“It definitely helped me understand why I don’t remember so much of the last four years. I still don’t know why my father would do that to me.”
“It explains so much. Why you never came back for me or our daughter.” Leaning close, he placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I kept thinking you’d miss her, eventually want to be a mom to Jordan or at least see her and get to know her. I even painted the kitchen the color you’d picked out and got the appliances you wanted. It was stupid. Still, I figured if you did come back, I didn’t want you to have an excuse not to stay.”
“I love the color and the appliances. Not that I use the stove all that much. Kind of silly for me to want a specific range when I didn’t know how to use it.”
“I’ll teach you. I’ll do anything to keep you here with us. Now that you’re back, I’m not going to lose you again.”
As he kissed her once more, he hoped to God that he wouldn’t.
Chapter twenty-one
Chelseasighedwhenthewarmth of Theo’s arms left her as he leaned forward and shut off the TV, then placed the remote on the coffee table. Jordan had been put in bed a few hours ago, and they’d snuggled on the couch watching a movie. And kissing. God, she loved when they sat here and made out like teenagers. Not that she’d ever done that. Her father would have had a cow and probably drugged her some more.
“You all right, pixie?” Theo stopped in the doorway of the kitchen with the laundry basket the kittens were in. Bandit sat at his feet, waiting. Her dog listened to Theo better than her.
“Tired is all.”
“It’s not every day you go car shopping and buy your husband a new vehicle.” His smirk emphasized the dimples near his mouth.
She rolled her eyes. “Well, I wrecked your other one. It’s the least I could do.”
Theo merely raised his eyebrows, then continued into the kitchen to lock the doors, adjust the windows, and tuck the animals in.
As he did that, Chelsea checked the windows in the living room, office, and Jordan’s playroom. She was locking up the front door when Theo came up behind her and enclosed her in his arms. Her favorite place to be.
“All ready for bed, pixie?”
Humming, she turned and threaded her fingers through his hair. They came together for a kiss so automatically it was like they’d never been away from each other. Part of her desperately wanted to pretend they hadn’t. Those years away were too painful.
Whoosh. Theo scooped her into his arms and carried her up the stairs. She giggled softly. “I love when the handsome ranger swoops in to rescue the princess.”
“The beautiful princess,” he filled in.
“More beauuuuuutiful than the lake,” they said in unison, then stifled their laughter so they didn’t wake up their daughter.
Theo slid her down his body in front of the bathroom but didn’t let go. “You can use it first.”
“You’ll either have to release me or come in with me.”
His eyes gleamed. “Tempting. Everything about you is tempting.”
Still, he let her go and retreated into the bedroom. At least they had gotten to a point where they were sharing a bed. Could she get him to share more?
Once she’d cleaned up and brushed her teeth, she entered the room. The bedspread had already been turned back, and Theo tossed his dirty clothes in the hamper. Oh, how those boxer briefs molded his butt. She had to clench her thighs together to keep in control.
“Jump in. I’ll be right back,” he said.
Peeling off her clothes, she slipped into a fitted tank top and nothing else, then lit a lavender scented candle on the dresser. After shutting off the light, she crawled under the covers. Would he get the message? Would she have to tap it out in Morse code on his chest? That could be fun. She did love playing with his chest hair. Too bad she didn’t know Morse code.
The door creaked when Theo came in, and his intake of breath was obvious. It clicked behind him, and her lungs stopped working. Normally, he left it open a crack in case Jordan woke up. Which she rarely did.
When he slid in next to her, she suddenly got nervous. They’d been making out for weeks now. She wanted this, but would it be the same as before? Wonderful and new? It had been so long, and she’d gone through so much. So had Theo.
“Hey, I can see the gears turning in your brain, pixie. I know we’ve been having some fun, and you think you’re ready for the next stage, but we won’t go any further than you want to.”
A smile and tears both fought for dominance. “You’re too good to me, Theo.”
“Never good enough.” Settling in, he reached for her and rested her head on his shoulder. The same location it had been the last few nights. Inhaling, she took in his scent, and her courage came back.
