”
Justin laughs, his whole body shaking. “All right. I think it’s time we end this conversation and give you two some time to think about it.”
I nod along. “Yes. When you get home from your dad’s on Sunday, we can talk more if you’d like.”
Emma slides off her chair in a rush. “Nope, I’m good. I’m going to get my backpack ready.” With that, she skips off to her room.
Mason, however, glances back and forth between us with narrowed eyes. “Don’t make this weird, okay? Like, I know what going away for the weekend means.”
My cheeks flame instantly. Oh, the joys of having a too-smart tween.
Justin clears his throat. “I’ve always respected your mom, Mase. That isn’t going to change.”
He gives a skeptical side-eye as he gets to his feet. “I’ll be the judge of that.” Then, just like his sister, he heads off to his room to get ready for the weekend.
“Well.” With a soft laugh, I cover my face with my hands. “That went better than expected.”
Justin drapes an arm over my shoulders and pulls me close so he can kiss the top of my head. “Of course it did. I’m a hell of a guy.”
I melt into him with a sigh. “What have I gotten myself into?”