“Take off your boots, Ari.”

“Okay.”

I’d never taken off a pair of damn cowboy boots so f**king fast in my life. Something in Jeff’s voice had me panting with need.

He turned me around and started to undo my bra.

“I can practically hear your heart beating, Ari.”

“Yes,” I whispered.

He slipped off the bra and started to kiss all the way down my back. My body was shaking in response to his touch.

“You’re so beautiful, baby.”

He turned me around and lightly kissed me on the lips. Then, he dropped to his knees and started to kiss my stomach. He reached up and began taking my panties off.

Oh, holy hell. I think I could have an orgasm right now.

Next thing I knew, I felt his breath… down there.

“Jeff…”

“Ari, lie down on the bed.”

Why does this feel like our first time all over again? I could hardly move I was so nervous. It wasn’t like we hadn’t had plenty of sex before tonight, but something about the way Jeff was talking to me moved through my body like a bolt of lightning.

I sat on the bed and slowly moved back. I watched as Jeff started to take his boots and jeans off. My breathing became heavier as I watched him undress. He picked up a remote and Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years” started playing. Then, he just stood there, looking at me.

God he has the most amazing body. Seeing him stand there completely nude was driving me insane. I was so wet that I swore I could feel the sheets dampening beneath me.

“Wh…what are you doing?” I could hardly talk because I was so turned on.

“I just want to look at you, Ari. You’re so beautiful. I just can’t believe that you’re mine.”

“Jesus H. Christ, Jeff! If you don’t get over here soon, I’m going to start without your ass!”

Jeff threw back his head and laughed. Moving onto the bed, he was over my body so fast that my head was spinning from his instant heat. He grabbed my hands and placed them near the sides of my head as he pinned down my arms with his.

“Have I ever told you how much I love your smart-ass mouth, Arianna?”

“Um….”

Leaning his head down, he brushed his lips against mine. I pushed up my h*ps against him, prompting him to move or do something. He just smiled at me, and I melted. He started to softly kiss my neck.

Moving over to my ear, he whispered,

“I love you, Ari.”

“I love you, too, Jeff…more than you know.”

Releasing my arms, he slowly made his way down my chest. As he sucked on my nipple, I felt like I was going to explode. I ran my hands through his hair. Oh god.

His hand gently stroked along the side of my stomach until it rested between my legs. Everywhere he touched me felt like an electric shock. As he kissed my lower stomach, he slowly started to push one finger in at a time inside of me while his thumb pressed against my clit.

“You’re always so ready, baby.”

“Don’t stop Jeff. Please just make me forget everything.”

Before I knew it, his mouth was on my cl*t as I called out his name. I swore it felt like the most intense orgasm I’d ever f**king had. I didn’t know if it would stop? Oh shit, he’s so good at this.

I felt like I’d left my body for a few seconds. It took me a good two or three minutes to catch my breath.

When I opened my eyes, he was just watching me. He smiled and moved back up my body.

He was inches from my face.

“I only want you to think about us, baby. It’s only the two of us, Ari, always and forever.”

I felt him push my legs apart as he slowly entered my body. I arched my body from the instant pleasure he gave me. As we made love, I wanted nothing more than to give him everything I had. I wanted to give him all my love, my trust, and my dreams.

I thought about how badly I wanted to give Jeff a child. Would I ever be able to give him that? Would Rebecca be the one to do that? I felt a tear slowly run down my face.

Jeff looked at me and kissed away the tear.

“Please tell me you’re happy, Ari. Please, baby, tell me you’re not crying because you’re sad.”

I held him as tightly as I could.

“I’ve never been so happy in my life. Please just let me lose myself in you.”

With that, he was able to make me forget everything but us.

***

The next morning, I walked into Emma’s kitchen and saw my mother talking to Emma. My heart started to beating so fast. They both looked up at me and smiled.

“Good morning! So, um, wow, they sure are taking things down and cleaning up pretty, fast aren’t they?” I said.

I walked over to the coffee pot and poured myself a cup. I glanced out the window and saw Josh standing against his truck, talking to one of Gunner’s cousins. Lynda…I think that’s her name. I wondered what she was still doing here. I thought Gunner’s other cousin Shannon had told me that they were all staying at a hotel in Austin.

I turned around to see Emma and my mother staring at me. Motherfucker, here we go.

“Okay, did someone die? Jesus, with the way you two are looking at me.”

“Arianna, dear, I’m going to guess by that ring on your finger that you and Jeff worked things out?” Emma asked me before she looked over at my mother.

I could so feel a damn Katharine Hepburn quote coming from my mother any second now.

I sat down and let out a small sigh. I turned to Emma, who was giving me that damn sweet-ass smile of hers. Fuck I loved this woman. Ellie was very lucky to have gained Emma and Garrett as family when she married Gunner.

I smiled at Emma and took a sip of coffee.

