Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Then, it dawned on her where they were. She looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“I didn’t think you wanted to live up here,” she said.
“I didn’t want to live in that house, ever again. Too many bad memories. I had it demolished and cleared away. I thought we could build anew, create a home that no one has experienced but us.”
Jo turned and looked out across the landscape below again. It was perfection, she had to admit that. She nodded.
“I think that’s a fantastic idea.”
The following day, Trey was on the job, and within a month, they were breaking ground, all planning and permits having been bolted through at lightning speed. She marveled at how easy it had been when you weren’t dealing with land built on quarries and dishonest realtors.
By the time she was due, they were just moving into their new place. The movers had done most of the work and most of the furniture was being delivered, new, from stores, so it hadn’t been much hassle. King directed most of the placement while she remained in the nursery, creating the perfect place for their new baby to spend his first months of life.
The whole place still smelled of fresh paint and wooden flooring. It was beyond stunning and she had worked with Trey to incorporate a central garden with a slanted glass roof that was either visible or actually accessible from most rooms of the house. She was in love with the place. Trey had done a spectacular job of helping her put the ideas in her head down on blueprints and decorate to perfection.
“Happy?” King asked as he passed by the nursery and observed her adjusting the mobile above the baby’s crib.
“Happier than any woman could ever hope to be,” she told him with a broad smile.
“Good to hear. Enjoy the silence while you can. Once that baby gets here, neither of us will be getting any sleep.”
“That’s what all the other women tell me. I’m looking forward to finding out firsthand,” she replied.
“Yeah, you say that now,” he replied.
Jo continued to adjust the mobile, getting it just right, long after King had returned downstairs to make sure the movers got everything done right. She remembered when she met him, all tough as nails and untouchable. Now, he was a completely different person. He was protective of her in a way that no one had ever been before, just as she was him.
It was beautiful to finally have someone who she knew was always on her side, no matter what. Stepping away from the crib, she looked out over the garden below. It was barren for now, something she would rectify in the coming days. This was the winter garden she had dreamed of. The large estate home she currently inhabited was a far cry from the fixer upper that had been reclaimed by the elements, but it was hers, hers and Kings.
She didn’t feel like it belonged to one of them any more than the other as she had felt with Carter. It was simply theirs, without question. She didn’t feel the need to flee or try to reclaim some sort of independence. This was finally a good place she was in, and she planned to stay here forever.
The winter chill was beginning to seep in as she donned a sweater and went downstairs. The front door was wide open, letting most of the heat escape as men carried furniture in. Jo went to the den and began building a proper fire, somewhere for them to warm up here and there from working out in the cold.
“I didn’t know you knew how to do that,” King said, stepping in to warm his own hands by the, now roaring, blaze.
“I’m full of surprises,” she replied.
“Yeah? I’m looking forward to finding out each and every one of them.”
“You will, but it may take you a lifetime to do it,” she told him.
“That’s okay. I’ve got at least that long.”
Later that night, they made love for the first time in their new home. It was slow and sensual, as he slid slowly in and out of her center, caressing her hugely pregnant belly as she lay on her side and he took her from behind. It was a beautiful moment to feel him inside her swollen center, now so sensitive to every single stroke he made inside of her.
Afterward, they drifted off into a peaceful sleep in one another’s arms. This was truly the heaven she had longed for and then some.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Jo awoke early the next morning with what felt like a cramp. It pulled her center in and held it in place for a moment and then allowed her to let it out again. At first, it just felt odd, but then she began to realize what it was.