Page 149 of False Start

“What’s next for you? After baby girl is here and you’ve had your fill of chasing a toddler and wrangling an elementary school kid.”

Madelyn sighed again, biting her bottom lip. “Well… don’t laugh, but… I’ve been writing.”

“I know,” I said instantly. “I see you with that notebook, with your laptop at home. Why would I laugh at that?”

“I’ve been writing a book.”

I blinked, surprised but in the best way. “Damn. You have? What about?”

She cringed like she was embarrassed. “About… life. My life. What happened to us, tome. Marshall and that whole ordeal. Surviving. Figuring things out as a single mom. Finding the road back to loving myself, to letting someone else love me,” she added, bowing her head a bit and looking at me through her lashes. “I doubt anyone will want to read it but—”

“Fuck you,” I said. “Iwant to read it. I’ll be first in line. I want the unedited copy. I want to read itnow.”

“You don’t count.”

“That’s not nice.”

“I just mean even if this is just for me, I’m really enjoying it. So, speaking big dreams out loud… maybe one day I’ll write more. Maybe one day I’ll publish.”

“You better. Do you realize how many women you could help feel seen with that book alone?” I shook my head. “Madelyn, Iwishmy mom had someone like you in her life when she was younger. Fuck, I wish she had thatnow. Sometimes all it takesis one person, one book or movie or story from a stranger to make the light switch turn on in someone’s head who has been stumbling in the dark their whole life.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so. I love this plan,” I told her earnestly, pulling her hands to my lips. “Andfuck, I love you.”

“You’ve said that already. Quite a few times just today, actually.”

“And I’ll say it again. I love you, I love you, I love you,” I repeated, kissing her neck in-between each word as she giggled and playfully shoved at me in a way that told me she didn’t want me to stop at all.

“Hmm… maybe the words don’t make sense to me anymore since I’ve heard them so many times,” she said, dragging her nail down my chest. “Maybe you couldshowme.”

Even through her sunglasses, I knew the look she had in her eyes. I knew because my body reacted without even seeing the heated gaze.

“Oh, withpleasure, fiancée,” I said, already making quick work of the string tie at her hip.

“What are you going to do when I’m your wife?”

I groaned, kissing her hard and rolling my erection into her. “Probably put another baby in you.”

“Um, hard pass.”

“You say that now…”

She laughed, but the sound died as I slid my hand between her thighs, moaning and sucking the lobe of her ear between my teeth at the same time.

“Maybe we should go inside,” she said breathlessly, but she was already rolling against my touch, swollen and wet and ready. She’d been like this so much of the pregnancy — as eager to feel me inside her as I was to be there.

“Nah,” I said, kissing behind her ear. “I got the most private villa for a reason.”

“There are boats out there,” she pointed out.

“Too far to see anything.”

“What if they have binoculars?”

“Then let them watch.”

Another sweet laugh left her lips before I was stripping the scraps of fabric she had on and flinging them on the dock. I basked in the view of her bare and spread out on that netted hammock, the bright, aqua blue water contrasting against her bronze skin like the most beautiful tropical painting.