Proving Paul's Promise
Page 50
“My name is Paul Reed, and I’m a friend of Friday’s. Well, she’s my girlfriend. I’m going to marry her if I can ever get her to say yes.”
The line goes silent.
“Are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“I was hoping that maybe we could talk.”
“Yes, I think we should,” she replies, and my f**king heart soars.
###
I hang up the phone and swipe a hand down my face. Either I just sealed my fate and made it so that Friday will never marry me, or I made her love me a little more. I won’t know which until tomorrow.
I go back to Hayley’s room and stare down at them for a little longer. They’ve rolled now so that they’re facing one another on their sides, and Hayley’s hand is still tucked in Friday’s. Click!
I bend over and run a hand down Friday’s hair. She stirs, her eyes opening slowly. She blinks up at me and smiles. “We fell asleep?” she whispers.
“Yeah.” I extricate Hayley from Friday’s grasp and slide my daughter under the covers. Hayley could sleep through a tornado as long as it’s still dark outside, and I don’t worry about waking her up at all. Friday leans over and presses her lips to Hayley’s cheek.
“I had fun with her tonight,” she whispers.
I jerk my thumb toward the big house they made. “I see you were busy.”
“We made a fortress for Barbie.”
That word makes me smile. “Did Barbie need a fortress?”
“All girls need a fortress. Barbie doesn’t have a dad, so she needed one more than most.” She shrugs. “Hayley and I discussed all this when she tried to convince me that girls with strong daddies don’t need big walls.” She lays a hand on my chest and looks up at me, blinking those green eyes. She’s so f**king beautiful. “You’ll always protect her heart. And if anything ever happens to you, you have four brothers who will do the same. So Hayley won’t need a fortress.”
I get it. I so get it. “You guys went that deep?”
She nods. “We did. It’s a kick-ass fortress, don’t you think?”
I kiss her forehead. “Badass. Just like you.”
She leans her head on my chest, and I palm the back of her head. “I’m not, though, Paul. I’m afraid every single day. I just hide it well.”
“Do I scare you?”
“Sometimes.”
“How about now?” I ask.
“I’m not afraid right now.” Her voice is so soft I can barely hear it.
I scoop her up, and she wraps her skinny arms around my neck.
“How about now?”
“Nope.” She grins at me.
We walk toward the door. “Light,” I say.
She flips the light off, and I carry her into my room.
“How about now?” I ask.
“No,” she says quietly. I let her legs drop, and she slides slowly down my body. “I want what you want,” she whispers.
I freeze. I take her face in my hands, and she stares up at me, my palms bracketing her cheeks. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
I kiss her. Kissing Friday isn’t like kissing any other woman in the world. She tastes like everything I’ve ever wanted, and I drink her in. She pushes back against me, wrapping her arms around my neck as she puts her tongue in my mouth and tangles it with mine.
“God,” I breathe out, and I have to set her back from me for a second so I can get a breath.
She smirks and pulls her pajama shirt over her head. She’s not wearing a bra, and it makes my mouth water. But before I can touch her, she’s shoving her pajama bottoms down, too. Then she’s naked, and I was right. She’s almost completely shaved down there but not quite.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, her eyes following mine toward her tiny little landing strip.
“You’re just so f**king pretty,” I tell her. “And I love you so f**king much.”
Her gaze drops for a second, and she climbs onto my bed, her round bottom up in the air for a second. I reach forward and slap it, and she squeaks in protest.
“I cannot believe you did that!” she cries, looking affronted.
“Oh, believe it.” I strut over to the bed and shove my jeans down over my hips. Her gaze goes to my dick, and she licks her lips. I came in her mouth this morning, and I want to come inside her this time. “Do I need to get a condom?” I ask.
“You think you’re going to get me more pregnant?” she asks, her lips tilted in a quirky grin that’s a-fucking-dorable.
“No,” I grunt out. “I just didn’t know if you’d be worried about other stuff.”
“I’ve seen your test results and you’ve seen mine,” she reminds me.
We work in a business where plasma sprays into the air, so we have to get tested regularly for everything.
“I haven’t done it without one in a really long time,” I admit. “I might not last for shit.”
She laughs. “Then we’ll have to do it twice.”
Hell yeah. “If you insist.” I chuckle as I climb over her and prop myself up on my elbows on each side of her head. I look down into her face and I know, inherently, in my soul, that I’m going to be with this woman for the rest of my life. I’m going to climb into her bed every day until I die. And when I’m too old to be able to f**k her, I’m going to hold her. And she’s going to hold me. Forever.
