The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (173 page)

I look down at the very moment Juliette opens her eyes and looks up.  “Good morning, Mrs. McGuire,” I say between love bites.  God, I love the sound of that, so I say it again.  “Mrs. McGuire.”

“I’m pretty sure it stopped being morning a few hours ago,” she reminds me.  She takes my hand in hers and examines the ring on my finger.  I will never take it off.  “It’s so strange to see that on your finger,” she says.

I pull her up against me, wrapping my arms tightly around her. This is what Heaven feels like. Fucking paradise. I kiss down her jaw and suck at the tender flesh of her neck. I love my wife’s neck – and by the sounds vibrating in her throat, she loves what I’m doing. 

My stomach growls like a thousand Spartans preparing for battle, and my new wife laughs at me.  “Hungry?” she asks.

“I could eat,” I tell her, hoping she gets my innuendo.

I watch as Juliette crawls out of bed and slips on my white dress shirt.  The first thing she does is lift the collar up to her nose.  She closes her eyes as she inhales slowly.  Holy fucking shit.  My body reacts instantly to the sight. I’m as hard as a fucking rock – again. 

I pull on a pair of shorts and follow her into the kitchen, where she’s bent over, looking through the refrigerator.  The shirt rides up enough to grant me a glimpse of her bare ass.  I contemplate picking her up and carrying her right back into our bed, but my stomach has other plans and another loud growl betrays me.

“Hey, Chief.  Look what I found.”  She turns around holding a platter of fresh fruit.  She lays it down on the counter beside the croissants and pastries.  “Do you think this will hold you over until dinner?” she asks.

“Oh, yeah.”  Together we sit at the large table in our suite and fill our stomachs until we can’t eat another thing. 

She gets up to throw away her crumbs and she yells in shock. “Oh, my God!”

In an instant I race to her side, only to find her looking at her reflection in a mirror on the wall.  “Baby, what’s wrong?  Are you okay?”

“Okay?” she repeats.  “No!  How did you keep from laughing at this? I look ridiculous.” How do I respond to that?

“I’m never going to get all these knots, tangles, and pins out of my hair.” She sighs.  “I’m going to have to wash it out.”  She twists around to face me, her warm arms wrapping enticingly around my waist. “Do you want to help me?”

Yes!
my body screams.  “Lead the way, Mrs. McGuire.”

“I love you,” she whispers in her sweet, soft voice.

I bury my face in her neck, breathe in her intoxicating scent and murmur, “God, I love you too.”

She smiles widely, her eyes happy, and I will do whatever it takes to keep that happiness there for the rest of her life. “Good. Can we get naked now?”

“I thought you’d never ask, sweetheart.” 

I
t’s so good to be home.  Juliette kicks off her heels and plops herself on the couch.  “Baby,” she calls to me, “call Auggie and tell him we’re back so he can bring Maddy home.”

“Just a minute.  I want to put my trophy in my office,” I tell her.  I still can’t believe I was given the honor of being selected as the Most Valuable Player in the Pro Bowl.  What an amazing year it’s been.

“No!” she shouts, stopping me dead in my tracks.  “No one will ever see it in there.  Put it on the mantel where it belongs.”  She jumps to her feet and begins to make room for it among the candles and other knickknacks.  My wife is proud of me.  Is there any greater feeling in the world?

I thought the greatest joys came on the football field. The best games were the ones hardest fought and nearly lost.

Football requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, and dedication.    There are touchdowns and fumbles, rousing victories and crushing losses.  It’s a rough game, and even the toughest will occasionally get hurt.  Sometimes we get the breath knocked out of us.

Life and love are a lot like football.  I didn’t know that until just now.

Running Into Your Arms

By Suzanne Sweeney

S
HARP WHITE LIGHT
wakes me from a deep sleep.  The early morning sunlight is reflecting off the fresh alabaster snow that has collected on the trees outside my window, casting the room in a bright glow. 

The spot where Adam sleeps is still warm.  I get up out of bed, peek out the window, and find his car is gone.  I can’t help but smile. 
My poor man
.  Since the second trimester of my pregnancy began, the smell of coffee makes me want to blow chunks and Adam has no choice but to satisfy his need for early morning caffeine by making the drive down to Green Planet Coffee House.  He’ll be back in about ten minutes with a hot coffee for himself and a peppermint hot chocolate for me.  It’s just one of the many reasons why I love him so much.

I toss on a few layers of clothes, slip my feet into my favorite Ugg boots, grab a broom, and cautiously open the front door.  A light sprinkling of snow is still falling, blanketing the entire neighborhood in a fresh dusting of powder that sparkles and shines.  There’s a path of footprints leading from the front door to an empty spot in the driveway where Adam’s midnight blue Land Rover is usually parked.

