It’s going to be a difficult journey ahead of us, I know, but somehow it all seems possible with the man smiling down at me.

He kisses me again, his hands sliding down my body until they reach my belly. He seems fascinated by my abdomen, though there’s nothing there yet to feel.

I suppose I should allow him time to process, too. It isn’t as though I’ve had much time to process the notion of twins myself.

He pulls away from our kiss, staring down again at my stomach. “Twins.”

“Yes.” I can’t help but smile at the wonder in his eyes, his voice.

William is almost giddy with joy, and I couldn’t be happier. I lace his fingers through mine, lifting them to my lips. I kiss each of his hands before I lie onto my back, lifting my arms over my head so that he has no choice but to stretch out over me.

He kisses me—briefly—before releasing my hands, bringing them again to my abdomen.

Perhaps he needs this, needs some way to connect with my pregnancy.

Our children.

But even though I’ve been fairly nauseous the past few weeks, in between those times, something else is happening to my body—something far more enjoyable. And today while I was finishing my assignments, I could think of little else.

I want him. I need him.

It seems almost cruel that my body would betray me this way, but since William returned yesterday, I’ve thought of little else. I want him inside of me. Now.

And though he seems fascinated with my body, he doesn’t seem particularly interested in anything but rubbing my currently flat belly—there isn’t even anything to feel at the moment.

I suppose I need to take matters into my own hands—show him exactly what it is I want.

Him.

I sit up and throw my leg over his body, straddling him before I lift my hands to his chest, pushing him onto his back.

His lips turn up into a slow grin, this time with no sign of his enchantment with my stomach.

I grab his hands, raising them so that they’re on either side of his face as I look down into his eyes.

He licks his lips as he looks up at me. “Justine…”

I lift a brow before I sink onto him, moaning as I take his entire length.

My sounds are covered by his, though, something between a sigh and a groan. He releases my hands, moving them to my hips.

I could stay like this forever, I think, just having him inside me is so much more than enough…

His gaze never leaves mine as I ride him, and it isn’t long at all before I’m at the edge of my bliss, nearly screaming his name as I orgasm. William shifts under me, and I’m not sure exactly what happens, but I reach the height of my ecstasy again and then a third time.

I’m drenched in sweat, completely spent and unable to keep myself upright any longer. As I collapse on top of him, he rolls me onto my back, somehow never leaving me.

He shifts over me again, looping his arms under my legs, grabbing my hands and holding them on either side of my shoulders as he drives into me as hard as he ever has.

But then he stops, his mouth falling open. “Am I hurting you?”

I give him a small shake of my head. “No.” I can barely get the word out, I’m still so breathless.

“You’re certain? I’m not…I’m not going to hurt the babies, am I?”

I shake my head as a small, breathless laugh escapes me. “No. You’re not going to hurt anything. I’m just not sure I can do much more than lie here now…”

He doesn’t hesitate after the reassurance, thrusting into me again and again and again until somehow, I’m at the edge once more.

And he seems to realize it, releasing one of my hands so that his might slip between my legs. His thumb finds my most sensitive area, stroking it over and over, until he brings me—impossibly—to the pinnacle of bliss for a fourth time.

My climax seems to drive his own, and he thrusts into me—hard—as his lips cover mine. He collapses onto me a second later, his muscles quivering from his release.

“I love you,” he whispers against my lips,

I wrap my arms around him, stroking his back as we both try to catch our breath. “I love you, too, William. So much more than you could ever know.”

He rolls to my side, still holding me in his arms. He pulls me close to him, kissing me softly. “I’ll never leave you again.”

My heart skips a few beats at his words. I suppose I hadn’t realized that I needed him so much. I’ve been so focused on proving to myself that I can be independent, that I can be successful on my own, that I hadn’t seen how much I need him in my life.

I stroke his hair as he falls asleep in my arms. I want to memorize him, every line of his face, every angle of his body. I can’t believe I convinced myself that I didn’t need him in my life.

I’ll never let him go again.

I awaken early the next morning. William is still sleeping—if he feels anything like I do, every emotion I’d pent up for the past few months came out last night as we made love. I’d like nothing more than to stay here in this hotel room, lying in his arms all day, but I have to go to class. As I told him yesterday, finishing this course—as short as it might be—is about much more than a grade. It’s about proving myself to…myself.

I’ve been doing a little better the past few days—at least the criticism I’ve been getting for my poetry hasn’t been like it was at the beginning. My peers have all been encouraging me to open a vein. I suppose I wasn’t completely certain what that meant until last night, but I’m so motivated to go and write this morning, that I can’t possibly wait for William to wake up. I’ll go and write at the library for a little while before my class—the words are forming in my head so quickly I’m not sure I’m going to be able to get them all down on paper, anyway.

Had I known that joy could bring creativity out in me as much as sorrow, my life to this point might have been very different. I have so much to live for now—so much to give—that tears fill my eyes. I’ve heard that people cry from happiness, but before this moment, I couldn’t understand it. But now, I can’t imagine not feeling this way. Living my life like this…everything seems possible.

I watch William sleep as I dress, going over to place a kiss on his cheek before I go. He doesn’t even stir, and I don’t have the heart to wake him. I scribble a note on the hotel stationery, placing it on the pillow beside him before I grab my bag and leave.

The hotel is only a few blocks from campus, and I hurry out, eager to get to the library before I forget any of the words that are clamoring to get out of my head.

I’m only just through the sliding glass door at the entrance, though, when I sense someone behind me. He grabs me roughly by the shoulder, pulling me onto the sidewalk.

My heart seems to stop beating, and I can’t breathe. I’m not skilled in self-defense, though I suppose I should be. I turn, twisting out of the man’s grasp. It feels as though there’s a knife in my chest, and someone has turned it when I see the man sneering down at me.

“Hello, Sister.” Reginald glares at me. “When were you going to tell your family the happy news?”