Chapter 79

“I’m the father,” he repeated.

I nodded. “That’s why I was trying to find you. I wanted to tell you, but after what Julia said, I thought you never wanted to see me again. If not for Lily, I would have continued to think that. Still, I’m sorry you’re only finding out now.”

A sad look crossed his face, and he put his head in his hands. “God, I’m sorry.”

I stood up and walked around the desk. His muscles tensed, but he didn’t look up as I ran my hands over his shoulders. “You’re here now,” I said.

“I should’ve been with you the whole time.”

He swiveled around in his chair and hugged me, his face resting lightly against my stomach. I ran a hand through his soft blond hair. “I’m so sorry,” he said. He looked up at me and gave me a wide smile. My heart skipped a beat. “I’m really happy, Anna.”

“You are?”

“You have no idea.” He still hadn’t let go of me, but I didn’t want him to. I never wanted him to. If I could have stayed in his arms forever, I would have.

“I’m happy too,” I said, tears springing to my eyes again. A few spilled free and rolled down my face. They were happy tears, and it was the most wonderful feeling.

Barnett’s eyes were looking a little glassy as well.

“I’m so happy,” he repeated.

I ran my hand through his hair again, and his wide shoulders shuddered beneath my other hand. In a rush, he stood up and swept me into his arms. I squealed as he twirled me around and pushed me back against his desk.

“I want to give this a shot. You and me,” he murmured into my ear, his breath hot against my skin. A shiver ran through me, all the way down to my toes.

“Me too,” I said. “You and me.”

He kissed me then, his lips soft, but slightly frantic. He kissed me like he wasn’t sure if he’d get to kiss me again, but I knew that he would. Many more times, in fact. I kissed him back, running my hands through his hair. All the things that had been stressing me out suddenly fell away. We were here, and we loved each other. I’d dreamed about this outcome for so long, I never actually thought it could be my reality. Now that it was, it just felt right, like we were always meant to end up here.

He kissed the side of my neck, his hands undoing the tie on my jacket. He pushed it off my shoulders and it dropped to the ground at our feet.

“I want you,” I breathed.

“You have me,” he answered. He stepped back to look at me, his eyes bright. Then he went down to his knees and pushed up the hem of my dress. I had to put my hands back against his desk to steady myself as he slowly lifted the dress up, kissing my legs and then my stomach. Finally, he got it over my head, and it joined my jacket on the floor.

He went back down to his knees and kissed my stomach. “I’m going to be a father,” he said, like he couldn’t quite believe it.

“You’re going to be a great father.”

He smiled and stood up. I reached for his jacket and pushed it off his shoulders, revealing the purple dress shirt he had on underneath. His waistcoat came off next, then the shirt. I ran my hands over the smooth muscles of his stomach.

“I’m going to take you right here on this desk,” he growled when my hands reached the waistband of his dress pants.

“Good,” I said as I undid his belt.

It didn’t take long for the rest of his clothes and mine to come off. He lifted me up onto the desk and pulled me forward so my ass was resting at the edge. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as he stepped between my legs. He captured my mouth with his again and kissed me for a long time, his hands exploring my feverish skin.

He kissed his way down my neck, and I groaned. “I want you,” I said. “Now.”

He didn’t hesitate. I gasped as he entered me.

“I love you,” he murmured as he began to move. He started slowly but couldn’t seem to maintain that pace. I gripped onto his shoulders as he moved faster.

“I love you,” I said. A groan escaped my lips as he shifted. “Right there.” He did it again, and I shuddered. At this rate, I wasn’t going to last very long.

He kissed me again, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer.

It was impossible to tell how much time passed. I was lost in the sensation of him all around me, kissing me, moving in me. Tension gathered low in my gut as waves of pleasure rolled through me. I shook as I went over the edge.

He held me close as his pace grew more erratic. Then he followed me, a long groan escaping him.

I collapsed against him as I tried to catch my breath. It took me a few minutes to recover enough to sit up straight.

He stepped away from me and walked over to the washroom. He came back with a warm cloth and cleaned me up before helping me back into my underwear and my dress. I watched him pull his clothes back on.

“What now?” I said when his jacket was on.

He held out his hand, and I placed mine in his. He squeezed my fingers, a wide smile on his face. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him look so happy. It completely transformed his face. Not for the first time, I thought he was the most attractive man I’d ever seen.

“Let’s go home.”

“Home?”

He shrugged. “Your place, mine, I don’t care. As long as we’re together.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and titled my head to look up at him. “Wherever,” I agreed.

He kissed my forehead, and butterflies danced in my stomach.

“We’re going to raise these babies together,” he said.

I nodded. “Our boys.”

“Boys?” he said, his voice breaking just a little. I realized I hadn’t told him that bit yet. He didn’t know he was going to have three sons.

“I hope you enjoyed coaching hockey,” I said. “You might need to again.”

A tear trailed down his face, and I wiped it away with shaking fingers.

“There’s nothing I’d love more,” he said.

He leaned down to kiss me. This time it was soft and languid, like it had suddenly hit him that we had time. We had all the time in the world.

After everything that happened between us over the past year–the diagnosis, and the fights, and now this–we finally had the time I so desperately wished for when I thought I wouldn’t have much at all. It felt surreal.

We were going to be a family.