Epilogue

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College Station, Texas, six months later

Logan pulled the door to the bedroom closed, slowly releasing the knob to try not to make any noise. He’d hoped to be home before ten, but he’d been cramming for an exam, then got a call to assist one of the vets with an emergency. Being a first-year DVM student, he’d been fortunate to land a job at a local clinic and knew better than to say no when they asked for help.

He made his way to the bathroom, brushed his teeth in the dark, groped his way to the closet, where he undressed down to his briefs. So far so good...

The mattress sank as he crawled into bed and slipped under the covers.

“Mm.” Jen rolled over and reached across him, at the same time, drawing her knee to his hip. She rose up, and her breasts brushed against his chest, giving him a jolt. Her soft lips touched his.

“Hi, cowboy,” she murmured.

“Hey, baby.” He kissed her and smoothed his hand along her bare side. “You’re naked.”

“Mm, I even took my watch off.”

“No watch? You know how that turns me on.” He reached up and slid his fingers through her silky hair, cradling her head to bring her to him for another kiss, this one deeper and lasting long enough to make him hard. “I’m surprised you’re still awake.”

“I wasn’t. I woke up when you got into bed.”

“Sorry ’bout that.”

“Don’t be sorry. I intended to wait for you, but I get tired earlier these days.”

“You’re up now?” He hoped the answer would be yes.

She put her lips to his ear, giving him goose bumps when she released a soft laugh. “I think you are. Up, I mean.”

Her fingers glided over the cotton pouch holding his stiff cock. He caught a sharp breath, and released it on a groan.

“Mm, I’ve missed you. Let’s get reacquainted,” she murmured.

He couldn’t get his briefs off fast enough.

Moments later, he sank into her welcoming arms. Just when he thought making love with Jen couldn’t get any better, it did. The aftermath was just as sweet. Entwined, they kissed and stroked each other’s cooling bodies.

Over the past six months, they’d maintained a long-distance relationship. She usually flew to Texas, into Houston, close enough for him to go pick her up at the airport and bring her back to where he was in school.

Jen had insisted he follow through with his plans to go back to A&M and finish his doctorate in veterinary medicine. She’d even set up a fund to help him financially. He promised he would pay her back. She told him he already had.

He cupped his hand over the slight swell of her abdomen. She’d given him a hell of a lot more than financial support. She’d given him hope that he would have what he wanted most—a life with Jen and their baby.

Her fears hadn’t vanished overnight. She’d held onto them for so long that it was hard for her to let go. But he’d patiently peeled away the protective layers, one at a time, revealing a sweet, tenderhearted woman with a lifetime of pent-up affection locked away.  He was glad he was the one who found the key.

It hadn’t been easy for him to open up and let her take his heart, but he’d done it, because that was the only way he could win her for keeps.

He dropped a kiss on the end of her cute nose. “Are you here all weekend?”

“I’m here for as long as you want me to be.”

Logan drew back. Damn, he wished he could see her face so he’d know if she was joking. “What if I say I want you here forever?”

“I’m not sure this apartment will be big enough for the three of us forever.” Her voice held a hint of amusement.

His heart thudded harder. “Are you serious?”

“I’m serious. I took a lower job so I could work remotely.”

“A low job?” Logan wondered if he’d suddenly become hard of hearing. Jen wouldn’t settle for downward movement. Granted, she’d told him she had enough money not to worry. Whatever enough meant. But money wasn’t the entire reason she worked, wasn’t even mostly the reason. Her career was how she defined herself. She drew confidence from her success.

“Not low, more like a lateral movement, but as a sole contributor. I’ll travel if I need to see clients—until it isn’t wise for me to travel.”

Logan could hardly contain his excitement. He wanted to leap up and jump on the bed, yodel with glee. The last time she’d visited, he told her how much he missed her and wished they could find more time to be together. If she felt pressured to make this move, she might end up resenting him.

He pressed a kiss on her hair, which smelled fresh and clean and faintly of vanilla. “You told me you loved that job, and your home, and being in Atlanta.”

She cuddled closer and nuzzled his neck. “Mm, I do like Atlanta, and I did love my job. But I love being with you more.”

Logan had to swallow the lump in his throat before he could speak. She had chosen him over her career and had reshaped her life to fit his circumstances. She couldn’t have done more to show how much she loved him.

He drew her up for a kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Let’s give our baby two parents who’ll always be there for him.”

Him? Was that a convenient term, or had she meant to say it? Jen was precise, exact. She always said him or her.

A sense of wonder came over him. “It’s a boy?”

She trailed kisses along his cheek. “It’s a boy,” she whispered in his ear. “And I hope he has blue eyes and sandy hair and grows up to look just like his daddy.”

Logan chuckled. “You better be glad it’s a boy. A girl wouldn’t appreciate having size thirteen feet.”

Jen sat back. “Size thirteen?” She put her hand to her mouth. In the darkness, he could make out her form, but not the expression on her face.

“Are you sick?”

“No—” She started laughing. “No wonder you’re so...so...”

Logan grabbed her and rolled her over, yet taking care not to crush her beneath his weight. Yeah, he was big. Everywhere. “I’m so good at satisfying you. That’s what you mean.”

She looped her arms around his neck and shifted so that he fit into the cradle of her hips. “Yes, you are good at that. I don’t think I could be more satisfied.”

“Let’s see if we can break the record.”

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The End