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  And I had no problem going in on this venture with her, because it was an incredible idea, I loved her, and she’d be my wife by next year. This was our future, and I was happy to be a part of it.

  She turned in my arms and I hugged her, kissing the top of her head and watching as the workers put in the new granite counter for the front desk.

  “I couldn’t have done this without you,” she whispered, and I shook my head.

  “I couldn’t do life without you. Let’s call it even.”

  “You sure about the menu, about the signature dessert?” she asked and tipped her head back to look at me.

  “Are you kidding?” I scoffed and kissed the tip of her nose. “If you hadn’t suggested it, I would have.” I grinned.

  And our signature in-house dessert? The Daphne & Alfie Cobbler, something we’d make together every night for the morning to be served with a hot latte and a good book.

  And that right there was how you knew how good you had it, when a memory you held so close made it full circle in your lives.

  Now everyone could take a little piece of what Daphne and I shared, experience it, love it, and maybe one day, they’d be able to feel a fraction of what I felt for my girl.

  Epilogue Two

  Alfie

  One year later

  I’d always known Daphne was fated to be in my life forever.

  She was my soul mate. And a life without her wasn’t one worth living. Maybe a morbid thought, but my reality.

  I pulled her close and inhaled deeply. She fit perfectly against me. She always had. Her curves molded to my hardness, in more ways than one, and I wasn’t ashamed of the fact that I constantly had a raging hard-on for her.

  The feeling of her nakedness pressed against me, both of our skin damp from our hour-long fucking.

  Making love.

  Sex.

  Being together in every intimate way imaginable.

  Whatever you wanted to call it, we were being one for a moment in time.

  And I didn’t care how sappy or “pussy-whipped” I was. I don’t care that my buddies said she had me wrapped around her little finger. She did. She always had. And I fucking loved it.

  All I wanted to do was be with her again. Over and over again until we couldn’t breathe, couldn’t walk. I wanted to spend our days naked in bed, our bodies pressed together, the feeling of her heart racing under my tongue what I fell asleep to.

  I smoothed my palm down her arm, slipped my fingers through hers, and lifted her hand. I stared at the ring. It wasn’t the biggest, wasn’t the most expensive, but it had been the one she’d picked out, even if at the time she hadn’t known I would buy it to propose.

  We’d gone to the local antique shop, a day of hanging out—or so she thought. All I’d been thinking about was how I would ask her to marry me, what kind of ring she’d like. But once she’d seen the ring, she’d fallen in love, talked about it all day.

  I knew that was the one.

  And so, I’d gone back the next morning and bought it, proposed to her that night in the kitchen with sugar and peaches, whipped cream and flour scattered around the counter.

  She’d been baking my favorite—our—dessert for my birthday.

  But what she didn’t know was she was my favorite everything, and she was the only gift I wanted.

  Everything I did was for her.

  Daphne’s Book Nook was up and running and had been an immediate hit in town. We were waiting to get married until things with the café settled down. And although I was impatient, because I wanted to make Daphne mine in all ways, to have that little slip of legal paperwork, she was calling the shots.

  I anticipated what our future held.

  I could hear her breath become even, slow, and knew she was falling asleep. God, she felt good in my arms.

  “I love you,” I said softly.

  She stirred slightly. “I love you too.”

  I couldn’t help but close my eyes and smile.

  I slid my hand over to her hip, her curves feeling so good. God, I fucking loved her body. I rested my hand on her belly and felt her stomach moving up and down gently as she breathed. I could practically feel her falling asleep pressed against me.

  “I can’t wait until you’re my wife. I can’t wait until we can start a family.” It wasn’t as if I was the traditional type where I needed us married before we had a baby, and Daphne wasn’t like that either, but I wanted things to calm down first, and then we could devote all our time and energy to building our futures.

  She shifted and turned in my arms, and I immediately cupped the side of her face. “I can’t wait for that too,” she said and smiled. She lifted her hand and placed it over my bicep.

  I leaned in and kissed her. I slid my hand, skimmed my fingers along the curve and arch of her waist and hip, curling my fingers against her warm, supple flesh.

  She rested her head on my chest. “I want everything with you, Alfie.”

  I kissed the crown of her head. “I can’t wait to have a family with you, to create a baby that is half of each us, a little piece of me and you, Daphne.”

  I couldn’t help myself as I rolled on top of her, my cock hard again, my body ready for her.

  Only her.

  “Spread those pretty thighs, baby.”

  She opened for me, allowing me to settle between them. I felt how wet she was already and growled in desire, in possessive need.