I take an experimental swipe with the broom on the porch and I’m pleased to discover the snow is light and flaky, so I make quick work of clearing a path for Adam.  If the snow were thick and heavy I wouldn’t dare, but since it’s not, I pull my hat over my ears and enjoy the fresh crisp air while doing my good deed for the day.

Adam pulls up just as I get to the bottom of the driveway.  He opens his door, swings out his long legs, and steps out carrying two large hot cups.  “You know that’s not necessary,” he chides as he comes towards me.  “I have nowhere to go and nothing to do all day.  I would have gotten to it, Em.” 

“I know,” I tell him.  “But I wanted to.”

He throws an arm around my waist and pulls me in close.  He leans down and kisses me sweetly, then grips my jaw in his hand and deepens the kiss, making my toes curl.  When he pulls back and gives me that panty-dropping grin with his deep gray eyes smiling down at me, I can’t help but sigh.  “This is for you,” he tells me as he hands me my cup. 

I hold it up to my nose, close my eyes, and breathe in the sweet chocolate and peppermint aromas.  “Mm, thank you,” I hum. 

“Let’s get the two of you back inside before you freeze,” he tells me.  I love that he’s so protective of me and our little Bean.  I would follow him anywhere.

I get busy making us breakfast while he starts a fire in the fireplace.  We sit together to enjoy a simple meal of scrambled eggs and rye toast as the fire crackles and the snow continues to fall.

“Since you’re no longer shopping today, what do you want to do on your day off?” he asks.  Adam knows that Reese and I try to go shopping each and every Monday.  My favorite days are the ones where we travel just to get away.  I like visiting Historic Smithville where we can walk down cobblestone paths and shop in the unique boutiques and shops; or when we drive out to Lancaster Pennsylvania for some outlet shopping or discovering homemade crafts and treats in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.  And then sometimes we just hit the malls and stay close to home, which was the plan for today.

“I know you worry but I’ll be fine.  Reese and I are heading up to the Freehold Mall and Babies ‘R Us today to try out some rocking chairs.”  Adam listens quietly and lets me chatter on as he finishes his breakfast.  I describe an ad we saw for the perfect crib bedding in Macy’s and how I’m looking forward to having lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and indulging in some spicy Bang-bang Shrimp.

When I finish what I’m certain is a very convincing explanation, Adam just shakes his head.  “I don’t think so.  At least not while it’s still snowing.  Call Reese, she’ll understand.”

“Listen, Sparky – if you’re going to ruin my plans with Reese, you better be willing to find a way to make it up to me,” I tell him. 

Adam gets up to clear away our plates as he ponders my challenge.  “You’ve been asking me to put the crib together for a few weeks now.  Suppose we spend the day together working on the nursery?”

I quickly get up and launch myself at him, kissing him with everything I have.  He wraps his long arms around me and carries me to the couch where he plops himself down with me on his lap.  “I love you.”  Kiss.  “I love you.”  Kiss.  “I love you.”  Kiss.  Kiss.  Kiss.

After the last and final kiss, Adam looks down at me with content eyes, full of love and appreciation.  “Marry me.”

“Not today.”

He’s asked me to marry him once a week and sometimes more since we found out we were pregnant.  I told him over two months ago that I wouldn’t even discuss marriage until after the baby is born.  If he still wants to marry me, he can ask me then.  And if I still want to marry him, I’ll say yes. 

Time and time again, he insists on proposing to me.  Sometimes he asks during one of our quieter moments and other times he asks in front of a room full of our friends.  He even asked me during Evan and Jette’s wedding reception a few weeks ago.  He made such a big scene, hoping to get me to take pity on him.  And it almost worked, too. 

I know Adam is the man that I want to spend the rest of my life with.  But I need to know with one hundred percent certainty that he’s in it for the right reasons and not out of some sense of obligation or duty.

I settle next to him, folding myself under Adam’s protective arm and finish the last sip of the hot chocolate he brought home for me. With a full belly and a warm fire blazing not far away, I rest my head on his muscular shoulder and watch the morning news.  

It’s my favorite place to be, warm and cozy, nestled beside him.  My eyelids feel heavy again and as I yawn, I drift off to sleep.

Suddenly, my eyes blink open and I wonder how long I’ve slept. I didn’t mean to drift off, but I’ve been so tired lately.  I hear Adam in the baby’s room, so I quickly call Reese before joining him.

Just as predicted, Reese is very understanding when I cancel our shopping trip.  “I was wondering how long it would take you to call,” she teases.  “He’s right, you know.  There’s no way you should be out on those roads today.”