50. Beau
50
BEAU
T he sound of stifled sobs is the first thing I hear when I make my way through the door into the kitchen. I’m on edge instantly. I stalk through the kitchen to the living room where I find my girl sitting on the couch. Her feet are propped up on the cushions, her rounded stomach covered by a sweatshirt of mine. A burst of possessiveness runs through my veins. Knowing that she’s mine, that she’s carrying my children, that one day I will put a ring on her finger, and give her my last name, makes every bit of pain from the last fifteen years worth it.
“Did someone hurt you?” She doesn’t respond. “Marley, who hurt you?” I let my voice deepen.
“No one hurt me, you caveman,” she finally replies. “I found your books.”
“My books?” I reply, at a loss. I can’t recall what books she’s talking about, until I look at her lap to find the pregnancy books I’ve been reading. I ordered them the day we found out she was pregnant.
“Yes. I can’t believe you paid so much attention, learned so much for me.” Her voice is tight, like she’s holding back her emotions.
I’m confused by her reaction. I guess I assumed she knew, but maybe not. “Of course,” I reply earnestly. “I am here for you, no matter what. Marley, I’ve wanted to make this as easy for you as possible.”
She nods, her bangs falling into her eyes. I push the hair away, cupping her damp cheek in my palm. “Hey,” I croon. “I’ve got you.”
Nodding again, she mumbles something under her breath.
“What?” I ask, leaning forward.
“I know that now,” she murmurs. She leans into my touch, tilting her head to rest on my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her shoulders, pulling her into me. Her entire body relaxes, fingers gliding around my neck to tangle in the hair at the nape.
I hold her, letting her get out her emotions until she’s only sniffling.
When she pulls her head back, I smooth her hair away from her face. Her eyes are red and watery, but they’re bright, and happy at the same time.
“What happened?” I ask her.
“Seeing that… your notes, how invested you are, it helped put some things into perspective for me.” She wipes the last tears on her cheeks. “I love you. I won’t lose you.”
“You won’t,” I reiterate. “Honestly, you’re kind of stuck with me.”
“You’re mine, right?”
“Of course I am,” I reply. “Just like you are mine. I love you, Marley”
“Calling you my boyfriend feels insignificant for how much I love you,” Marley says.
I can’t even begin to explain how much her claim on me means. I’ve been waiting for this day, this moment. I’ve watched her acclimate to it over the last few weeks, but watching her have the full realization in real time is so fucking incredible. My heart wants to beat out of my chest. I’m so proud of her, of how far we both have come, to get to this moment. “Is that what I am?” I tease.
“Yes,” she replies, “but you’re so much more, and you know it.”
“I do.” I lean in, kissing her deeply. The saltiness of her tears mingles with the taste of her, but I know now that it’s good tears. Her lips move against mine, her tongue parting my lips to dart in and taste me.
When I pull away, she whimpers.
“Why?” she moans.
“We can’t get carried away,” I say. “No sex, remember?”
She groans, dropping her forehead against mine. “I know.”
“Want to know something exciting?”
She raises her brows. “That’s a stupid question, I always want to know something exciting.”
“We get to close on the house in the morning,” I tell her. “I know I took the wrong path toward getting the house, not including you in the decision, but I think this will be good for us.”
“We get to close?” she asks.
“Yep.” What she doesn’t know is that I’ve been working at the house for the last week, with the previous owner's permission, to get a bonus surprise ready for her. Everything was ready to go, it was just the title company that was busy, and couldn’t fit us in until tomorrow.
Marley leans forward, squeezing me tightly into her embrace. “Thank you. I don’t think I’ve said that yet. I know I was angry, but I get it. You were just trying to provide for me and for our family.”
I nod into her neck. “I was, but I also know I went about it the wrong way.”
“It’s done now,” she murmurs. “We’ve worked through it, and I’m ready to put it behind us.”
“I talked with my brothers and our parents. While we are closing they are going to load up vehicles with furniture and boxes.”
She nods, listening closely.
“Then, we’ll get to the house, set up the couch for you, and you get to watch us all make the house a home for us.”
Her eyes well with tears again. “I feel bad,” she says.
“Why?”
“I won’t be able to help. I’ll be sitting there, like the beached whale that I am, watching everyone do all the hard work.”
“Butterfly, you have the best job, and honestly, the hardest of them all.”
“How?” she says with a laugh.
“You have to tell us where to put things, all while growing two humans.”
Marley shrugs. “When you put it that way, you’re probably right. With how crappy I’ve been sleeping lately, I’ll probably end up falling asleep.”
I kiss the tip of her nose. “Even better.”