Chapter 35

Annie

As Cameron waits out front with the Tahoe, Jake wheels me to the vehicle and deposits me gently onto the front seat of his SUV. Cameron stows my small overnight bag in the back of the vehicle.

“Ready to go home?” Jake says, once he’s behind the steering wheel. He leans over and kisses me. “Well, to our temporary home that is, until we move to my apartment. Which is also temporary.” He’s got a big grin on his handsome face. Obviously, he’s in a very good mood.

“Yes, I’m ready. I miss Aiden desperately, and Elly and Charlie.” And as excited as I am about moving into Jake’s apartment and eventually finding our own home, I hate the thought of leaving Elly.

“Well, I’m sure the feeling is mutual,” he says. “I’m sure Aiden misses the daylights out of you. I know I would.”

The drive back to Kenilworth is very therapeutic. Once we’re on the property, I feel myself relaxing into my seat. I’m home. Maybe not at the permanent place of our residency, but I’m with my new family, and that’s all that matters.

Speaking of my new family, there’s a small crowd of people gathered on the front steps, awaiting our arrival. Aiden, Charlie, Elly, George. Even Bridget and Calum are here to welcome me home.

Jake makes me wait in my seat until he can walk around the vehicle and open my door, then scoop me up into his arms. He carries me to the front steps, but we don’t make it any farther than that.

“Why is Jake carrying you?” Aiden says. “Can’t you walk?”

I laugh. “I can walk, honey. Jake’s just being chivalrous.”

Aiden frowns. “What’s a chiv-walrus?”

“Chiv-al-rous. It means he’s being a gentleman.”

“Oh.”

After lots of hugging and hello’s, Jake carries me inside the house and up the staircase, taking me directly to his room, where he lays me down gently on his big bed. I guess this is officially our room now.

“Welcome home,” he says, leaning down to give me a very warm and welcoming kiss.

Aiden climbs up on the bed next to me. Charlie and Elly join us too.

Charlie sits at the foot of the bed. “I’m so glad you’re home. We all missed you.”

“I missed you guys, too. All of you! And I really missed your cooking, Elly.”

Elly puts her arm around Jake and leans her head against his arm. “We missed you, too, honey,” she says to him, and I could swear he’s blushing.

Aiden gets as close to me as he can without actually climbing on top of me. Someone must have coached him on being careful. My chest is still very sore post-surgery. I have a three-inch scar on my chest from where they opened me up, removed the bullet, and repaired the damage to my left lung.

“I’m so glad you’re home,” Aiden says, laying his arm gingerly across my belly.

“I am too, sweetie.” I lean over and kiss the top of his head.

Just that short trip home from the hospital wore me out, and I’m sleepy. Aiden lies down with me while I take a little cat nap. Jake joins us, entertaining Aiden with a kids’ movie playing quietly on the big TV screen in the room.

When I wake up, Aiden’s movie is over and he’s playing a game on Jake’s phone. Jake’s lying on the other side of Aiden, his head propped on his hand as he watches me.

There’s a soft knock on the door.

“Come on in,” Jake says.

Elly pushes a food cart into the room. “Dinner in bed, honey,” she says, parking the cart beside the bed. “Chicken and dumplings, steamed veggies, and a freshly-baked apple pie for dessert. I brought enough for all three of you.”

“You guys are spoiling me,” I say, when Jake props pillows behind me so I can sit up against the headboard.

“Did you have fun with Charlie and Elly while I was gone?” I ask Aiden as we’re eating.

“Yes. But I still missed you.” His eyes light up suddenly. “I almost forgot! I have a surprise to show you!”

“What’s that?”

“I can’t tell you. I have to show you, downstairs in the pool room. Can we go down to the pool after we eat? Charlie too.”

“I think we can manage that,” I say, looking at Jake for confirmation. “After we rest our bellies.”

“Sure,” he says. “If Mommy is very careful and lets me carry her downstairs.”

After dinner, Aiden rounds up Charlie, and we all walk down to the lower level. Well, three of us walk. Jake makes good on his promise to carry me. I think he’s just showing off again.

We walk into the pool room, hit with the familiar scent of chlorine and the feel of warm, humid air.

Jake sets me down on one of the loungers beside the pool. Then he drags a chair close to mine and sits beside me. “All right, buddy. Show us this big surprise.”

Charlie takes Aiden with her into the locker room so they can change into their swimming suits.

“Do you know what the big surprise is?” I ask Jake while we’re waiting.

“Not a clue.” He leans over to kiss me. “How do you feel? You have to be careful not to do too much too soon.”

“I’m fine. I hardly call being carried around the house doing too much.”

Charlie and Aiden come out of the women’s locker room wearing their swimming gear. I fully expect them to step into the shallow end of the pool and demonstrate Aiden’s progress in learning how to swim. To my surprise, they bypass the shallow end of the pool and walk down to the deep end.

