Winning Dawn Page 10
She avoided that question. “I don’t want you to marry me out of obligation. We don’t have to be married to have a baby.”
He took her hands and held them up to his muscled chest. She closed her eyes. “No, look at me.” When she complied, he continued. “I want you to be my wife. I’ll be the best husband I can possibly be to you. I know you don’t love me like you loved Reggie, but I won’t let a day go by when I won’t try to prove to you that you made the right choice. I’ll take care of you. I’ll add you to my health insurance. You won’t have to work. You can go back to school and finish your degree.”
Eyes brimming with tears, she looked away. “Those are all very logical reasons.”
“And then there’s the passion. Do you need to hear how much I want you?”
But I want love, she thought, but was afraid to say it. He would scoff at it like he once had at the idea of commitment. This may be as much as she could expect. It was certainly as much as Evan was willing to offer her. She lowered her head to rest it on one broad shoulder. She needed him and she wanted him. Marrying him because of the baby would be selfish and wrong. He kissed her forehead tenderly. She closed her eyes and prepared to tell him no again.
“Please, Dawn.”
She sighed. “Yes.”
Chapter 16
They married at the Justice of the Peace the following Monday because Evan didn’t want to wait. Dawn suspected that he feared she would change her mind. He was probably right. She had her doubts up until the last minute as to whether she should go through with the marriage. She wore a simple white sheath dress. Her mother loaned her a pearl necklace and earrings. She weaved white flowers in her hair. Evan wore a black suit and a white shirt and tie.
He held her hands as they recited their vows, his voice low, steady and solemn. He surprised her during the brief ceremony by slipping not only a two carat diamond ring on her finger but also a wedding band surrounded with pave set diamonds. “Oh, Evan,” she whispered. “They’re beautiful.” The platinum rings glittered white fire on her hand.
“Not as beautiful as you.”
She felt self-conscious during the kiss as everyone at their ceremony had known about their relationship for only a week. They had dined at her mother’s house the night before. Evan had insisted on asking her mother for her hand in marriage. Alma had looked him over, interrogated him to within an inch of his life, and finally said, “Well, yes, since you’ve already impregnated my daughter, you might as well marry her.” Once Evan was in the car waiting for her, Alma admitted that she liked him and thought he was a vast improvement over Reggie.
Their small group of guests applauded as they broke apart. Josh hugged her and welcomed her to the family. The reception was held at Evan’s house. Because of the hurry in which they had planned their wedding, Evan and Alma had served as caterers. Alma made a caramel apple cheesecake and a simple two tier wedding cake decorated with lavender sugar flowers. Evan made hors d’oeuvres. As she was moving in her belongings over the weekend, she’d discovered that cooking was a passion of Evan’s. One of the shelves in his home office was filled from top to bottom in cook books. When she’d asked about it, he’d shrugged. He’d had to take care of Josh so he’d learned to cook.
More guests arrived at the house for the reception. Jenna Mae had been unable to make it to the ceremony, but met them at the house with a gift and Marshall in tow. Friends of Evan’s joined them also.
She was weaving around among their guests, nursing a goblet of grape juice, her and Kayla’s choice of symbolic wine, when she overheard Evan’s friends Lucas and his girlfriend Mandy discussing Evan’s first wife. “I never met Sylvia,” Mandy was saying in her slightly high-pitched voice. She seemed quite nice, but a tad on the dim side.
“She was hot. Thin, like Evan usually likes them, not at all curvy like our sexy little Dawn.” His words were cut off abruptly with an, “Oof.” She supposed Mandy had given him an elbow to the ribs. She was standing around the corner from them and was loathe to give away her position. Eavesdropping was rude, she knew, but she was eager to hear more about Sylvia as Evan wasn’t given to talking about her.
“But no one’s as sexy as you, babe,” Lucas continued a bit breathlessly.
“Mm.” Mandy didn’t sound particularly appeased.
“Anyway, she left him for some other guy. It was probably for the best.” He laughed. “Evan used to describe her as his ‘perfect glass of water.’”
Dawn frowned, thinking she had heard more than enough. She didn’t need to know how much Evan had once loved Sylvia or how perfect and beautiful she was. She had enough to fret about without worrying about competing with his ex-wife.
She saw her mother and Kayla standing by the remnants of the wedding cake. They’d taken several photos of it before cutting it. And, of course, they had pictures of her and Evan making the first slice. Kayla’s stomach was only slightly rounded and not visible in her pink suit unless she was molding the fabric to her belly as she was currently. They were discussing baby names. She still didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl so they were trying out names for both.
Dawn put a hand over her flat tummy. When the time came, she wanted to know the sex of her baby. Josh approached her with a smile. “You’ve made my brother a very happy man today.”
She glanced over at Evan who was now in deep discussion with Marshall, and tilted her head in consideration. “You think so? I seem to recall him not wanting to commit to dating. Now I’ve leg shackled him for at least nine months.”
