When You're Back(68)

I kissed her lips gently. I wanted to get her naked and inspect every inch of her body to see if it had changed. Were her hips wider and I hadn’t noticed? Did her stomach show any signs? Were her breasts tender?

“I need you to do something for me,” I told her, reluctantly letting go of her mouth.

“What?” she asked breathlessly.

“Get naked. Let me explore and see if I can find any changes,” I said with a grin I couldn’t wipe off my face.

She blushed. “Are you serious?”

I nodded. “Very.”

I could see the arousal in her eyes as she watched me. She liked the idea of me touching her everywhere. Paying extra attention to areas she loved me to kiss.

“I’ll give those sensitive nipples special attention,” I promised as I slid my hands to the waistline of her skirt.

“Oh?” she asked, leaning into me.

“Mm-hmm. Any other tender place that needs my expertise?” I asked, cupping her ass in my hands.

“Ahhh . . . yes.” She arched into me.

“Then let’s get you undressed and find out just where I need to kiss. This could take hours.”

Reese lifted her hands into the air and gazed up at me. All that trust in her eyes made me want to beat my chest and roar. This was my woman. I’d never let her down.





Reese


When we left Chicago, Nonna was already knitting a baby blanket. My father had been right. She was ecstatic. Raul had also been thrilled. He kept referring to himself as Uncle Raul for the rest of our stay. But after three days, I knew we needed to get home and tell Mase’s parents.

Mase had become overprotective. I kept assuring him that I could walk around and I didn’t have to rest yet—I wasn’t even showing. I really hoped I wouldn’t get morning sickness, because I wasn’t sure he could handle it.

He was also anxious to get me back to the doctor so he could go, too. He had a million questions I didn’t have the answers to. The one thing he never mentioned was marriage. I was torn about that. I hadn’t wanted him to propose because he thought he had to, but then his not even mentioning it worried me, too. I convinced myself that it was my pregnancy hormones and I had nothing to worry about. Even if he never asked me to marry him, he wanted me. He wanted both of us. I didn’t have to wear his ring or have his last name to be his.

Getting home and telling his parents was our first priority. Maryann brought over a chocolate cream pie, and I made a pot of coffee. I could see the unease in his stepfather’s eyes and the excitement in his mother’s. I wanted him to just blurt it out and get it over with. I wanted them to be happy, but I worried they’d feel I was trapping Mase. That was my biggest concern.

“Thanks for coming and bringing the pie. It’s been a long day of traveling, and Reese needed to rest,” Mase said. I shot him a frustrated frown. He made me sound like a wimp. The reason they were here was that he insisted I get comfortable and relax.

“We never get invited over. This is a treat,” Maryann said, smiling at me brightly. She was so excited about being here that I felt guilty for not inviting her over more often. I needed to make it a point to have them over more.

“I’m ready for some pie,” Charlie piped up. “Let’s talk and eat. She wouldn’t let me touch it before we got here.”

Maryann rolled her eyes and slapped her husband’s shoulder. “You’re being rude. They have to tell us something.”

Charlie shrugged. “Well, they aren’t gettin’ to the point. When y’all getting married? There. Now, let’s have some pie.”

I froze. I couldn’t breathe, and I felt sick to my stomach. I hadn’t expected them to think we had news. Telling Mase had been too easy. They weren’t going to be happy about me being pregnant if we weren’t married.

Mase slipped his arm around my waist and squeezed me. He was watching my reaction. He could read me well. This was his way of reassuring me, but it wasn’t working. I wasn’t reassured. I was terrified.

“We’re going to have a baby,” Mase said, with pride in his voice. I wanted to crawl under the table and hide. Charlie stared at me, and Maryann clapped her hands and squealed.

“I knew it! I knew it!” she said excitedly. I moved my gaze from Charlie to Maryann and saw pure joy in her expression. Air eased into my burning lungs. At least his mother was happy.

“Doing this a little backward, aren’t you, son?” Charlie finally spoke up. Those were the words I’d feared.

Mase’s grip on my waist tightened. “I was unaware that I had to do this in some order. I’m an adult. This is my life.”