The O'Conners: A Made for Love Novella (26 page)

“Sonny
…”

“We
’
re going to have the smartest kids, Ave,
”
he mutters, kissing his way from one breast to the other.
“
You
’
ll teach them music and I
’
ll teach them math. And football. All of our kids will love football.
”

As he worships my opposite nipple, he cups his hand around my center. I
’
m overwhelmed by all that he
’
s making me feel
—
with his mouth, with his fingers, with his words. My heart is beating so fast, filled to the brim with anticipation, and hope, and my lingering grief. I search my mind for the words to say, but I find none. All I can mange is
—“
Sonny
…”

“And they
’
ll be beautiful,
”
he continues, kissing his way up my chest, along my neck and toward my lips.
“
They
’
ll be beautiful because their mother is the most stunning woman in the world.
”

He dips two fingers inside of me as he opens his mouth over mine. I don
’
t think twice about slipping my tongue past his lips. We both groan together as he fingers me while we savor each other
’
s mouths.

“I
’
ve missed you so much, Avery.
”

I grip his face as I thrust my hips, my body now burning with want.
“
I missed
you
. I
’
m so sorry
—
I
’
m sorry.
”

“No more apologizing,
”
he insists, pumping his fingers faster. I arch my back away from the bed, craving more
—
needing more.

“
Oh, Sonny,  please
…”
I whimper.

“What do you want, Shorty? What does my gorgeous girl want?
”

“You
—
I need you inside of me. Make love to me, Grayson. Please
—
make love to me.
”

Without another word, he replaces his fingers with his cock as he slowly enters my heat, slick with my arousal. He rolls his hips and I am home
—
joined as one with the man I will always need more than my next breath. He takes his time, every stroke a declaration, a reminder
—
a promise
.

We
’
re better together. Forever and always.

I wrap my legs and arms around him, needing him as close as possible as my orgasm begins to bloom
—
the warm, delectable sensation deep inside of me sending tingles up my spine.

“Grayson
—
oh
—
Grayson! I
’
m gonna
—
I
’
m gonna come!
”

“Let go, Ave. Let go. Take what
’
s yours, sweetheart. I
’
m right behind you.
”

I cry out in ecstasy as his whispers in my ear beckon me over the edge and into orgasmic bliss. As I clench around him, I pull forth his release right on the heels of mine.

“Ave
—
God, Avery
—
yes, Avery
—
I love you, Ave. I love you,
”
he mutters into my neck. When he is spent, he collapses on top of me and I relish in the glorious weight of him, stealing my breath.

“Avery?
”
he speaks a few moments later, breaking the comfortable silence between us.

“Yes, Love?
”

He props himself up on his elbows and looks down at me, his eyes full of adoration as he sweeps loose tendrils of hair away from my face.
“
You
’
re my heart. Don
’
t ever forget that.
”

“I promise. You
’
re mine, too.
”
 

I put the car in park and look over at my girl. She
’
s bundled up in her coat, scarf, beanie, and mittens, looking as adorable as ever. When she turns her head, shifting her focus away from the view before us and onto me, she smiles.
Damn
, I think as my dick twitches.
She
’
s sexy, too
—
and I
’
m the lucky bastard that gets to call her mine.

“
You ready?
”
I ask, reaching over to give her jean covered thigh a squeeze. She nods before she steps out into the cold, snowy, dusk that seems to be waiting just for us. I reach into the backseat, grabbing the balloons purchased a few minutes ago, before exiting the warmth of the car as well.

“We better hurry, before we lose the sun,
”
she tells me, reaching for my hand. I wrap her fingers in mine and then we set out, trekking through the snow covered grass of the park. The playground that we pass is vacant, the chill and the evening keeping kids inside the warmth of their homes. We won
’
t be staying long, either. My stomach is already looking forward to the hot pizza I
’
ll fill it with as I dine with my wife on our date later.

“Okay, here is good.
”
We stop and she takes a deep breath before offering me another smile.

I
’
m so freaking proud of this woman. She
’
s the most amazing person in my entire world. I
’
m more grateful for her than I will ever be able to express. The last six months haven
’
t been the easiest, but we
’
ve managed to come through stronger than we
’
ve ever been before.
She
is stronger than she
’
s ever been before.

Her grief after the miscarriage latched onto her something fierce. Even after that day in September that shifted our relationship back on track, she needed help. The lies that had her heart bound in blame took some time to remove, but we did it together. We had help, of course, from our parents and her doctor and my counselor, but we did what needed to be done as a united front.

She still gets sad somedays, as do I, but we also live with the hope of the future.
Our
future. I have no doubts about the family we will create together. Whenever that happens, we
’
ll embrace it with open minds, open arms, and open hearts. Whenever that day comes, we
’
ll be ready
—
together.

I drop Grayson
’
s hand and close the gap between us, wishing for his warmth. He wraps his arm around my shoulders without a moment
’
s hesitation and I snuggle against him. If anyone is watching us, two lone figures standing in the freezing cold, each of our breaths visible with every puff of condensation from our exhalations, they probably think we
’
re crazy. If we stand out here for too much longer,
I
might think we
’
re crazy
—
but I won
’
t deny that I wish for a moment more with my husband.

I know it
’
s silly for me to say that I wouldn
’
t have gotten through the last nine months without him, as I wouldn
’
t have been able to conceive without him, but I
’
ll say it anyway.
There
’
s no way that I could have endured the journey that has been the last nine months without the incredible man at my side.
The fear. The worry. The joy. The anticipation. The pain. The loss. The sorrow. The blame
…
he was with me through it all, even when I tried to keep him at arms length, he was there. I
’
ll never be able to thank him enough, but I sure will try
—
every single day for the rest of our lives.

I can hardly believe that in just a couple of months, we
’
ll be entering into life after grad school. Our decision to stay in the Chicago area was first made when we were thinking as parents. Even after our reality changed, life and opportunity encouraged our original plan. Soon, Grayson will be working full-time and I will be a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It still totally blows my mind that I got in; Sonny is always sure to roll his eyes when I say so, telling me that I was bound for greatness and this is only my beginning. I hope he
’
s right. Nevertheless, I will humbly strive to be the woman he sees when he looks at me
—
I will strive to be someone worthy of his pride.

“Hey,
”
he mutters, his lips pressed against the top of my head.
“
Did you want to say something or just hang out for another couple minutes?
”

“I have something to say.
”
I look up at him before I reach for one of the balloons. I end up with the blue one and he the pink. He nods at me, as if to express that he
’
s listening.
“
I just wanted to say that I love you and I believe that our baby, conceived by love, is in heaven
—
whole and cherished and adored by his or her Creator.
”
A knot slowly forms in my throat as my eyes fill with tears.
“
I wish that we got the chance to meet today so that I could love him or her as only a mother can, but I know that it wasn
’
t meant to be. I
’
m happy to say that my mourning has been turned into joy knowing that our baby got to skip all of this
—
all the brokenness of this world. Instead, our baby was taken to a perfect place. I really believe that. And I know that one day we
’
ll get the chance to meet. I embrace that hope with everything that I am.
”