“What’s he doing?” I manage to keep my voice low, but my heart starts pounding.

Jake’s entire demeanor changes instantly as he tenses in his chair. “I have no idea.”

“Watch what I can do!” Aiden yells from across the cavernous room.

My breath stalls in my chest as Aiden climbs the ladder to the low diving board and walks all the way out to the end. Charlie is standing at the edge of the pool, near the ladder. There’s no one in the pool who can swim!

“All right, buddy,” Charlie says to Aiden with a grin on her face. “Show your mom and Jake what you can do.”

“Jake, he’s not ready for that,” I murmur, about ready to get up from my chair. Before I can take a breath to tell Aiden not to jump, he bounces once on the flexible diving board and leaps into the water, his little arms and legs flailing all around him. He hits the water with a sizable splash and goes right under, disappearing from sight.

Jake is already on his feet, racing toward the deep end of the pool, pulling off his boots. But before he can dive in, Aiden surfaces, sputtering and laughing as he treads water.

“Did you see me?” he yells, a huge grin on his face. “Did you?”

Jake stops to catch his breath, and I head down to the other end of the pool, my heart still careening inside me.

Aiden doggy paddles over to the ladder and climbs out of the pool. “I can jump all by myself now,” Aiden says, looking incredibly proud of himself. “Charlie taught me. I wanted to surprise you.”

“Oh, we were surprised all right,” Jake says, standing there with his hands on his hips, panting as he recovers from his flight-or-fight response. “Okay, let’s see you do it again!”

Watching Jake’s reaction, it dawns on me how quickly he has stepped into the parenting role. He’s a natural. He’s great with Aiden, and he’ll be great with our kids. He’ll be there to catch them should they fall, and he’ll encourage them to strive for their best.

I smile when I realize I’m using the plural they… as if I’m already assuming we’ll have kids of our own. Then I look at him. Of course we will.

While Aiden jumps off the diving board a second time, Jake quickly strips down to his black boxer briefs, then dives into the pool, surfacing just a few feet from Aiden.

Jake holds out his hands toward Aiden. “Can you swim to me, buddy? That’s it. Keep coming. Good job!”

* * *

That night, we’re lying in bed, just the two of us, both naked, our limbs entwined. The flickering candles on the fireplace mantel are the only light in the room. It’s warm and cozy and magical.

Jake leans close and kisses the side of my neck. “It would be completely irresponsible for us to have sex so soon after your surgery.”

I laugh. “My doctor did tell me to take it easy for another couple of weeks. No strenuous physical activity until I feel back to normal.”

“Right. No strenuous physical activity.” He shoves the bedding aside and slides down the bed, making himself comfortable between my legs. “Lie very still, Elliot. No strenuous movements, got it?”

More laughter. “Jake!”

“What? I told you not to move. I’ll do all the moving. You just lie there and take it.”

And then my breath escapes me in a gasp when he licks his way up my slit with no warning, from my opening to my clit.

He lifts his head, gazing up the length of my body at me. “Shh. Don’t overexert yourself. You’re resting, remember?”

“It’s kind of hard to rest when your face is down there.” I’m trying to think back to when I had my last shower.

“Down where?” He grins. “In your honeypot?”

“You are an evil man, Jacob McIntyre.”

“Lie back and close your eyes. Just relax.”

And then he proceeds to lick me, in no particular rush, taking his sweet time as he explores every inch of me. My body heats up quickly, and I feel myself growing slick and warm down there. Now I’m practically panting. I figure this will be a good test of my lung functionality. That thought makes me laugh.

Jake raises his head. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. Continue what you’re doing. Don’t mind me.”

Suddenly, a finger joins in, slipping deep inside my opening. That diabolical finger wastes no time finding my sweet spot, and now it’s a one-two punch down there, his finger and his tongue, both competing to see which can make me come first.

My orgasm sneaks up on me, creeping quietly like a cat stalking its prey. My entire body feels like a live wire, all the nerve endings singing. My muscles grow taut, tightening and coiling in preparation. When my climax hits, I see stars behind my eyelids. My back bows off the bed as I soundlessly gasp out my pleasure.

He continues licking until my body relaxes, melting onto the mattress. Then he crawls up the length of me, careful to keep his weight off, and lies beside me. I can taste myself on his lips as he covers my mouth with his.

“That wasn’t too strenuous, was it?” he whispers.

“No. I hardly moved a muscle the entire time.”

“Good.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You didn’t come.”

“Oh. Don’t worry about that. I’m not keeping score. Tonight was about you, and me wanting to make you feel good.”

“Well, you succeeded. Beautifully.”

“Good.”

He wipes his face on the sheet, then pulls the bedding over us as we snuggle down to sleep. After that orgasm, I’m struggling to keep my eyes open.

“Go to sleep, Elliot,” he says, his voice low and quiet.