  I’d filled her up good just an hour ago, made sure she was soaked in my seed.

  And I was going to do it all over again.

  I ran my nose up the arch of her neck, inhaling that sweet scent that always surrounded her, feeling the sweat that dried on her skin, the beads from when we fucked. “You’re always so ready for me, so primed,” I said softly against her ear.

  “I know,” she whispered.

  I reached between us, grabbed my cock, and placed it at her entrance. Pulling back, I looked into her face, and after only a second, I pushed inside her. She arched her chest out, her breasts full, her nipples hard and making my mouth water.

  She moaned.

  “I want you to tell me what I love to hear,” I said and thrust deeply into her before pulling out then doing it all over again.

  She made the sweetest sound. “Aflie, God, you feel so good inside me.”

  I grunted in response.

  “I’m yours,” she moaned and closed her eyes.

  I kissed her then, claiming her mouth, her body, her very soul. She owned me just as much… even more.

  Because my life was forever entwined with hers. My life was hers. I didn’t know what I did to deserve Daphne, but I was never letting go.

  Epilogue Three

  Alfie

  Eleven months later

  God, how in the hell had I gotten so lucky?

  My best friend was my wife.

  The woman I loved more than anything else was the mother of my child.

  I was one lucky bastard.

  And as I watched her feed our son, as she stroked her fingers through the light tuft of blond hair on his tiny head, I lifted my hand and placed it over my heart. God, she was perfection. My life was a fairytale. Might be sappy as fuck, but I’d never felt so complete than when I was with Daphne.

  A smile played across my lips as I propped my head up on my hand in bed and watched her. She had her back braced against the headboard as she hummed softly. There was a soft glow coming from the nightlight in the corner, illuminating the bassinet right beside the bed. I inhaled deeply the soft smell of the baby soap she’d used on Maverick just hours before, and the candy-apple-scented shampoo she’d showered with before bed. God, I loved those two aromas.

  It had only been a couple months since she’d given birth to our baby boy, and I’d never thought I could love Daphne even more than I did.

  But when I watched her hold our son for the very first time… I fell in love with her all over again.

  My son.

  My wife.

&nb
sp; Mine.

  It was another ten minutes before Daphne was finished feeding Mav, and when she laid him back in the bassinet, the little sounds he made had both of us smiling. I wrapped my arm around Daphne’s waist and pulled her to my side, just holding her, reveling in the way she molded against me, in the warmth of her body and the love I felt for her.

  We’d been childhood friends, but now we were so much more. She’d be the woman I loved until the die I died.

  She tipped her head back, and even in the dim lighting I could make out her features. God, I could look at her forever.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked softly, and I realized just then how long I’d been staring at her.

  “I’m just thinking about what a good mom you are to Mav and how every day I find myself falling more in love with you.” She gave me this little smile and a content sigh before resting her head back against my chest. I pulled her against me even more, held the back of her head, and tangled my fingers in the strands of her hair. “I love you so fucking much, Daphne,” I said softly as not to wake Maverick, but needing her to hear it for probably the fifth time that day.

  I heard her breath hitch as she smoothed her fingers along my abdomen. “I feel the same way. Watching you with the baby makes me feel these butterflies in my belly. You’re so good and gentle with him.”

  I leaned down and kissed her on the crown of her head. And as I held her and thought about our future and what was to come, I couldn’t help but feel my chest get tight in pleasure.

  Seriousness filled me. “Since that moment I was leaving you, when I realized what I felt was love—being in love—I’ve had our life mapped out in my head. I saw us as a couple, saw our wedding, us moving in together, and having a family.” She tipped her head back, and I didn’t stop myself from kissing her. Passion and desperation filled me. I needed her right then and there.

  Daphne breathed out, shifted on the bed again, and wrapped her arms around me. By the way she molded her body to mine and kissed me back with just as much arousal, I knew she was already primed for me.

  I knew I was.

  All the time.

  I felt like a fucking teenager with a raging boner constantly where Daphne was concerned. I smoothed my hands around her curves, around her lush hips and thick thighs. Fuck, she was so damn perfect.

  “I want you, Alfie. Now.”

  “I’ll be gentle,” I murmured against her lips.

  “I know.” She kissed me back harder, pleading with her mouth and hands that she was hungry for me.

  I’d never get enough of her, and I’d make sure she never did either. For the rest of our lives.

  Daphne was mine. Only mine. And fuck… that was the best feeling in the world.

  I thought I couldn’t fall more in love with her.

  I was wrong.

  About the Author

  Find Jenika at:

  www.JenikaSnow.com

  [email protected]