Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 119476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 597(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 597(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
“You want more than one kid?” she asks in this soft, breathless voice I’m not sure I’ve ever heard her use before.
“Nora.” I cup her cheeks with both hands. “I want any and everything you’ll give me. Be it one kid or ten, as long as it’s with you, I’m golden.”
She bites her lips and sighs happily, all but melting into me.
“Why don’t you go relax for a bit while Ellis and I clean up and then we can head out?”
“Sounds good.” She slides down from my lap, tossing a cheeky finger wave Ellis’s way before retreating back to our room.
“Sunk, my man,” Ellis murmurs, once we hear the door close. “You are so fucking sunk.”
I tip my chin and nod. “One-hundred and ten percent.”
He grins. “I’m not saying I called it or anything, but I totally did.”
“Yeah.” I exhale a laugh. “I guess you did.”
DIARY ENTRY, PRESENT DAY
Dear Diary,
If I didn’t already know Atlas is the best kind of man, last night would have cemented it. He’s every single thing I’ve ever wanted and more.
I’m pretty sure he checks every box on the list I made so many years ago, and even better is I know for certain my dad would have loved him. Atlas is the epitome of the kind of man any father would want for his daughter.
But back to last night… I got a little off track there. The date he planned was nothing short of perfect. From the picnic to the s’mores to the sex. It was all so amazing.
But it’s the sex that really threw me. Being with him was… wow. I honestly didn’t know it could be like that, that it could feel like that.
For so long, I equated sex with pain and punishment. There was no pleasure, just misery and suffering, self-loathing and regret.
But with Atlas…
With Atlas, not only did my body light up with pleasure, but my heart did, too. He made sure, every single step of the way, that I knew that I was safe and loved and cherished—and completely in control.
It’s a surreal feeling—not being afraid of intimacy. But in a good way… in an I can’t wait to do it again way. Assuming I can convince Atlas. I know he’s worried about me being sore and taking things too fast.
God, I love that man and his heart of gold… he’s so, so good to me.
But now that I’ve had a taste of what it’s really like, with him anyway, I can’t help but want more.
He wants to work on the nursery today, and I’m as excited as I am nervous. Well, maybe nervous isn’t the right word. But with every step we take to prepare for our jellybean’s arrival, my impending motherhood feels even more real.
I guess we need to figure out a name for him, but I’ll let that be a problem for another day.
I’ll update you again soon.
Smitten (and maybe a little sore), Nora
CHAPTER 32
NORA
Iclose my diary and tuck it into the nightstand drawer before flopping back onto the bed.
Atlas told me to rest, but my mind and body seem to be at odds. Maybe a shower to split the difference, and if I can convince Atlas to join me, even better.
Rolling to my side, I huff and push myself into an upright position. It’s wild how simple things, like getting out of bed or squatting down, are getting harder by the day, thanks to my ever-growing belly. But if it means my little man is healthy, then so be it.
With one last lingering look at the bed, I stand and strip out of Atlas’s shirt leaving it on top of the covers for him to find, before heading into the bathroom.
I start the water and then move to the sink to brush my teeth and run a brush through my snarled locks—I’m guessing this is what the term sex hair means.
By the time it’s knot-free, steam hangs heavy in the air and the mirror is starting to fog.
Hot showers are still somewhat of a luxury for me, and I’m often torn between flying through it and indulging myself.
Today though, I absolutely plan on taking my time. After all, Atlas can’t join me if I’m already finished.
I step under the spray, letting the scalding water soak me from head to toe.
Once my hair is thoroughly wet, I grab the fancy shampoo Atlas bought me and flip the cap, squirting a dollop into my palm before massaging it into my scalp.
As the soap lathers, my thoughts return to last night, to the way Atlas was singularly focused on me. On my wants and my needs. It sounds cheesy, but it’s almost as if he knows my body as well as I do. Maybe better…
I release a contented sigh as I tip my head back to rinse the suds.