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  Emma’s face gets that confused look she gets sometimes when I try to take over. There’s one thing I’ve learned about Emma. She might be young, but she’s stubborn. If she wasn’t, her shit would have been here months ago and she would have sublet her apartment until her lease ran out.

  “Dex, you know—”

  “I know I love you. I know this is forever. And another thing: if we start having trouble, then we work it out. We get counseling, something. We do not tear each other up and we protect what we have. I’m serious about this, Emma. This might be the age of divorce, but that is not an option for you and me,” I growl as I sit on the bed.

  Emma sits up, her face full of shock and that mostly pisses me off. How could any of this be a surprise to her? I tell her every fucking day I’m never letting her go.

  “Do you mean that?” she whispers and I barely hold back a growl.

  “Of course I mean it! Damn it, have you not been listening to me all these months? This is forever, Emma. You and I are forever.”

  “No, not that. I mean…the part about you loving me.”

  “What?” I ask and now it’s my time to look confused. “Of course I love you. What’s going on with you?”

  “You’ve never said it, Dex. Not once in the months that we’ve been practically living together have you ever told me that you love me.”

  “Of course I have.”

  “No, Dex. You haven’t.” She looks at me with tears in her eyes and you can’t doubt the honesty shining on her face. I stop and think about our time together. There’s not been a day, not since I made love to Emma, that I haven’t thanked the stars above for her, that I haven’t loved her. I don’t know why it never occurred to me that I hadn’t said the words.

  “Emma, of course I love you. I moved you in my house after one night. Before you I never let a woman in my house. Not once. I wasn’t even tempted.”

  “You are the single most stubborn, loud, borderline obnoxious man I’ve ever known sometimes and completely an asshole when it comes to getting your way.”

  “Emma, I just told you I loved you. I don’t think you should be listing my faults,” I grumble, but I’m not worried because my Emma has that soft look on her face. The one she gets after I’ve loved her body senseless and we hold each other through the night.

  “You have more testosterone in your body than any man I’ve ever met, honey.”

  “For the record, I’d prefer you don’t get close enough to another man to gauge his testosterone,” I grumble, not liking the thought of that at all.

  Emma slaps me playfully on the shoulder.

  “What? I’m serious,” I grumble.

  “What I’m getting at is sometimes you can’t just think things, Dex. Sometimes you need to actually tell me. Sometimes you have to use words, even when you are acting like a caveman.”

  “I guess I just assumed you knew. It’s not like I was hiding the fact that I’m completely obsessed with you, Emma, or that I’m not happy unless you’re next to me all the damn time,” I mutter, pushing my hand through my hair. I don’t get women. I don’t understand how she could even think for one minute that she didn’t mean the world to me.

  “Maybe I thought you did somewhere down deep, but women are funny creatures, Dex. We need the words,” she whispers. I slide my hand under her hair, putting pressure at the back of her neck to bring her mouth to mine.

  “I love you, Emma. I’ll love you until the day they put me in the ground and then, whatever comes next I will love you in that world too,” I tell her, giving her my vow before claiming her mouth.

  When we break apart, Emma settles in my arms and I breathe deeply. This right here is all I need in the world.

  “Did you mean it when you said there’s never been another woman in this house?”

  “Not once. I built this house for you, even if I hadn’t met you yet. Of course, now that you are here, I’m starting to wish I had made you a separate shoe closet,” I mutter with a smile. I kiss the top of her head and let out a laugh when she elbows me.

  “Yeah, well you want me to go get all my stuff tonight, so I should warn you that I really might need a shoe closet.”

  “Luckily I know a good carpenter,” I joke.

  “I didn’t realize how great it would be to marry a man who packed a big hammer,” she laughs and it feels like my heart is squeezing painfully in my chest.

  “Does this mean you’re finally agreeing to marry me?” I’ve asked her a hundred times. Fuck, I’ve even driven her down to City Hall a few times. Emma has always refused.

  “Well, since I’m moving in, I think it’s only fair you make an honest woman of me.”

  “You do?” I ask, my mind turning. It’s after five. There won’t be anyone in the courthouse that could marry us. There’s a preacher down the road, but we’d need a damn marriage license.

  “It’s only fair since you’ve managed to knock me up too.”

  “Damn it, Emma. Short of hopping a plane to Vegas I don’t think there’s anywhere we can get married tonigh—What did you say?” I ask, pulling away to look at her, not sure I heard her correctly.

  “I said I’m having your baby, Dex,” Emma says laughing. She rubs her flat stomach gently, as if she can already feel the baby there and when she looks at me there’s so much love there I could drown in it.

  “You’re having my baby?” I whisper, awe thick in my voice.

  “I am,” she laughs.

  “We’re having a baby, Emma,” I tell her, still not quite believing it.

  “We’re having a baby, Dex,” she agrees, nodding her head yes.

  “We’re having a baby!” I yell out, standing up, unable to contain my pleasure.

  Emma laughs and then squeals when I move her body so that she’s forced to lay back down on the bed.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to show my woman what a great carpenter I am.”

  “You are?”

  “Yeah,” I answer, already stripping. “I’m going to show you my hammer and if you’re a really good girl, I’ll let you play with it.

