Jessa leans down to plant an adoring kiss to my baby girl’s forehead, and I press my lips to the crown of Jessa’s head, sharing one of many priceless moments to come.
I’m certain of it.
18
* * *
JESSA
Let’s just say this isn’t how I expected my summer to go. Today couldn’t be more perfect. Connor at the grill, Marley in my arms, all our closest friends laughing and eating in our backyard.
That’s right. Our backyard. I’m still not quite over that one yet. It’s a big upgrade, going from renting out a room in someone else’s house to sharing a home with the man you adore. I’m not quite over that part of all this either. How perfectly everything’s worked out with Connor. Some things in life are just fate, I guess.
“She’s getting bigger every day, isn’t she?” Scarlett scrunches her nose and coos at Marley, who smiles back at her.
Penelope, Scarlett, Maren, and I are huddled in a circle on the deck, drinking rosé and admiring the men from afar. I’ll be honest, I appreciate my new friends even more now that I almost left them all for Central America. We were just starting to get close right before I was about to leave, and I feel so lucky to have this time with them to gossip and giggle and talk about life.
I nod and kiss the top of Marley’s head. “She’ll be wearing clothes for six-month-olds in no time,” I murmur, shaking my head. “I wish there was a way to make time stop, just for a little while.”
“Well, it sounds like you kind of figured that one out. Weren’t you supposed to be in El Salvador like, yesterday?” Scarlett asks with a sly, questioning grin.
“Yeah,” Penelope says, crossing her legs and nodding toward me. “Connor gave me the basics, but I feel like we need the whole story from you.”
My lips curl into a half smile, and I shrug. “A new position opened up here in the city, and they needed someone to stay behind to fill it. I jumped at the chance, really. If you’d asked me a few months ago, I would have told you I was ready for a big change like moving to Central America. Turns out that big change was something else entirely.”
My gaze wanders across the yard to Connor, who’s laughing, the heat from the grill making him appear to shimmer. His eyes meet mine and his smile softens a little, sending my stomach into a series of backflips.
I really am a lucky girl.
“You two are adorable,” Maren says, nudging my side with her elbow.
I can feel a blush warming my cheeks. “Thanks. It’s fast, I know, but trust me. It’s more real than anything I’ve ever felt before.”
“I know what you mean,” Penelope says, giving me a smile that reminds me a lot of her brother. “I’m really happy for you both.”
Scarlett sighs and claps her hands together loudly. “All right,” she says, rising from her seat. “As thrilled as I am for the new lovebirds—and don’t get me wrong, I really am happy for you, Jess—I’m starving. Please tell me the boys are done with those burgers already.”
She couldn’t have spoken too soon. The men clamber up onto the deck, teasing each other and roughhousing like always, with Connor herding them up the steps, a platter full of cooked meat in his hands.
“I hope you ladies came ready to eat,” Connor says. “Come on into the kitchen. We’ve got it all set up in there.”
Everyone files into the house, and I hang back to wait for Connor. He sees me waiting and slips an arm around my waist, kissing the top of my head.
“How’s my little girl doing? Time for a change?” he asks, nodding to Marley.
“I think she’s okay. We should eat first, then I can change her.”
He nods again and pulls me closer to his side. “I like this. Having you here all the time. Hosting with you. Getting to make eyes at you across the yard whenever I want.”
His voice is low, possessive, and impossibly sexy. Suddenly, my skin feels electric under his touch.
“I like this too,” I say, my eyes searching his face. “But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to when everyone’s gone.”
His mouth goes slack for a second before twisting into a devilish smile. “You’d better get inside before I do something to make them all leave early.” He leans in and kisses my neck, quick and hot, in just the right place to make me let out a small gasp.
This man will be the death of me.
Connor and I walk inside to find our friends gathered in the kitchen, putting plates of food together and talking loudly about the latest customer horror story from the store.
“And I tried to explain to her as nicely as I could that we don’t accept returns at Frisky Business,” Caleb says, a mischievous glint in his eye. “But this woman just wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Scarlett shrugs. “So she’s a woman with strong convictions.”
Caleb stares at her incredulously. “It was a used dildo, Scar. There’s no way I was taking that thing back.”
“Okay, can we change the topic, please? Some of us are trying to eat,” Maren says, shooting daggers across the room at Caleb.
When Caleb raises his hands in apology, Hayes shoots him a pointed look. “Maybe a slightly more dinner-friendly topic?”
“How’s the new job, Jessa?” Wolfie asks between bites of his burger.
“It’s still early yet, but so far, so good,” I say.
Connor takes Marley out of my hands so I can make myself a plate of food. “They’re lucky to have her,” he says, “and so are we.”
The girls all sing “awww” in unison, while the boys, I’m sure, are just tucking that sappy comment away to tease Connor about later. They really do like to rib each other like brothers.
We fill in the crew on the new nanny we hired for Marley. She’s in her fifties with four grown children and a grandbaby on the way, and seems to be a perfect fit so far.
After we finish eating, everyone hangs out in the living room to chat for a while before the couples pair off and head home for the night. Connor puts Marley down, and I slip off to the bedroom, where I’ve got a little surprise planned for him.
Marley was pretty tired by the time everyone left, so I know I’ve only got ten minutes tops before Connor joins me in here, and I have to move fast. I slide my sundress over my shoulders and slip into the black lace bra and panty set I bought last weekend, complete with a skimpy, see-through, knee-length robe that I leave untied and open. I can hear Connor walking down the hallway, so I run my fingers through my hair and perch myself on the edge of the bed, one leg crossed over the other.
When Connor steps through the door and lays eyes on me, he stops dead in his tracks. Raw lust washes over his face, and his gaze roams hungrily over my body.
“Hi, there,” I say, uncrossing and recrossing my legs.
“Hi,” he says, his voice a low growl. He walks toward me, his eyes still trained on my body.
“Did Marley go down okay?”
“Mm-hmm. She’s fine,” he says absently, like sleeping babies are the very last thing on his mind.
“Good. So, I was thinking . . .” I let my voice trail off as I play with the tie of my robe.