I look down at the tray and see a mix of pastries that I’d made yesterday piled onto a plate.
“I’ll clean up the kitchen. It looks like a bomb went off in there,” he says hoarsely, making me burst out laughing. He destroyed the kitchen and has no food to show for it.
“It’s clear you’re going to be the one doing all the cooking for us.”
I like the sound of that. I think it’s endearing that he’s terrible at something and he needs me to take care of him. It’s a sweet warm feeling to feel needed.
“You know I love cooking and baking for you,” I admit. He drops onto the bed and reaches for me, pulling me into his arms easily. The way he moves me around so effortlessly probably turns me on more than it should, but I love it. He makes me feel small and womanly when I’m next to him.
“I can’t wait to eat your breakfast every morning and your dinner every night. I’ve got to be the luckiest bastard in the world. You should have seen how jealous other guys would get when I got a package from you. I never shared. No fucking way was I sharing my woman’s baked goods.”
The way he says it implies he’s staying here indefinitely, and also that my baked good are sex goods.
“You going to stay for a while?” I run my fingers through his chest hair, not looking at his face as I try to pretend the question is light. It’s not. We said a lot of I love yous and talked about how we wanted to be together last night, but we didn’t talk about today and how’d we make all that happen.
“Nothing is getting me out of here.” His hand comes to my face and he tilts it to make me look up at him. “Unless you want a bigger place. We can look into something else. I don’t care where I am as long as I’m with you.”
A giant smile breaks across my face. I just want to be with him, too. I love that he didn’t even ask if he could stay here. He just is and that’s that.
“I like the sound of that,” I agree. We can iron out all those details later.
“We’ll look more into it after we get married.”
“Married?”
“Yeah, married, baby.” He takes my lips in a soft kiss. “I can’t wait to show you off. I’d be crazy if I didn’t tie you to me as quick as possible. Hell, I’d do it today, but I’m guessing that would be mighty hard being as it’s Valentine’s Day.”
“I completely forgot. I didn’t get you anything.” The holiday had kind of slipped my mind after he showed up. But it wasn’t like I had plans today anyways.
“You got me everything, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving to you that I’m worthy of you.”
My eyes fill with unshed tears.
“Oh, shit, baby, don’t cry.” Gripping me under my arms, he pulls me so I’m straddling him.
“I’m the one unworthy of you. You’ve given me something I thought I could never have. Made me open up to life. Filled me with confidence.”
“And I don’t know what I would have done without you,” he counters. “I had no plans. Nothing for when I was done with the Marines. I was a little lost. You found me, baby.” He cups my face with both hands. “You showed me I had something when I was done. A home to return to.”
“I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, baby.” He kisses me, still holding me in place. The kiss is sweet and lazy, and it makes me sigh into his mouth. I’m going to spend the rest of my life kissing this man…and doing so much more to him.
“Is that a yes?” he asks when he pulls his lips from mine.
“Yes!” I squeal, wiggling in his lap
“Good, because my baby might already be growing inside you.”
I’d thought about that last night, too. I’m smiling so big I think my face might crack in half.
“You like the sound of that?” He grabs my hips, stopping me from wiggling all over him. His cock is already hard against my pussy.
“More than like,” I admit.
He reaches over to the tray he placed on the bed and grabs something off it. When he hands it to me, I see it’s an envelope, like all the others he’s sent to me over the last year.
“Open it. There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you from the first letter you ever wrote me.”
I take the letter from him, and his hands grips my hips again.
“I was afraid it would scare you away. Now I got my hands on you, I’ll never let you go. It’s time for you to see what I knew the day I got your first letter.”
I open the envelope, pulling the letter out.
Only three words are written on the page.
PS You’re mine.
EPILOGUE
MARK
Twenty years later…
“You okay, baby?”
Katie nods next to me and sniffles a little as we watch our son graduate from Marine Corps basic training at Parris Island.
“It just happened so fast.”
I hold her a little tighter as we watch the ceremony—one I’m all too familiar with. Michael has always been just as headstrong as I am, so when he said he wanted to enlist, the decision was made. I’m proud that he’s decided to serve his country and see the world. I just think he’ll always be our baby boy, and we can’t see him as anything but a toddler.
“Just think, with the twins graduating high school next month and heading off to college, we’re going to have the whole place to ourselves.” I nuzzle her neck a little and manage to sneak a giggle out of her.