Jackson
I WOKE SLOWLY, FEELING MORE rested and sincerely happy than I’d felt in a really, really long time. Millie’s bed was extremely comfortable, so much so that I was thinking of asking her what kind of mattress it was, and where she’d gotten the down comforter I was currently snuggled under.
Millie wasn’t beside me, but I could still feel the warmth of her body, and smell the perfume of her hair as I stretched out across the most comfortable bed ever made.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps running toward me, before Millie landed right on top of me with a laugh and started pelting my face with kisses. I happily accepted the assault, then rolled smoothly until Mille was cradled half underneath me, and I was looking down at her gorgeous eyes, which were currently a deep green.
“Good morning to you, too,” I murmured, then lowered my head to give her a deep, lingering kiss.
When I finally came up for air, Millie brushed her hand through my hair and said, “I made breakfast.”
I immediately dropped her, jumped off the bed, and headed toward the door, which made Millie burst into a fit of laughter that had me grinning back at her over my shoulder.
“What are you waiting for?” I joked as I watched her climb out of bed and walk toward me as I pulled on my boxer briefs.
She looked amazing. Long dark hair tussled after a night with my hands wrapped in it, her body encased beautifully in a knee-length floral nightgown that looked more like a dress than any pajamas I’d ever seen, but the real kicker was the look on her face. Or, more specifically, the way she was looking at me.
I could get used to a look like that . . .
“What’d you make?” I asked, my stomach grumbling at the thought of food.
“Crepes with berries and cream, scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, bacon, and biscuits,” Millie replied.
I stopped and stared at her as she walked past me and into the kitchen.
“How long have you been awake?” I asked as I joined her.
She just chuckled and handed me a plate loaded with everything.
I took it, then grabbed one of the cups of coffee she had filled and took my winnings to the table. As soon as she sat down across from me and settled in, I picked up my fork and went to town.
It started with a whimper, then a moan, and by bite three, I was full on groaning.
“Just when I thought you were perfect and couldn’t get any better,” I began, absolutely meaning every word. “It’s like you were made for me in a lab.”
Millie blushed, then looked at me from under her eyelashes and admitted, “I said the same thing about you to my sisters when we met.”
“Really?” I asked, extremely pleased by this new information.
When she nodded, her face flushed and sweet, I put down my fork and reached across the table for her hand. She gave it easily, and I leaned forward to bring it to my lips and kiss her lightly on the palm.
“I had an amazing time last night . . . No, that only scratches the surface . . . It was perfect, beautiful, right. Like it was meant to be,” I said honestly. “I know it’s kind of fast, but, Millie, I could fall for you so hard and fast, it’s scary.”
Millie’s smile was wide, and her eyes grew misty as she replied, “I know, I feel the same way. It scares me a bit, even as it makes me extremely excited to find out what happens next.”
“I don’t want to ruin the mood, but I want you to know, I’ve filed the paperwork for my divorce and hired a PI to track down Julie. Once he does, she’ll be served the papers, and that’ll be that.”
“That’s . . . great news?” She looked unsure of whether she should be happy or sad that I was ending my marriage, and I understood that it was a complicated situation, but I needed her to know that it was what I wanted one hundred percent.
“It is great news,” I assured her, then released her hand so we could both get back to breakfast. “You’re not worried that I don’t want the divorce, are you, because I assure you, it is.”
Millie shook her head, then shrugged.
“I don’t know . . . you’ve said that you want a divorce, that you’d never take her back, and I believe you, I do. But, you were married for a long time, you were each other’s firsts for everything, and you have a child together. So, even though I believe you’re telling truth, in the back of my head there’s always a chance that you’ll change your mind.”
“I promise you, I won’t. Even if I hadn’t met you, and shared what we did last night . . . which, by the way, is the single most incredible night of my life. It’s never been like that between Julie and I; in fact, I didn’t know that was a thing. I’m afraid now that I know, you’ve created a monster, and I’m never going to let you out of my sight.”
I could tell my words made her happy, but I could still see the twinge of doubt, and I knew the only thing that would erase that twinge would be to find Julie and finally put an end to this marriage.
“Well,” I began, needing to get the subject off of my soon-to-be ex-wife for a while. “Now that we both know that we were made for each other, our chemistry is off the charts, and we both want to see where this is going, right?”
“Absolutely,” Millie confirmed, allowing me to let go of that breath that had stuck in my throat when she brought up her doubts about me and Julie.
“I think it’s time for you to meet Kayla.” At her look of confusion, I knew I had to let her know what she was getting into. “I know you’ve already met, but that was before we were dating. I want us to do something together now that she knows we are, but I have to warn you, she’s not all that enthused about our relationship.”
Millie’s face fell.
“She’s not?”
“No,” I admitted, my tone conveying my regret. “It’s been just the two of us for a long time now, and like I said, I haven’t seen anyone since Julie, so she’s confused by the whole situation. She’s still hurt by her mother leaving, and is holding on to the hope that Julie will come back and things will be the way they were. I know it won’t be easy, but I think once she gets to spend some time with you, get to know you, and see how we are together, she’ll come around.”
“Okay,” Millie agreed, although she looked doubtful.
Something occurred to me, and I figured since we were talking heavy, we might as well get it all out at once.
“Do you like kids? Want them? I just realized we never talked about it.”
“Oh, yes,” Millie said, her face clearing, and she brought her hand to grasp mine this time. “I love kids, and I want to have kids.”
“Yeah? How many?”
“I’ve always thought three, because of how close my sisters and I are, although we weren’t always close growing up, but I’m open to suggestions.”
“And, marriage? Do you want to be married one day?”
“Yes, I want it all. A family, our business, the American dream,” Millie said, squeezing my hand, a small smile playing on her lips. “Now that we’ve agreed to hire full-time help and start having lives outside of Three Sisters, it’ll be easier for me to focus more on the personal part of my life. More on us.”
“I can’t wait,” I admitted, and it was the truth.
I couldn’t wait to see where this thing between Millie and me would lead.