“Yes, Emma. We worked things out, but, the light of day has my head spinning. My thoughts are racing.”

Emma reached over to take a hold of my hand.

They must know about Rebecca. Great, I can’t even have five f**king minutes to enjoy my engagement.

“Alright, Mom, let it out. I can see you’re holding something in.”

My mother sat up straighter in her chair and took my other hand.

Oh Jesus, Mary, and Joseph…..this is going to be bad.

“As the great Katharine Hepburn said, ‘Life is hard. After all, it kills you.’ It’ll all work out somehow, Arianna.”

What the hell? That’s the best she can do? I just looked at her as I watched a smile play across her face.

“Really, Mom? That’s the best you’ve got?”

My mother glanced over to Emma, and then she looked at me confused. “What were you expecting me to say, Ari?”

“I was expecting you to tell me that it’s all going to be okay, Mom. I wanted you to say that this Rebecca bitch, sorry, Emma, is not carrying Jeff’s baby and that my dad didn’t really ruin my engagement night by dropping the biggest f**king bomb on me ever! Sorry again, Emma.”

Emma smiled at me as she squeezed my hand tightly. My mother removed her hand from mine as I reached for my coffee. As I took another drink, I noticed my hand was shaking. Shit!

“I’m sorry, Ari. I wish I could tell you it’ll all be okay, sweetheart, but I’d be lying to you. I’m not sure if it will. Have you and Jeff talked about this?”

I shook my head. Then, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Do not cry, Ari.

“Mom…” My voice cracked.

“I wanted to be the one to give him a baby. I wanted that more than anything, and I keep telling myself that if this turns out to be his baby, I’ll be okay but…but…”

Emma squeezed my hand.

“Ari, I think that it’s time you got tested,” my mother said matter-of-factly.

I snapped my head up at my mother. Why is she bringing this up now?

“Tested? Oh my, Ari, is something wrong?” Emma asked, looking back and forth between my mom and me.

“No, Emma, nothing is wrong with Ari. Ari, if you want to even consider having a baby with Jeff, then you need to be tested to see if you’re a carrier of the gene. Emma, remember how we spoke last night about Matthew and how he has Fragile X?”

Smiling, Emma nodded her head. “I don’t think that I will ever forget that sweet boy finding my mop and bucket and asking me if he could mop my floors. Every time he comes over, he asks to do it again.”

I let out a laugh.

That sounded like my little brother Matthew. He’d been diagnosed with Fragile X when he was eighteen months old. My mother and father had been concerned because he was not sitting up or meeting his other developmental milestones when he should have been. After endless tests and going to see the best doctor’s money could buy, they had finally gotten their answers. I would never forget the day they had found out. The first time I’d ever seen my father cry was when I was thirteen years old. My mother had given herself a day of sadness and then she bounced back full force. She had found the best occupational, speech, and physical therapists around.

I looked over at my mom and smiled. If I could only be half of the mother that she is, then I’d be so happy.

“I know that I need to find out if I might pass Fragile X onto any children that I might have. I’ve been putting it off for years, but I think you’re right, mom. I need to know.”

“Does Jeff know that you could possibly pass this onto your kids?” Emma asked as she gave me the sweetest smile.

Jeff, he was so good with Matt, and Matt just loved Jeff. Matt would follow him everywhere and would do anything to make Jeff laugh. Once he would figure out what made Jeff laugh, Matt would do the same thing over and over again, and Jeff would laugh every time. Jeff has never once lost his patience with Matt. Jeff had even stopped by the house at least once a week to play video games with Matt. Sometimes, Gunner had even tagged along with Jeff to hang out with Matt. Both of them treated Matt like a regular boy and not a mentally impaired one. This just added to the list of reasons of why I loved Jeff so much.

Just thinking about the way Jeff was with Matt made my heart melt. “Yes, he knows, and it doesn’t matter to him either way. He says he would love our child no matter what. He adores Matt, and Matt adores him. Speaking of, where is Matt Mom?”

Emma and my mother both laughed.

Emma turned to look behind me. “Jeff stopped by and took Matthew down to the stables to see the horses. Of course, Jeff didn’t have to ask twice,” she said.

The thought of Jeff spending time with Matt just made my heart hurt even more.

Fucking stupid-ass Rebecca. That bitch was lucky she had a damn restraining order out against me because all I wanted to do this very moment was kick her ass.

Then, Heather walked into the kitchen with her perky-ass morning voice.

“Good morning, Sue and Emma. My gosh, Ari, you look like you’re ready to kick someone’s butt.”

I just glared at her while she poured herself a cup of coffee.

Emma stood up and smoothed her hands down her dress. “It’s such a beautiful morning, ladies. Let’s drink our coffee outside and watch all the young men take apart the tents.”

We all looked at each other and busted out laughing. I just loved this woman.

As we walked out to the porch, Heather saw Josh talking to Lynda, and she stopped dead in her tracks.