Just The Way You Are(98)

"I just want you."

"And—" he began.

"There's more?" she asked with a laugh.

"I'm sleeping in my bed tonight," he said huskily.

"I'm sleeping with you," she replied.

"In that case, neither one of us will be sleeping." He pulled the tie on her robe until the edges fell open and he could slip his hands inside. "Mmm, naked already. I like this."

"I took a shower. It wasn't like I was waiting for you." But hadn't she been doing just that, standing at the window, staring out at the stars?

"I'll be the one waiting for you from now on," Sam said. "I want to have fifty years with you, one for each pearl on that necklace."

"Why don't we go for sixty?"

"You're on," he said with a groan, as she pressed her breasts against him.

"And you're wearing too many clothes," she whispered, making fast work of his jacket and his shirt and his pants, until they were both completely bare. Then she pulled him down on the bed with her.

He pressed her back against the pillows as he kissed her, as he ran his hands down her sides, across her breasts, her legs, her thighs. Everywhere he touched turned to liquid fire, until she could think of nothing else but having him inside her. It wasn't until he'd nudged her thighs apart that she realized there was something missing, something very, very familiar. She pushed him back in shock.

"What's wrong?" he asked with alarm. "Did I hurt you?"

"For God's sake, Sam. What are you thinking?"#p#分页标题#e#

"What do you mean?" he asked warily.

"You're not wearing a condom."

"Oh, that."

"Yes, that."

"We don't need one. I want to have another baby. I want to make love to you without anything between us. No more barriers, Alli. It's you and me forever."

"You want another baby?" she echoed in wonder. Would he never stop surprising her?

"Yes." He paused, running his finger down the side of her cheek. "A funny thing happened when my first love came back to town—I discovered I was in love with my wife. And I intend to make her very happy—for better or worse, in sickness or in health."

"Until death do us part," Alli murmured. And she sealed their promise with a kiss.






Epilogue




"I can't believe you're eight months pregnant," Tessa said to Alli.

Alli stared down at her round stomach and felt a huge sense of pride as well as love. "I've never looked better, have I?"

"Unfortunately, no, since I'm the bride, and I'm supposed to be the most beautiful one in the room. But I fear you'll eclipse me today."

"As if that would ever be possible. But thanks for saying it." Alli took her sister's hand. "I am so happy for you. Jimmy is a great guy."

"You're just saying that so you can stop feeling guilty about winning Sam," Tessa said lightly.

It was partially true. Alli had felt guilty about her incredible happiness with Sam, but during the nine months since their grandmother's death, she and Tessa had shared many a conversation on the subject of Sam, and it was clear to Alli that both Sam and Tessa had come to the same conclusion, that the love they shared belonged to the past and only to the past.

"Jimmy is a great guy," Alli repeated. "He's gorgeous, in case you hadn't noticed, but more importantly he's kind and generous and he gets you."

Tessa smiled. "He does understand me. I think sometimes he knows me better than I know myself. It's scary."

A knock came at the dressing room door, and Sam stuck his head into the room. "Can I wish the bride good luck?"

"As long as Jimmy isn't with you. He cannot see me in my wedding dress before the ceremony," Tessa said. "It would be bad luck."

Sam entered the room, his smile growing more appreciative as he took in Tessa in all her beauty. Alli thought her sister had never looked more glorious than she did right now. For a brief second, that age-old jealousy came back, but then Sam looked at her and she didn't just see appreciation, she saw love.

"Will you kill me if I tell Tessa she looks beautiful?" he asked.

"I'll kill you if you don't, because it's the truth."

"I wish you the best," Sam said instead. "You deserve it."

"Thank you," Tessa replied with a slight catch in her voice. "Don't you dare make me cry, either of you."

"Maybe I shouldn't give you this, then," Alli said, pulling out a beautifully wrapped box. "But I'm going to anyway."

Tessa sent her a sharp look. "Should I open it now?"

"You better."

Tessa undid the wrapping paper and lifted the lid. Her gasp lit up the room. "Oh, Alli, the pearls? You can't give me the pearls." Tessa looked at Alli in disbelief.