Falling into a Second Chance by Alie Garnett

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Wakingup in the early morning had started to feel normal even after years of going to bed as the sun came up. But Poppy didn’t like Agatha’s old routine and had been working at changing it since she had brought home. Agatha was willing to trade the old her for the new her. If the new Agatha had Poppy in it, that is.

Slipping on leggings and a T-shirt, she went into her daughter’s bedroom, a room she hadn’t been in weeks. Last night, it hadn’t seemed to bother Poppy about being in the new location, but that had become normal for her also. But that old normal stopped today. This was their home, and they were staying.

Her daughter should have been inside the white crib, wide awake and waiting for her mom to come and get her, but it was empty. The pale pink sheets and blanket were cold to the touch.

“What the hell?” she mumbled and lifted the blankets in case she had missed the baby, but who missed a baby in a crib?

Panic engulfed her because she had just left Chris in bed. Who else would have removed the baby from her room? Turning, she saw a purple folder in the center of Poppy’s changing table. Rushing over, she knew exactly what it was, but why was it there? What could it possibly say?

Opening it, she saw a type-written letter from none other than Sera Dean. As far as Agatha could tell, she had taken Poppy for the morning. It seemed she needed some grandma time with her newest grandchild. The letter went on to detail the legal rights of grandparents to see their children’s kids. Agatha noticed there was nothing about kidnapping in it, but that was exactly what this was, kidnapping.

Taking the letter, she marched over to her own bedroom, where Chris was still sound asleep. His head was buried in the pile of pillows neither had had the energy to remove the night before. The sheet had slipped down to reveal his back, his gorgeous, manly, sexy, muscular back. It was mouthwatering from across the room.

He rolled over and groaned as she watched. She hoped that the sheet would slip a bit more. Their night of passion had been short since she was exhausted after a day with Poppy and working. She had a feeling she was getting old.

Shaking her head, Agatha walked into the room, waving the paper in her hand. “My fucking mother stole my baby!”

“You mean your mom took our baby so that you could sleep in?” he asked reasonably, as if reason played any part in Agatha’s current emotions.

She waved the folder at him. “No! She says something about her legal rights as a grandma and that I need to be at her place at 10 a.m. You can tell she’s married to a fucking lawyer.” Poppy was his kid too! He should be just as concerned.

Jumping out of bed naked, he grabbed the paper from her and threw it on the ground. Picking her up, he said, “That means we have until ten.”

“You’re not understanding, Chris She took our kid!” Agatha half squealed as he tossed her onto the bed.

“Oh, I understand. I have you alone for another,” he looked at the clock, “three hours.”

“What more did you want to do with me that you haven’t already done?” She giggled as he pulled off the leggings and panties she had so recently put on. She knew what he wanted: the same thing she did.

She would have to thank her stepmom for this time alone with Chris. It was the nicest way to start the day, but a simple phone call would have been better than a legal document and a stolen child.

“For one thing, we haven’t made love yet today.” He pushed her shirt over her head with just a little help from her. Because they were alone, and even if their relationship was new, she wasn’t wasting precious alone time.

“Yes, yes we have.” She couldn’t stop smiling as he climbed into the bed and kissed up her leg.

He licked her inner thigh. “Not since I woke up. That makes it a new day. This is the first full day of our short, short engagement.”

“I should be very upset with you about this marriage thing. You know I’m going to get roped into going dress shopping now. I wasn’t thinking when I said yes.” She groaned until his tongue circled her belly button, and pleasure shot straight to her core.

Her words stopped him completely just as he was about to kiss her stomach. Looking down, she saw the concern in his eyes. Concern that meant he was worried that she didn’t want to marry him anymore.

Running her fingers through his curls, Agatha pulled him up her body and kissed him. Pulling away, she told him, “Chris, I want to be married to you, but getting married is a big hassle in this family. High Drama.”

“Are you sure?” He looked down at her, his face inches from hers.

“Positive. I want to be your wife. I want to spend every day of my life with you.” She lifted her hand so that she could look at the ring, which she loved. Both of them.

“Let’s elope.” He adjusted her arms so that they were over her head and ran his fingers over her arms, causing her to shiver.

“That will kill Sera,” she admitted on a sigh, though it would have been perfect. Sera loved to plan weddings, and she was surely planning theirs right now. Even if neither the bride nor groom where there, it didn’t matter. Sera knew what she wanted in a wedding. The actual bride didn’t matter.

“How much of a wedding can she pull together in a few days?” He leaned down and nuzzled her neck, sucking on the spot he knew drove her crazy.

“Elaborate, very elaborate.” She shivered, not only at what he was doing to her but how over the top the wedding could be.

“I’m not worried, because no matter what happens at the wedding, I get to marry you.” He reached over her head and set a pillow by her head.

Grabbing the pillow in her hands, she looked at it in confusion. “What’s this for?”

Nipping at her collarbone, he smiled and winked as he shimmied down her body. “Just something for you to hold on to.”

“You know that was a one-time thing, right? That it will never happen again,” she explained. He had been trying since their first time to recreate her pillow destruction, but it hadn’t happened again, much to Chris’s disappointment.

“Can’t hurt to try again.” He bit down gently on her scar, the one he never failed to give some attention to when they made love. One day, she might just tell him that he had bitten her that night so many months ago. That he had caused the scar. Just like the one on her head. Forever reminders of this man.

“Give it your all, Lowell,” she said, shutting her eyes as his tongue licked up her leg. Her light grip on the pillow turned fierce as her world and body exploded under his touch.

By the time her body had stopped pulsating and quivering, she lay on his chest, just like he always positioned them after sex. She was nestled on his chest, and his arms wrapped around her. Opening her eyes, she was nearly blinded by the ear-to-ear smile covering his smug face. A smug face that was speckled with white flecks of fluff. He had succeeded in his goal. Agatha knew she should probably be mad, but she was too content for that right now. Maybe later.

At this rate, she was going to have to invest in more pillows—a lot more pillows.