Drake thought about all the times he’d come inside her without a condom. It had been a lot. The contract she originally signed stated she was more than happy to be the mother of his children.
There was no time limit on any of that shit.
He stared at her now. “What do you want to know?”
“To know you. To understand you. To love you a little more.”
This made him pause. “To love me a little more?”
She rolled her eyes. “You caught that.”
“It wasn’t like you were being subtle.”
Mira cupped the back of his neck and kissed him. The softness of her tits pressed against his chest. He held her hip, trailing his other hand down to the base of her back, holding her in place.
“You’re falling in love with me?” he asked.
“You’re a hard person to fall in love with, Drake, but I’m feeling it. I know I signed that contract and I do want to have children with you, a whole lot of them, but I want to know you without babies running around.”
“Babies don’t run around.”
She tapped him lightly on the shoulder. “Don’t be silly. I’m not joking. This isn’t for fun.”
“I get what you’re saying. No babies?” he asked.
“Not yet. We will have babies. Loads of them, in time.” She smiled at him. “Do you mind?”
What did he say to her? “No, I don’t mind.”
He would allow Mira to get to know him. He would do anything for her, but this, he was going to get her pregnant. All his life he knew the pain of rejection, of things being taken from him. He hadn’t gotten to where he was today by being nice or kind, or letting bad things happen.
Mira was his. She didn’t need to know he intended to knock her up. There would be ways around it.
“Great. Do you mind if I arrange to see the doctor to get on the pill? I mean, I’ll have a pregnancy test first, just in case. If we’re pregnant already, I don’t mind, but if not, I’d like for us to get to know each other properly.”
Chapter Ten
She was a married woman.
It was surreal. They’d nearly reached a month of smooth wedded bliss.
Mira admired the two rings on her finger. The gorgeous diamond engagement ring and now the matching wedding band.
Everything had happened so fast, but she wasn’t complaining. When things started out between them, she was just a toy. Now Drake wanted to build a real family with her. It was something she assumed wasn’t in the cards for her. She had settled for spinsterhood before Drake walked into her life.
She was living the dream and had to stop expecting everything to come crashing down around her.
Drake had a rough past, which explained a lot, but there was so much about her husband she still needed to learn. If they were going to spend forever together, they had to build on their love and trust. They’d flown past third base from the get-go. Now it was time to slow things down.
A week after their wedding, she’d made an appointment with the doctor. She was in good health and officially not pregnant. He gave her a prescription for birth control. Mira hoped to stay on it for about a year. That would give them the time they needed to grow closer. The last thing she wanted was to rush into having children and watch her fragile marriage fall apart.
It was now a sunny Saturday morning after days of rain. Drake had told her to dress comfortable and casual before rushing off. He said he’d be back in twenty minutes. She had no clue where he was taking her, but he looked excited and proud of himself.
Mira sat outside on the bench near the lobby, waiting for him to return. It didn’t take long.
She slipped into the passenger seat of the car once he pulled up. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Be patient, Mira,” he said. “You wanted to start over, do things right, so that’s what we’re going to do.” He drove off, away from his upscale neighborhood and onto the highway. It was a long drive, but ever so slowly, things began to look familiar again.
“Where are we?” she asked absently. “No, wait, why are we here?”
They were in their old neighborhood, the place where her childhood nightmares took shape. Mira had no interest in reliving a past she wanted to forget. She noted some familiar streets, homes, her old mailbox, and the old oak tree near the school.
He pulled along the side of the road and cut the engine.
“What kind of surprise is this, Drake?”
“This isn’t the surprise, but if you want things to be real between us, then we have to face our demons. Both of us.”
She took a breath, knowing he was right, but still hating the idea with every fiber of her being. “I said I forgave you.”
He shook his head. “See over there?”
Mira turned and looked in the direction he referenced. There was a dilapidated old trailer home. She doubted anyone could live in it. It looked like a stiff wind could demolish it. “What about it?”
“That’s where I grew up.”
She internally cringed, a mix of embarrassment for sounding so blasé and sadness for knowing the truth. “I didn’t know.”
He shrugged. “I have no good memories from that place.”
“You were tough on me, on everyone back then. Now I understand why.” She’d already heard bits and pieces about the abuse he’d faced at the hands of his so-called parents.
“It’s no excuse. But I want you to know where I came from. I’m not a monster.”
She remained quiet, looking at the shell of an old
