Picking Up the Pieces (Pieces, #2)(119)

“Yup, dead ringer,” I said, pulling her into me so I could hold them both close. “I think we’re in trouble. Is it wrong to keep her locked in the house for the next thirty years?”

Lily’s expression told me I’d probably have a tough time doing that. “How was your day?” she asked.

“Great. Flyers won,” I said, giving Maddie a kiss on the forehead before lowering her to the ground. "Even better now that I get to see you," I said, placing a soft kiss on Lily's warm lips. Even after all this time, it was still nearly impossible for me to kiss her without wanting to take things further. I brought my fingers up to the locket I had given her a few months after we met and untwisted the chain. I was always happy to see her wearing it, knowing she was keeping a piece of me close to her.

“Why don’t you go wash your hands for dinner, honey," Lily said, and Maddie turned to scamper down the hall toward the bathroom.

"You know how beautiful you are?" I asked, cradling Lily's chin with my hand as I looked into her eyes.

"Oh stop, Max," she replied with a shy smile. "Even like this?" She ran a hand over her growing belly and I placed mine over hers, hoping to get a feel of my son moving around.

I gazed into her warm eyes before answering her question. “Especially like this.”

***

Forty-five minutes later, Lily had Maddie in the bath, and I was finishing up with the dishes before putting Maddie to bed. When she was finished, Maddie came bounding down the stairs at rapid speed. She may have gotten her looks from her mother, but she definitely got her recklessness from me. The thought made me grin. She was a perfect combination of the two of us.

“What are you doing down here?” I asked her. "I thought I was gonna come up and tuck you in?"

“You are. Come on.” She tugged lightly on my shirt, and I scooped her up in my arms.

Once we reached the second floor, I lowered Maddie to the ground. “Why don’t you go into your room and pick out a bedtime story. I’ll be there in a minute.” As Maddie disappeared to pick out a book, Lily came out of the bathroom. “You know how I like a good wet T-shirt contest,” I said, gesturing to her dampened shirt. “And you didn’t even invite me?”

“Your daughter," she laughed. “She’s wild.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. And I’m pretty sure she gets that trait from me.”

“Oh, ya think?” she joked.

“Hey, speaking of wild, how’d the writing go today?”

“Eh, could be better,” she shrugged. “Got a little done. Writer’s block, I guess.”

“Hmm,” I said with a hint of subtle seduction that I knew she’d pick up on. I swept her hair away from her neck and leaned down, allowing my breath to tickle her ear as I spoke. “I bet I can alleviate that writer’s block you were talking about. You know I can be very inspirational.”

Just then I heard the pitter-patter of Maddie’s little feet as she ran toward us excitedly. “Daddy, what about this one?”

“Let’s see. What do we have here?” I asked, turning away from Lily and taking the book from Maddie’s hand to give her my attention. “Sleeping Beauty. Excellent choice.” Then I leaned in to give Lily’s earlobe another teasing nibble. "I can't wait to sleep with this beauty later," I whispered. That'll get her.

“Stop it,” she scolded with a playful swat to my chest.

“I was just talking about the book,” I said innocently, feigning shock as best I could and pointed to the cover.

Her look told me she knew better than to believe that.

“What?” I replied, plastering on the boyish grin I knew she couldn’t resist. “Girl meets guy . . . they fall in love, but they can’t be together. A bunch of other crap happens, and neither one of them realizes they were destined to spend the rest of their lives with each other until the dashingly handsome prince kisses her to wake her up from her hellish nightmare.”

She couldn’t help but smile at my plot summary. Even I was impressed by how quickly I’d come up with it. “Hmm . . . I dunno. I always sort of had you pegged as more of a knight.”

I laughed softly through my nose as I planted a kiss on her forehead. “Whatever works for you as long as the ending’s still the same. They get married, have babies, and have tons of great sex,” I added quickly under my breath to be sure Maddie couldn’t hear.

She shook her head at my last addition. Works every time. "Only you can make a fairy tale sound dirty," she laughed, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me in close.

I took a moment to gaze into those eyes that would always remind me that it was always her. She was my piece of perfect. And she always would be. “Aw, come on, doll,” I said with a seductive smirk. “You know how I love happy endings.”

Her expression fell somewhere between playful scolding and heated desire. But her voice held sincerity when she spoke. “Me too, Max,” she smiled. “Me too.”





The following is an excerpt from Perfectly Ever After, a novella about Adam's wedding.





Chapter 1: “Talk Dirty” (Jason Derulo)

I didn't use to have a favorite time of day. Never gave it enough thought to pick. But as I registered the smooth arm that was spread across my bare abdomen, the gentle rise and fall of the beautiful body that curled into mine, I chose. Mornings were by far my favorite, as long as I was waking up next to Carly.