Paige's Turn, page 20
“Jaime,” he lowered his voice, “Gran wanted this to be yours. We’ve been together for so long, I can’t imagine my life without you.”
I’m not sure he had ever spoken so tenderly to me. My heart fluttered. “We’ve lived apart lots of times. That’s not going to change our relationship.”
“This time, we both know it will.”
He was right.
“I like coming home to you every night, and Allie has already lost her mom. I don’t want her to lose you, too.”
I didn’t comment on Bianca’s mothering skills; I knew he wasn’t that blind. “Chris.”
He reached up with his free hand and ran it across my cheek into my hair. It landed back on my cheek. I leaned into it. I loved the feel of his hands. I loved him, but he didn’t feel the same way.
“Tell me something?”
“Anything,” he responded.
“Why did you ignore me for days after you kissed me?” I had been thinking about it since last night when he brought it up.
“That was forever ago.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
He dropped his hand and stared at his grandmother’s ring. “Because I didn’t want to fall in love with you and ruin everything. I didn’t want to risk our friendship.”
“And you do now?”
“No. This will only make it better.”
“I want a real marriage, and I’m not just talking about a physical relationship. I want a faithful husband and more children. I don’t want to be your glorified nanny. And I want a house and maybe a dog or a cat.”
“Jaimes, I would never cheat on you. We’ll be a real husband and wife.”
“What about more kids?”
He had to think about it. I watched as he rubbed his neck, cheek, and chin. I could see the internal conflict in his eyes. I didn’t understand why this was so hard for him. When we were younger he talked about having children, in the plural. He didn’t like being the only child and always said he wanted to have more than one.
“Give me two years and then I promise we’ll make babies and move to the suburbs. I need this time right now to focus on my career. It’s important to my . . . our financial future.”
“I didn’t say yes.”
He took my left hand and slid his grandmother’s ring on my finger.
I looked down at my long, slender finger. The ring was a perfect fit, but I met Christopher’s gaze. Why was I even contemplating this?
As if he knew what I was thinking, he pulled me to him. My leg caught on my piano chair and we fell over. I landed on top of him—just like he planned, I’m sure. With our bodies so close together I could hardly breathe. His blue eyes took in every inch of my face. His hand reached up to my neck where he drew my face closer to his.
“Marry me,” he whispered.
I licked my lips and he took that as an invitation. His lips met mine, but they froze in place. He took a moment to breathe me in. I soaked him in as much as I could. I had longed for this moment. Dreamt about it, craved it.
I released his lips and looked into his eyes. “What are we doing?”
“This.” His lips captured mine and this time he didn’t hesitate. We fell into a wild kiss as if we had been saving up for this place and time for years. Our bodies molded together as our mouths explored every inch of each other’s. I didn’t want the moment to end. The last piece of our relationship puzzle had fallen into place. He was all I ever wanted.
In a swift move with our lips still welded together, Chris turned us over so he hovered over me. His lips glided off mine only to find them once more. I opened my eyes. This wasn’t a dream. This was my Christopher taking me in.
His eyes were peering into my own. They looked alive and hopeful. He rested his forehead against mine. His labored breathing matched my own. “What do you say, Jaimes?”
“Promise me this will work out.”
“I promise.”
. . . To read more, purchase the book here.
About the Author
Jennifer Peel is the mother of three amazing kiddos. Wife to her one and only for the past twenty-two years. Lover of late night talks, beach vacations, the mountains, pink bubble gum ice cream, tours of model homes, and Southern living. She can frequently be found with her laptop on, fingers typing away, indulging in chocolate milk, and writing out the stories that are constantly swirling through her head.
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Books by Jennifer Peel:
Other Side of the Wall
The Girl in Seat 24B
Professional Boundaries
House Divided
Trouble in Loveland
How to Get Over Your Ex in Ninety Days
Hit and Run Love: A Magnolias and Moonshine Novella
The Women of Merryton Series:
Jessie Belle – Book One
Taylor Lynne – Book Two
Rachel Laine – Book Three
The Dating by Design Series:
His Personal Relationship Manager – Book One
Statistically Improbable -Book Two – Coming Soon
The Piano and Promises Series:
Christopher and Jaime – Book One
Beck and Call – Book Two
Cole and Jillian – Book Three
To learn more about Jennifer and her books, visit her website at www.jenniferpeel.com
Jennifer Peel, Paige's Turn