The line goes silent.
“Are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“I was hoping that maybe we could talk.”
“Yes, I think we should,” she replies, and my f**king heart soars.
###
I hang up the phone and swipe a hand down my face. Either I just sealed my fate and made it so that Friday will never marry me, or I made her love me a little more. I won’t know which until tomorrow.
I go back to Hayley’s room and stare down at them for a little longer. They’ve rolled now so that they’re facing one another on their sides, and Hayley’s hand is still tucked in Friday’s. Click!
I bend over and run a hand down Friday’s hair. She stirs, her eyes opening slowly. She blinks up at me and smiles. “We fell asleep?” she whispers.
“Yeah.” I extricate Hayley from Friday’s grasp and slide my daughter under the covers. Hayley could sleep through a tornado as long as it’s still dark outside, and I don’t worry about waking her up at all. Friday leans over and presses her lips to Hayley’s cheek.
“I had fun with her tonight,” she whispers.
I jerk my thumb toward the big house they made. “I see you were busy.”
“We made a fortress for Barbie.”
That word makes me smile. “Did Barbie need a fortress?”
“All girls need a fortress. Barbie doesn’t have a dad, so she needed one more than most.” She shrugs. “Hayley and I discussed all this when she tried to convince me that girls with strong daddies don’t need big walls.” She lays a hand on my chest and looks up at me, blinking those green eyes. She’s so f**king beautiful. “You’ll always protect her heart. And if anything ever happens to you, you have four brothers who will do the same. So Hayley won’t need a fortress.”
I get it. I so get it. “You guys went that deep?”
She nods. “We did. It’s a kick-ass fortress, don’t you think?”
I kiss her forehead. “Badass. Just like you.”
She leans her head on my chest, and I palm the back of her head. “I’m not, though, Paul. I’m afraid every single day. I just hide it well.”
“Do I scare you?”
“Sometimes.”
“How about now?” I ask.
“I’m not afraid right now.” Her voice is so soft I can barely hear it.
I scoop her up, and she wraps her skinny arms around my neck.
“How about now?”
“Nope.” She grins at me.
We walk toward the door. “Light,” I say.
She flips the light off, and I carry her into my room.
“How about now?” I ask.
“No,” she says quietly. I let her legs drop, and she slides slowly down my body. “I want what you want,” she whispers.
I freeze. I take her face in my hands, and she stares up at me, my palms bracketing her cheeks. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
I kiss her. Kissing Friday isn’t like kissing any other woman in the world. She tastes like everything I’ve ever wanted, and I drink her in. She pushes back against me, wrapping her arms around my neck as she puts her tongue in my mouth and tangles it with mine.
“God,” I breathe out, and I have to set her back from me for a second so I can get a breath.
She smirks and pulls her pajama shirt over her head. She’s not wearing a bra, and it makes my mouth water. But before I can touch her, she’s shoving her pajama bottoms down, too. Then she’s naked, and I was right. She’s almost completely shaved down there but not quite.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, her eyes following mine toward her tiny little landing strip.
“You’re just so f**king pretty,” I tell her. “And I love you so f**king much.”
Her gaze drops for a second, and she climbs onto my bed, her round bottom up in the air for a second. I reach forward and slap it, and she squeaks in protest.
“I cannot believe you did that!” she cries, looking affronted.
“Oh, believe it.” I strut over to the bed and shove my jeans down over my hips. Her gaze goes to my dick, and she licks her lips. I came in her mouth this morning, and I want to come inside her this time. “Do I need to get a condom?” I ask.
“You think you’re going to get me more pregnant?” she asks, her lips tilted in a quirky grin that’s a-fucking-dorable.
“No,” I grunt out. “I just didn’t know if you’d be worried about other stuff.”
“I’ve seen your test results and you’ve seen mine,” she reminds me.
We work in a business where plasma sprays into the air, so we have to get tested regularly for everything.
“I haven’t done it without one in a really long time,” I admit. “I might not last for shit.”
She laughs. “Then we’ll have to do it twice.”
Hell yeah. “If you insist.” I chuckle as I climb over her and prop myself up on my elbows on each side of her head. I look down into her face and I know, inherently, in my soul, that I’m going to be with this woman for the rest of my life. I’m going to climb into her bed every day until I die. And when I’m too old to be able to f**k her, I’m going to hold her. And she’s going to hold me. Forever.
