Elle
Jeremiah and I made a great team. I took one baby, he took the other. We fed them, bathed them, diapered them and had them in bed, passed out and happy, in record time. To think that he trusted me with his daughters meant a lot to me. To think that if the worst-case scenario became reality, I might be raising these girls alone.
I still lived with my mother. Not because I had to, but because I hadn’t bought a place of my own yet. It hadn’t been a priority. All my money, mostly inheritance from my father, went into the paper. The rest was tied up in some investments. I wasn’t rich, by any means, but I’d been able to stay on my feet and support the paper through some rough months.
But now I had to think about supporting two little girls.
As if Jeremiah could read my mind.
“You know I’m well-off. If something happens and you become their guardian, I would love it if you raised them in this house, and you would be taken care of. All three of you.”
His construction business, prior to him taking over his father’s position as mayor, had been highly successful. I didn’t know how well off he’d been, but I knew he didn’t have to struggle. He didn’t even take a salary as mayor because he didn’t have to.
His house was nice too. One of the nicer ones in the area, barring the ridiculous Holt mansion. He built most of the houses over by Violet’s and James’ homes; the entire neighborhood and development had been his doing. And it was exactly what the town needed – nice, comfortable housing that didn’t hurt the environment and that fit right in with Liberty’s current infrastructure. He was the type of developer we needed more of.
“We’ll figure it out when the time comes, but hopefully it doesn’t come to that.”
He nodded, staring down at Grace, stroking her cheek. “Yes, but in case it does, you don’t have to worry about anything. There’s enough money in the bank to take care of all three of you, to pay for both of them to go to college, everything.”
Like I said, I knew he’d been well-off, but that surprised me. He had more money than he’d let on. He never flashed around his money. No fancy cars or mansions. Instead, he’d put it away for his children’s future.
Even though I thought I’d known Jeremiah inside and out, some things still surprised me. And it made me fall for him even more.
He walked over and put an arm over my shoulder, staring down at Amelia this time.
“They’re so precious,” I whispered.
“They are. I’d do anything for them.”
“I know you would. You’re an amazing father.”
“You think so? Sometimes I feel like such a screw up.”
“Jeremiah, seriously?” I stared at him to make sure he wasn’t pulling my chain. How could he think that about himself?
He shrugged. “They’re already in daycare, though not much, thankfully, and-”
“A lot of parents work and have to use daycare,” I reminded him. “It’s a fact of life, Jeremiah.”
“It’s not how I wanted to raise my girls, though. And had I not taken the mayoral position, I could have retired and
-”
“Do you think you’d be happy in retirement?” I cocked an eyebrow. “Because I know you, and I think you’d get bored pretty easily.”
“Maybe.” He smirked. “But I could always act as an independent contractor, work on my own terms.”
That was a good point, and more Jeremiah. He was a business-owner, someone who liked to work on his own terms, make his own schedule. He worked hard but preferred to work hard for himself.
But being mayor was different. He wasn’t working for a corporation or CEO; he was working for the town. A town he loved.
I twisted around so I was facing him, and he wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close.
“You are the most amazing father, Jeremiah. Not just that, you’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Nah, that honor goes to your dad, Elle.”
“Maybe. But you give him a good run for the money,” I stated matter-of-factly.
Jeremiah’s lips pressed against mine, and it wasn’t the need-filled kiss from before, but one with something more behind it. Gentle and sweet. Just like the man he was on the inside.
“Come on,” he whispered against my mouth. “Let’s go to bed.”
It wasn’t even nine in the evening, way too early for sleep. But I wasn’t about to protest.
Besides, I had a feeling we wouldn’t be doing much sleeping.
Ooo000ooo
“One second,” Jeremiah said, chuckling as he pulled away from my kiss.
I cocked my head to the side but let him go. He walked over to the desk, turning the fishing photo face down. I giggled to myself, not blaming him for not wanting to see a photo of me as a child with my father while we made love.
He came back to me, wrapping those thick, strong arms around me and lifting me off the ground. I squealed as he carried me over to the bed, depositing me against the warm, down comforter as gently as possible.
“God, you’re so beautiful. I could just stare at you all the time.”
“Please do more than just look at me.” I giggled, holding my arms up.
Jeremiah smiled down at me, and that hungry look in his eyes returned. He fell onto the bed next to me, rolling us over so I was on top of him. We were both still fully clothed, to my dismay, but that didn’t last long.
I ripped at Jeremiah’s shirt, pulling the buttons free and likely breaking a few. He didn’t seem to mind. He yanked my shirt off over my head and made quick work of my bra too. My breasts fell free into his hands, just enough for a handful. His rough fingertips brushed against my nipples and caused me to moan and grind against him.
He took one of them into his mouth, his tongue circling it as I rode his body, cursing our pants for keeping us apart.
Jeremiah flipped us around, sitting on his knees and pulling at my pants, sliding both them and my panties off at once. He removed his belt and pants, sliding them down and kicking them off onto the floor.