  She giggles, but when I join her on the bed completely naked that stops as our gazes lock onto one another.

  “I love you, Emma. I’ll love you forever.”

  “I love you, Dex. I’ll love you forever and a day,” she says right before she kisses me and the flavor that is all Emma bursts on my tongue.

  I knew the moment I saw Emma that she was all I would want for the rest of my life. I just had no idea of know just how sweet it would be.

  I’ll never take it or her for granted.

  She’s my world.

  Epilogue

  Emma

  “I’ll get her,” I murmur when I feel Dex move behind me.

  “You lay there, honey.”

  “She’ll be hungry, Dex. There’s no point in you—” I break off because I’m talking to empty air. I smile. Our little girl Destiny is just a couple of months old, but she already has her daddy wrapped around her tiny finger.

  “Daddy’s baby is hungry,” Dex coos, coming back into the room. I’ll never get used to this man, so big, strong and virile being so sweet and tender with our daughter. It’s beautiful, completely and utterly beautiful.

  I sit up in bed, leaning back on my pillow as he hands me my daughter.

  “Hello, Sunshine,” I whisper, kissing her head. I adjust her in my arms and then move my breast so the nipple is at her lips. It doesn’t take our daughter long to latch on. Just like always, Dex is already at my back and he carefully positions me so I can lie back into him, his body heat enveloping me while I feed our daughter.

  He kisses the side of my neck and buries his head there before looking down at our daughter.

  “Thank you, Emma,” he whispers.

  “What for?” I ask, my fingers brushing against the thick mane of chestnut hair that our daughter has on top of her head. The doctors were amazed at the amount of hair she has. They even warned us it m
ight fall out, but so far it hasn’t.

  “For giving me the world, sweetheart. For giving me the world,” he whispers and I close my eyes, soaking in the satisfaction and happiness in his voice.

  “I love you, Dex,” I whisper, unable to put into words how completely happy he makes me and how full my world is all because he claimed me that day when I stumbled over my own feet.

  “I love you, Emma,” he says, kissing my neck again. His hand comes around me and he runs his finger over our daughter’s tiny hand. She immediately latches onto one of his fingers and holds it.

  This is my life. My freaking beautiful, amazing life…

  And I wouldn’t give it up for anything.

  Coming Soon

  Turn the page for a special excerpt.

  Doctor For Hire

  Prologue

  “Hey, Tab, I was wondering if we could talk.”

  “Sure. What’s up?” I respond.

  I hardly hear from Hillary. I mean there’s five years between me and my younger sister, but we like each other. Well, for the most part. Okay, if I’m honest, I try to avoid my family. My family brings stress. I am a tightly organized person. I like control and with my family there is no control—only chaos.

  Hillary is actually the worst. She’s a mini-drama queen who is beyond spoiled. I love her, but I also can’t be in the same room with her without wanting to choke her. It’s kind of a love-hate-hate-love relationship.

  I moved out of Perryville, Ohio as soon as I could. I found my own place in a small suburb outside of Indianapolis, Indiana and I worked as a waitress while I put myself through school. I didn’t ask my parents for anything—though they do send money, even when I ask them not to. I wanted to stand on my own and be my own person. My mother says I’m too stubborn for my own good and way too independent. She might be right, but I’m building a life I’m proud of and I now have a career as a surgical nurse that I love.

  My sister, on the other hand, graduated high school and has spent her life living at home and helping Mom arrange charity dinners and functions. If you even mention getting a job or her own place I’m pretty sure she would break out in hives.

  These are just some of the reasons that my sister and I mainly only chat through texts and only every other week or so. That means getting a call from her today and her telling me she needs to talk is setting alarm bells off in my head.

  “I had some news and I wanted to tell you first, before Mom could.”

  Yeah… I was right. This can’t be good.

  “What news?” I ask, congratulating myself that I’ve managed to keep the fear out of my voice. “You’re okay, aren’t you, Hill?” I ask her. I may not get along with my sister, but…

  “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. It’s just… Tabby…”

  I cringe at the nickname she uses. My name is Tabitha, which I’m not crazy about in the first place, but I can handle being call Tab. I hate being called Tabby. It makes me sound like a fat, lazy cat that sits around and does nothing but lick my paws all day.

  “What’s going on, Hill?” I prompt her again.

  “I’m getting married!” she announces, I’m breathing easier. Still, I’m not sure why she’s making a production out of everything. Actually, if I think about it, it is surprising.

  “You’re getting married? I didn’t know you were dating anyone seriously.”

  “Well, yeah. I mean, I have been for a few months. I love him very much. I just… I asked Mom not to mention it to you,” she says, and now she sound cautious again—so much so those alarm bells start ringing again.

  “Why would you do that? You had to know I’d be happy for you, Hill. I want you to be happy,” I tell her and I’m serious. I really do.

  “Uh… Well… There’s no easy way to say this, Tabby.”

  “Say what?” I ask, thoroughly confused now.

  “I’m marrying Robbie.”

  “Robbie?” I ask, still not understanding.

  “Robbie Stedman,” she says, her voice quiet.

