A Matter of Honesty (23 page)

of honesty.”

“Lauryn, I trust you. I trusted you with the most important thing in my life. I

hired you to watch my little girl. I wouldn‘t have done so if I didn‘t trust you.”

She shook her head. “But you didn‘t trust me enough to tell me of your financial

status. Just like my father didn‘t trust me enough to tell me he couldn‘t afford to pay

all his bills.” Lauryn looked unable to keep the feelings of sadness from swamping her.

“You can‘t trust me halfway. It‘s all or nothing. It‘s a matter of honesty, of trust.

Without it, we have nothing.”

Steve pulled her closer. This time she allowed him to without resistance. “I

know that. And I‘m sorry. I hope you will forgive me enough to say yes. Give me a

chance to prove to you that I love you. I trust you. I‘m sorry I wasn‘t honest upfront. I

just wanted to know that you wanted me for who I am and not the money I have.”

Lauryn dropped her head and looked at the ring box Steve held in his hand. She

was head-over-heels for this man. There was no way she could just walk away and

not look back. How could she blame him for being shaped by his past when she was

influenced just as much by her own? She cared deeply for him. From what she could

see, what she was hearing from him, he felt the same. Knowing she would never make

a better decision in her life, she lifted her left hand, telling him with this simple action

what she couldn‘t force her voice to say. Steve took the ring out of the box and fitted

it on her finger. He placed a passionate kiss on her lips. When he lifted his head, they

were both breathing heavily.

“I love you, Lauryn.”

“I love you, too.”

Lauryn went up on tiptoe and placed another kiss on Steve‘s lips. When she

pulled back he was smiling. It was then she realized just how quiet the house was.

“Where‘s Hannah?”

“With Johanna and Dillon. They kept her for me last night.”

“Why?”

He gave her a sheepish look. “Because I had this to take care of.”

He waved a hand around the room and she smiled. “And it is all very lovely.”

Steve took her left hand and lifted it to his lips. The diamond ring sparkled on

her finger. The ring looked at home on her finger. It hit her. She had just said yes to

marriage. Said yes to the man of her dreams. A man who was so attractive it was hard

to keep her hands off of him. Couldn‘t see a reason why she should. Desire surged

through her. She brought her gaze up to meet his. His eyes began to darken as they

always did in the first stages of desire. He wanted her and she wanted him.

“When are you supposed to get Hannah?”

He began to back her toward the bed. “Later.” He pulled the T-shirt over her

head. Her breasts came into view and he moaned. “Much later.”

Lauryn smiled and rubbed her protruding stomach as she gazed out over the

grassy fields of Steve‘s family‘s land. She and Steve had celebrated their two-year

wedding anniversary a few months ago. Shortly after they‘d got engaged he‘d helped

her to enroll at the University of Oklahoma. She juggled fulltime school, planning a

wedding, and running a household. Fortunately, they‘d smartly calculated the

conception of their child. She was due to give birth during the summer sessions so she

wouldn‘t get behind in school.

Her decision to major in Psychology had been a good one. It was something

that she could actually do. Although she liked Meteorology it wasn‘t something she

could see herself doing for the rest of her life, but working with people and helping

them through life was. So she had satisfied her passion for Meteorology by taking a

few courses. She was going to specialize in working with people who suffered from

mental disorders. It was close to home for her because she had grown up in the house

with a family member who had a psychological disorder and she knew how hard their

life could be.

She had eventually met her father‘s side of the family and learned that he was

the only one who‘d suffered from the disorder. His parents and sister had also

admitted with shame that they hadn‘t made things easy for him, which was probably

a part of the reason why he had distanced himself from them. But from being around

them she knew they were good people who hadn‘t understood what her dad had been

going through. No one really had, not even her mother in her opinion, but at least her

mother had made the attempt to let her father be who he was.

Her hand caressed her stomach again, grinning as their baby shifted within her.

Sometimes it was hard to believe she was happily married and pregnant. All of their

family and friends were excited, Hannah probably the most excited of everyone. The

thought of being a big sister was driving her wild. Hannah‘s new hobby was reading

to the baby whenever she got a chance. Lauryn was brought out of her thoughts as

Steve called her name. He stepped behind her before she had the opportunity to turn

to look at him. Warmth fused through her at his touch.

“What are you thinking about?”

She tilted her head up to look at him. She couldn‘t imagine loving any man

more. “About how happy I am.”

He brushed his lips against her temple. “Are you?”

Lauryn remained quiet as she thought about it all. Lack of trust or honesty was

no longer an issue with Steve. She trusted him with everything and he trusted her in

return. What more could she ask for? Her husband was by her side and she was

reunited with both sides of her family. It meant everything to her. In the past two

years she had gotten the chance to know both sides of her family very well and she

felt whole. His hand caressed her rounded belly. She covered his hand with hers

before looking up at him. The corners of her mouth curved upward.

“Happier than I ever thought I would be. I love you, Steve.”

“I love you, too, Lauryn,” Steve murmured before his mouth covered hers.

Lauryn couldn‘t be more grateful than she was right now for the eventful tornado that

had brought Steve into her life. Whereas she‘d originally thought she had lost

everything, she‘d ended up gaining so much more. She was right where she belonged.

The End

*

Author Bio:

Stephanie Morris resides in Fort Worth, Texas. In her spare time, she enjoys

reading, traveling, dancing, cooking, and spending time with her friends and

family. Stephanie is addicted to writing books, drinking coffee, and sour candy.

She has been writing for several years now and has written several works in

erotica and romance. Stephanie can be contacted on MySpace at

www.myspace.com/stephaniemorrisbooks or at

http://www.stephaniemorris.webs.com/.