Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Any plan.
Early the next morning, I slid from bed, leaving Amy sleeping. Round two had morphed into rounds three and four in the night, and she was exhausted. I was too keyed up to rest. I had a lot of things to make happen before she woke up. I showered and pulled on clean clothes, casting one last look at her asleep in our bed. Her wild curls were spread around the pillow, and she was burrowed under the quilt, clutching my pillow close to her body. One leg stuck out the bottom, the slender calf pale against the dark cinnamon of the material.
Even asleep, she enticed me.
I backed out of the door, shutting it behind me. I checked on Mia, seeing she was okay, then headed downstairs.
I made the pancake batter and slid the bacon into the oven to cook, then headed to the family room, moving a few things around and using the blankets from last night to make a picnic area in front of the fireplace. It was dark and gloomy outside, which was a perfect excuse for a fire and the candles on the mantel to be lit. I made sure everything was in place and headed back to the kitchen, smiling at the sound of little feet thumping down the steps and heading my way. I turned and held out my arms for Mia. She flung herself into my embrace, her eyes glowing with excitement. “Today, Daddy?”
“Yeah, Sweet Pea. Today.”
“I can help!”
“Yes, you can. We’re gonna make the pancakes small so we can eat them easier. You can help me pour and flip them.”
She pursed her lips. “We still get peanut butter and syrup, right?”
I chuckled in amusement. Amy had gotten her on to that combination. I had to admit, it wasn’t bad, but I preferred lots of butter and jam on mine. “Yes.”
She slid down. “Okay, Daddy. Let’s do it!”
We worked quickly, making the pancakes, taking the bacon from the oven. We scattered some flowers I had been hiding overnight in the living room and lit the candles, giving the room a pretty look. When I heard the shower come on, I knew Amy would be down soon. I wanted this morning to go well. I wasn’t worried about Amy’s response to my question, but I was oddly nervous. It felt like the most important thing I had ever done. Maybe because, to me, she was the key to the happiness I had discovered. I didn’t want to ever lose that. Plus, I wanted this morning to be special.
I had planned and dismissed a hundred ideas on how to ask Amy to marry me. Researched places, scanned websites, even spoken to companies that helped you create the perfect scenario. Except, like the ring, none of them felt right. They were too much, too over the top. Too fake and contrived.
Until I really thought about it. It was Amy. I didn’t have to prove my love to her, and she would want something simple. Something that embodied us. And most importantly, included Mia.
So, I planned a special breakfast for her. All her favorites with one addition.
A question and a ring.
And it was time to put that idea into play.
I heard her footsteps on the stairs, and I peered down at Mia. “Ready, Sweet Pea?”
Her eyes were large and excited. “Yeah.”
“You only have to keep it secret a little longer.”
“I can do it, Daddy.”
I bent and kissed her. “I know you can.”
Then I turned to the stove. “Act natural.”
Mia giggled, and I knew why. Of the two of us, I was going to be the one to mess this up.
Of that, I had no doubt.
AMY
I headed downstairs, the scent of coffee and bacon in the air. I loved waking up to breakfast with Simon and Mia. It was sort of our thing. From the first morning when Simon was trying to smuggle me out of the house and Mia appeared, announcing pancakes were for fun sleepovers, we had made it part of our routine. Simon and Mia always got up and made it together.
Waking up in Simon’s bed was still new and addictive. The scent of him surrounded me. The recollection of what we had done the night before was still fresh in my mind. He’d been relentless, wringing one orgasm after another from me. He was wound up about something, and I would have to figure out what it was.
I wasn’t sure I would be able to walk after another marathon session like last night.
But I had to admit, I couldn’t stop smiling.
My smile grew bigger as I walked into the kitchen. My two favorite people were at the stove, the scent of pancakes adding to the already delicious aromas. “Morning,” I called out.
I was greeted with two smiles. “Hey, Chippy,” Simon said with a wink. “How’d you sleep?”