His Curvy Beauty by Lana Love

Epilogue

One more chapter? Please?” Frannie looks up at me with hopeful eyes. It makes my heart swell with pride, seeing how much she’s progressed with her reading since I first met her.

“You know, dear girl,” I say, wrapping my arm around her small shoulders and pulling her tightly against me. “You can read this just fine on your own.”

“I like it more when you read to me.”

In that moment, emotional tears threaten to spill from my eyes. Frannie’s eyes are filled with pure love as she looks up to me, hopeful for one more chapter. For the billionth time, I know deep in my soul that I would do anything for this girl. She doesn’t carry my blood – she carries my heart. My love for her is as powerful as my love for her father, my darling Jarvis.

“Maybe one more, since Dad isn’t here.”

“Dad is here.” The rich sound of Jarvis’ voice startles me. When I look at him, his tattooed and muscular arms are crossed against his chest as he leans in the doorway, watching Frannie and me. His jeans are molded to the curves of his muscular legs and a familiar thrum of desire builds in my core.

“How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to watch my two favorite women enjoying a good book.”

“Is there time?” I ask. As much as I’ve been looking forward to date night with Jarvis, I still want to indulge Frannie with one more chapter. Now that she’s enthusiastic about reading and doing well, I encourage her as much as possible.

“Nope. Sorry pumpkin,” Jarvis says, coming over to us and kneeling down and giving Frannie a big hug. “Mildred is coming over right now. Sarabeth and I are going out tonight. You know that.”

“I know,” Frannie says, her voice sulky.

“Frannie…” Jarvis’ voice has a warning in it. Frannie has been going through a phase where if she doesn’t get exactly what she wants, her reactions range from sulk to full-on temper tantrum. “You behave for Mildred.”

Even though Frannie sulks, the corner of her mouth twitches with a smile she works to hide. She thinks we don’t know, but it’s no secret that if Frannie is engrossed in a book, Mildred will let her stay up later than we do, until Frannie falls asleep mid-sentence, book tightly grasped in her little fingers.

“This is sodifferent than the first time you brought me here.”

My arm is wrapped around Jarvis’ waist as we walk through the crowd for tonight’s races. Even though I’ll never look like most of the girls here, in their tight, skimpy clothes, I finally feel comfortable here. Everyone knows that Jarvis is my man and that anyone who has a problem with me will have to deal with him.

“Good,” Jarvis says, his voice deep and reassuring. He pulls me around to him, then lowers his head to mine and claims my mouth in a deep kiss.

I moan into his mouth as I wrap my arms more tightly around him, pressing my body against his muscles as he hugs me just as tightly against his body. As his tongue fills my mouth, every nerve ending of my body revs like the car engines around us.

When we break from our kiss, Jarvis’ eyes are bright and wild.

“Ride with me.”

“Jarvis,” I say, raising my hand and putting it on his chest. “You should race alone, you know that.”

“No, it’s finally time. I want you to feel exactly what I do when I’m on the road and racing.”

“I don’t know…” We’ve discussed this before and, while I haven’t said it in so many words, it’s definitely something I want to do. I want to feel the danger of hurtling at high speed down a street, the car vibrating its power as Jarvis pushes it to its limits.

“I’m not letting you say no.”

“Jarvis, babe.” I look into Jarvis’ dark eyes as I shake my head. We both know this is dangerous, but I can’t say yes. Not tonight. “We can’t ride with you tonight.”

When Jarvis starts speaking, his voice rises and frustration comes out in a hot rush.

“What do you mean you…”

And then he pauses and steps back. His eyes flick between my face and my stomach, and I watch emotions rush across his face.

“We.” I take Jarvis’ hand in mine, then place it on my stomach. His strong fingers splay out and I lean into them. “I just found out today. I’m pregnant.”

“Let’s get outta here,”Jarvis says, as we walk through the crowd and he accepts congratulations and smack talk from his friends, after winning yet another race. I’d like to think he was just excited because of the baby, but it’s like this always. He never loses.

For once, I don’t contradict Jarvis. I’ve wanted to be alone with him ever since I found out. Yet I didn’t want to keep him from racing tonight. He would have given it up if I asked, but even though he would never admit it, he gets on edge if he doesn’t race regularly. Racing and cars are in his blood.

“Do you regret not travelling with Miranda?”

This isn’t the first time Jarvis has asked me this, but I sense that my answer this time is more important to him. Staying with Jarvis and Frannie was not what I had planned, last year, but they are the best things that ever happened to me. The love they give me is so much more than I ever thought love could be or that I would ever experience with another person.

“Never, Jarvis. Absolutely never.” I place my hand on his as he downshifts the car. The dark night speeds past us as he drives a long and winding road. “I wanted to travel because I was looking for something. I was looking for belonging and,” my voice chokes in my throat, “love. I was looking for love. I found that the moment you opened your door and the moment I met Frannie.”

Jarvis revs the engine when we get to a stoplight, then undoes his seatbelt and leans over to me, pulling me into his arms.

“I loved you from the moment I saw you. I knew it was you. You who were the woman I didn’t dare to dream I could find, the woman I didn’t think existed. I will love you until the end of time.”

“Oh, Jarvis.” Tears stream down my face as he kisses me. I run my fingers through his hair as I lose myself in his kiss. When a car behind us lays on their horn, Jarvis doesn’t stop kissing me. He pulls me tighter, making me feel like I’m the most important thing in the world. This is all I’ve ever wanted, to feel like I’m loved and that I belong. “I love you so much. I can’t wait to have your baby and grow our family even more.”