“Dawn, he wanted to marry you. Trust me, there would have been no dragging him to the altar if that wasn’t the case.”
She nodded and murmured, “Of course,” but was not at all convinced. She took a sip of her grape juice.
“Don’t underestimate my brother. He can surprise you every once in a while. The thing about Evan is he’ll always be there for you when you need him—whether you want him there or not.”
She wrinkled her nose. Marrying her was his way of being there for her, she supposed. She downed the remainder of her juice. “I need a refill.” She escaped into the kitchen. She wasn’t a drinker, but if she wasn’t pregnant, she’d want a drink right about now. She glanced at her watch. It would be time for her evening nap soon. She needed one every day now. She wasn’t generally a nap taker, but her body was currently demanding she take a break while it was busy baby making.
She was filling her glass when Evan walked in, a beer in hand. “I love them, but damn, I’ll be glad when the lot of them is gone and we can have the house to ourselves.”
She smiled then stifled a yawn behind her hand.
He stood straighter. “You’re tired. Say the word and I’ll tell them all to get out.”
“You can’t. It would be rude.”
“I can. Watch me.”
She grasped one muscled forearm before he could leave the kitchen. “Don’t. I’m fine.”
He turned and pulled her into his arms, fitting their bodies together from chest to thigh. It was a heady experience being surrounded by all that hard muscle. She barely managed to contain a moan. “Don’t think this is all for you. The sooner I get rid of them, the sooner I get to have you beneath me naked.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. She offered him a fuller kiss, but he refused. “No. Once I start kissing you, I won’t be satisfied until I’m buried in your tight pussy.”
She swallowed. “Okay, do it. But be subtle. And polite,” she called after him.
“Party’s over, folks,” she heard him call out in the den. She winced. She’d finally met her match, she thought with a shake of her head. “Dawn needs her rest,” Evan continued. “We’d like to thank you all for attending on such short notice.”
She put down her glass and hurried out in time to hug her family and friends goodbye.
Chapter 17
Dawn liked to think she was a smart woman despite her past stupid relationship mistakes. It took her only a week to realize she was totally in love with
her husband. Evan worked at home during the day, but he took breaks to make her lunch and dinner. They spent their evenings together snuggled up on the couch watching movies or simply talking about the baby or cooking. Then he’d draw her bubble bath. After which, he’d massage her all over with baby oil. She told him he was spoiling her. He said it was necessary for her to retain skin elasticity. He’d been reading pregnancy books also. After the massage, he’d make love to her. Sometimes, it was slow and sweet. Other times, it was a hard, fast fuck that had her toes curling and her nails scoring his back while she begged for more.
But it was as he slept one morning, his thick lashes dark and lush against his golden skin, his face relaxed in repose, that she realized that she was in love with him. A lock of his hair had fallen over his brow. She brushed it back into place. He smiled and murmured her name.
Her heart seized. He looked happy. At the thought of her. Dear Lord, he was such a good man. She had never been treated with the respect and the love with which Evan treated her. He was kind, considerate, and honest to a fault.
And then she panicked. What if she lost him? After all, he’d only married her for the baby. What if he still loved is ex-wife? His perfect woman who’d left him. What could she do to keep him? How could she make him love her in return?
He stretched suddenly. When his eyes opened, they met hers. His lips curved upward in greeting. “Morning.” His voice was gravelly from sleep and his cheeks were rough with stubble. He was beautiful.
“Morning,” she said in return. She wet her lips. “What would you like for breakfast?”
He arched a brow. “Don’t I usually ask you that question?”
“I’m treating you today.”
“What’s the special occasion?”
“It’s our one week anniversary and I haven’t fixed you a meal yet.” She realized she hadn’t done much of anything for him yet. Well, with the exception of purchasing his Christmas gift. She’d found the perfect present for him over the weekend. It was software to organize recipes. It combined his love of cooking with his love of computer software. She’d noticed that he also had a penchant for organization.
He stretched again and she followed the play of muscles in his arms and chest with her eyes. He smiled at her. “Surely, you’re sated? I think I’ve been too rough on you lately.”
She wet her lips, recalling how he’d placed one of her legs over his shoulder while he drove his cock deep into her pussy. Her body pulsed at the memory. While she lay there bemused, he slid out of bed. “You rest. I’ll make you breakfast. You need to keep up your energy.”
She sighed and closed her eyes. It wasn’t long before he was back with a stack of apple cinnamon pancakes and a bottle of pancake syrup. She moaned in delight at the first taste. “These are delicious.”
“It’s a special recipe I’ve been working on.” He winked at her. “They’re part of my ploy to get you to forget about Reggie and fall in love with me.”
Her fork froze in mid-air. Why would he want her to fall in love with him? Did he love her, too? She was afraid to ask. So she latched onto the other part of his statement. “What makes you think that I still care about Reggie?”