  Her voice is too quiet to be delivering the blow she just gave me.

  Robbie Stedman.

  I haven’t allowed myself to think of him in five years. Robbie was my high school sweetheart. He was the football quarterback to my cheerleader, the homecoming king to my queen and the yin to my yang for all four years we graced the halls of Perryville High. He was my first real kiss, my first real date and my first… yeah, that first.

  Unfortunately, he was also my first real heartbreak. When I told him I wanted to move away from Perryville, to start a new life on my own and go to school… he dumped me. There was no discussing our options, there was no talking about continuing our relationship.

  He ended it.

  He told me that he wanted the best for me, but that he wanted to see what else was out there for him too. I guess I never realized what else was out there would be my younger sister.

  “Are you there, Tab?”

  “Yeah, I’m here.”

  “Don’t be mad, Tab. We didn’t mean for it to happen. It just… kind of did.”

  “I’m not mad,” I tell her, and I’m not. I’m not sure how I feel. I don’t care for Robbie. He killed that years ago, but… I’m the older sister. Shouldn’t I be getting married first? Shouldn’t I already have a husband and kid? I never thought about it. I’ve been busy establishing my career, but now I’m thinking about it.

  I mean, I don’t care. I’m happy with my life—or relatively so. Still, I know how my parents are. I know how my family is in general, and I know how my parents’ friends are. They’re all going to be looking at me and they won’t see a woman who has put herself through school. They won’t see a single, independent career woman who is happy. They’ll see Hillary’s older sister, practically a spinster at the ripe old age of twenty-six, showing up at her sister’s wedding single and alone.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure, Hillary. Gosh, I was just quiet because I barely remembered Robbie. It’s been a while since I’ve heard his name.”

  “Oh… you didn’t? But gee, Tabby, you guys dated for-ever.”

  “Not that long,” I argue, forcing my voice to sound breezy and happy. “Just in high school and that was a lifetime ago. You should have told me you two were dating,” I chide her, and she should have—from like the first date!

  “I wanted to, but Robbie was afraid it would upset you. He said you were pretty upset when he broke things off with you.”

  That asshole.

  “Really? I don’t remember, but I doubt it. I already had my life mapped out here in Indiana.”

  “You don’t know how glad I am to hear that, Tabby… because, well…”

  “Well?”

  “I was hoping you would be my maid of honor,” she says excitedly and I close my eyes and fight down the nausea. The last thing I want to do is be a bridesmaid at my sister’s wedding. A wedding to my high school boyfriend. A wedding where I’ll probably be forced to wear some god-awful monstrosity of a dress.

  Shoot me now.

  “Oh, Hill! That’s so sweet, but what about your friend Candace?”

  “Oh, she’ll be in it. But you’re my sister. I want you to be my maid of honor. I mean if you’re sure me marrying Robbie isn’t going to bother you,” she adds and she says it with just enough doubt that I know I have to lock this down.

  “I’d be delighted to be your maid of honor. When’s the wedding?”

  “Next month,” she says and my breath stalls.

  “So soon? I thought you and Mom always insisted you would need at least six months to plan a decent wedding,” I ask.

  In my head I’m wondering if I could lose about twenty pounds before next month.

  “Well… I don’t want Mom to know…”

  “Our secret,” I tell her, wondering what new bombshell my sister could drop.

  “I’m pregnant, Tabby. We want to have the wedding before I start to show.”

  Oh, wow.

  “
Oh… Congratulations, Hillary. I’m so happy for you. Gosh… I’m going to be an aunt...”

  An aunt to Robbie’s child… Robbie and my sister’s…

  Life isn’t just weird… it’s a damn riot.

  “Thank you! Robbie is so excited. He’s always wanted to be a father.”

  Hmm… Robbie must have changed from the man I knew. He told me he never wanted kids.

  Maybe he just never wanted kids with me.

  “I’m happy for you both.”

  “Wow, this went so much better than I imagined. I was afraid you’d be upset. Do you think you can come down sometime next week and help me look at wedding venues? It’s just going to be a quiet affair. Just immediate family—of course you can bring a date if you want. Though I know Mom said you weren’t really dating anyone. She says your career takes all of your free time. Aunt Harry mentioned the other day that you haven’t even had a real boyfriend since Robbie.”

  “You were discussing me with Aunt Harriet?”

  “Well, she was having dinner with Mom, and we were discussing the wedding, and it just came up… naturally, you know?” my sister responds and I tighten my hand into a fist.

  I bet it just came up…

  “I’ve had boyfriends,” I lie. “In fact, I’m dating a man now that I really like,” I add—because, hell if you’re going to lie, you might as well go balls to the wall with it.

  “You are?” my sister asks.

  “Yep. We’ve been dating for about six months. He’s a doctor on my floor at the hospital.”

  “Oh wow, Mom never mentioned it,” my sister says and I can hear the doubt in her voice.

  I mean, I know I’m lying, but really it could happen. I’m not scary looking and even with the extra twenty or thirty pounds I carry around, I’m not horrible. There’s no reason she has to sound like I’m making it all up.

  Even if I am.

  “I haven’t told her. You know how I am. I like to keep my private life private,” I tell her.