Page 3 of Nineteen Letters

He pushes off the doorframe and stalks towards me. When his arms encircle my waist, he tugs me back until our bodies are flush and grinds himself against my backside. “Your arse in those pants,” he groans, and a soft moan falls from my mouthas his lips trail a path up my neck. I tilt my head to the side, allowing him better access.

“I’m already running late,” I breathe.

“I wish you didn’t have to go.” His warm breath on my skin leaves goosebumps in its wake.

“Me either.”

“The next eight hours are going to feel like an eternity.”

I sigh in agreement. “I know.”

His tongue glides over the sensitive spot behind my ear, sending shivers down my spine. He’s such a tease because he did that on purpose. “Don’t make any plans for tonight, because I’m taking you out to dinner.”

“You’re taking me out? Where?”

“The Sea Shanty,” he says over a growl as he sucks my earlobe into his mouth.

“What’s the special occasion?”

“Our anniversary.”

My eyes fly open to meet his in the mirror. “Our what?” My mind races.What anniversary?

He turns me in his arms so I’m facing him, then pulls a small black box from his pocket. “I was going to give this to you tonight, but I want you to have it now. Happy nineteenth anniversary, sweetheart.”

My hands tremble slightly as I take hold of the box. That’s when I remember that today we have been married for nineteen days, and a huge smile breaks out on my face. The number nineteen has always held special significance for us.

Tears of happiness pool in my eyes as I open the lid. Inside I find a white-gold necklace that’s holding a diamond-encrusted number-nineteen pendant.

“Oh, Braxton, it’s beautiful. I love it,” I say as my gaze moves from the necklace back to him. “I love you.”

He smiles as he tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, Jem.”

“Same.”

A lump forms in my throat and I feel like I’m choking back tears, so I use my hand to fan my eyes; I don’t have time to redo my make-up.

Taking the box out of my hand, he removes the necklace. “Turn around and hold up your hair.” I do as he asks, gathering my long brown hair on top of my head so he can fasten the necklace. “Perfect,” he says, planting a soft kiss on my skin at the base of my neck.

My fingertips glide over the pendant as I admire it in the mirror. “Thank you … I’ll treasure it.”

Sliding his arms around my waist again, he rests his chin on my shoulder, and his eyes meet mine in the mirror. “You know, I’ve been thinking …”

“That could be dangerous.”

I laugh when he pokes my side. “I want you to stop taking the pill.”

I feel my heartbeat accelerate as I swing around to face him. “You do?”

“Yes. It’s time we gave it another try, Jem. I want to see our baby growing inside you.”

I swipe my finger under my eye to catch the stray tear that has fallen. “I want that too, but what about my job? We just took out a second mortgage to build this house … we need the money.”

He blows out a puff of air before continuing. “I know how much your career means to you, but you’re giving so much of yourself to that bastard Andrew. We both know he doesn’t appreciate you. Why don’t you think about setting up your own interior design business from home? That way, you’d be here to look after our son and still be able to do what you love.”

“Or our daughter,” I say with a smile.

“As long as our baby is healthy, I honestly don’t care what sex it is.”