He drew patterns in the syrup with is fork. His jaw tightened. “The time I saw him at your old place, I overheard a portion of your conversation with him. You said that you’d always love him.”
She frowned, thinking back. Her eyes widened. “You didn’t hear the whole thing! I said, ‘In a way, in some miniscule corner of my heart, I will always love you.’ I was joking! And you cancelled our date because of it!”
He winced. “I guess I should have asked for an explanation.”
“You should have. The least you could have done was show up for our date. A date that you badgered me for days to get!”
“Well, while we’re clearing the air about my past mistakes, I have a tiny confession to make.”
“Go on.”
“Paige—”
“If you tell me you slept with that skank—”
“No! Talk about jumping to conclusions.” He took a deep breath. “I only brought Paige to the Thanksgiving dinner because I thought you’d be there with Reggie. I didn’t want to show up looking like a pathetic loser if you did. And I confess, I wanted you to be jealous.”
Her mouth dropped open in shock. “Evan Tanner, that is the most duplicitous, underhanded—”
He held up a hand. “Before you get too worked up, I promise I will not resort to such games in our future. It’s not like me.” He paused. “Will you forgive me?”
The answer to that one was easy. His confessions had just given her hope. “Yes.” But she didn’t want to make it too easy on him. “If you keep making me pancakes like these.”
Chapter 18
The night before Christmas, Dawn sat before their Christmas tree, a giant tree Evan had picked out, and wrapped her gifts. She’d wrapped Evan’s previously while he was in his office tinkering with his own software creation. Evan joined her with two cups of hot chocolate in one hand and a flat, rectangular box in the other. He put the warm drinks on the coffee table and sat beside her. “This is for you,” he said, presenting her with the gift.
She smiled and playfully shook the box before stacking it with the others.
He picked it back up. “No, I want you to open it now.”
“But it’s not Christmas yet.”
“Please.”
She grinned. “I love it when you beg.” He gave a mock growl. She laughed and tore off the pretty green and red wrapping paper. Inside the box were two tickets. She covered her mouth and gasped. “Plane tickets to Hawaii,” she whispered. She blinked at the dates on the tickets. “These are for next year.”
“Yes. As you know, we had to rush our wedding.” He paused to rub her belly. “I purchased the tickets for next year so that we’d have plenty of time to plan your dream wedding in Hawaii.”
“Wedding in Hawaii,” she repeated, her eyes filling with tears. Next year. He didn’t intend to leave her. “Oh, God, you want to marry me again?”
“Of course, I do.”
She dropped the tickets, tired of being afraid of what she would hear. “Evan, damn it, do you love me?”
He blinked. “Yes, damn it.”
“Well, damn it, I love you, too.” She flung herself at him and they both ended up sprawled on the floor with her on top. She kissed him until she was breathless. Finally, she had the courage to ask, “Who was the blonde at your house that day?”
His lip curled in distaste. “That was Syl. She came to invite me to her wedding.”
“Oh.” She levered herself off him a bit and took a deep breath. “You didn’t ask me to marry you to make her jealous? That would be taking things too far.”
His brow wrinkled. “Of course not! I don’t care about Syl. I haven’t for years.”
“But you used to think of her as perfect. I overheard Lucas saying that you thought she was a cool drink of water.”
He scoffed. “I called her a perfect glass of water.”
“What’s the difference?”
“A cool drink of water is what you are. Syl is a perfect glass of water—cold, transparent and tasteless.”
“Oh.”
He grinned. “So I’m not the only one in this family who eavesdrops, eh?”
She groaned. “And what do I have to do to earn your forgiveness?”
“Tell me you love me again.”
Epilogue
Alma hosted Christmas dinner at her house. Dawn and Evan arrived early so that he could help in the kitchen. Dawn explained to him that he was being given a great honor. Her mother didn’t let just anyone into her kitchen. Evan understood the sentiment. He felt the same about his kitchen.
Since his initial grilling, he and Alma had gotten along well. They both had a passion for cooking. They often exchanged recipe ideas and cooking tips.
After dinner, Evan and Josh watched as their wives exchanged Christmas gifts. Apparently, th
ey’d both been thinking alike. Their gift bags were stuffed with baby clothes, blankets, toys and the like. They squealed at each new discovery and hugged each other. Evan shook his head in amazement.
“What is it?” Josh asked.
“Well, I was thinking. A year ago, I was dead set against ever getting married again. You were trying to screw your way through the south—”
“Hey!”
He shrugged. “Sorry. I call ‘em like I see ‘em. Yet here we are, both married to these amazing women. With children on the way.”
His brother smiled. “Yeah, they are pretty amazing. We’re very lucky.”
“You’re lucky. I’m smart.”
“And how do you figure that?”
“It took you fourteen years to get that woman to notice you. I got Dawn in only a matter of months.” He laughed at his brother’s stunned expression as he joined his wife by the Christmas tree.
The End
Sugar and Spice Press
Where romance is everything nice.
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue