When she stirred in her sleep, he took the opportunity to lay a hand on her arm. “Lydia—sweetheart, can you wake up for a minute?” He grimaced at his choice of words. He certainly hoped she wanted to stay up for more than sixty seconds after he professed his love for her. She mumbled something under her breath, but her eyes remained closed. Time to bring in the big guns. He toed off his soggy shoes and climbed up beside her. His body weight caused her to shift onto her back and he took advantage of the momentum to move her the rest of the way into his arms. Then he lowered his head and began feathering kisses on her face. One on her upturned nose, then each eyelid, the apples of her cheeks, before finally touching his lips to hers.

   He was gratified to hear her moan, “Mmm, Jake,” as she sighed into his mouth. More than anything, he wanted to roll her warm and pliable body underneath his and lose himself in her. But with his parents coming back at some point, he didn’t really relish them walking in on him having sex with his wife. He figured they’d been traumatized enough for one evening. So he pushed the need for her aside as best he could and kept his kisses teasing and light. After a few more, her eyes begin to twitch, and then finally open. “Jake . . . what’s wrong?” she asked huskily as she struggled to get her bearings.

   “Shhh, nothing, sweetheart,” he answered as he stroked her hair soothingly. “I just wanted to talk for a bit. I didn’t like how we left things in the kitchen.”

   “I’m sorry,” she murmured as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.

   “Lydia,” he murmured, feeling like all kinds of a jerk. He’d hurt her badly enough for her to fly into a rage earlier, and now she was apologizing for doing something that she pretty much had every right to do. It was a bit harsh, yes, but again, that was on him. “Honey, I’ve been an insensitive pig, and I admire you for calling me on it. The only defense I have is that I’ve never been in love before, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. Hell, I’m not even sure I recognized it fully until last night. You came into my life so suddenly, and then, in a short amount of time, I couldn’t imagine it without you. I should have told you that every single day. You made this house into a home not only for me but for my daughter as well. Casey recognized your place in our lives from the very first day, and I’m ashamed to say that I was slower to catch on.”

   “What are you saying?” she asked quietly once he paused for a moment.

   Before he answered her question, he settled back against the headboard of the bed and picked her up again, shifting her until she was straddling his lap. He wanted them face-to-face so that she would have no reason to doubt his words. He needed her to see the sincerity and the love in his eyes. “I love you, Lydia Hay, so much that it scares the hell out of me. But at the same time, it makes me want to be the best man that I can be for you and for my daughter. I promise you that what happened yesterday at the hospital and today when I didn’t call you will never occur again.” When she opened her mouth to speak, he put his finger on it, wanting to get the rest of what he needed to say out. “It’s not that I didn’t want you there last night. I was so grateful when you walked in. Then in the next breath, I felt as if I was going to break down. So I panicked thinking that I was going to do something embarrassing like cry, instead of displaying the strength that both you and Chris needed. Which I realize now sounds insane,” he added ruefully.

   “Oh, Jake.” She laughed softly against his chest. “Don’t you see that’s one of the best parts of having someone that you love? When you’re weak, I can hold you up and vice versa. We’re both going to have times when we stumble, but what matters at the end of the day is that we always have each other’s backs against the world.”

   Unable to resist, he took her lips in a slow kiss that quickly threatened to get out of hand. Finally, he forced himself to pull back. Quirking a brow, he asked, “So . . . was there anything you wanted to tell me?”

   She wrinkled her nose adorably before saying, “Um, I’m starving? When are your parents going to be back for dinner?”

   Growling, he began tickling her body until she yelled, “Okay, okay, I love you, you big lug! Thank you for apologizing for not calling me today.”

   He chuckled, shaking his head. “Wow, so romantic, sweetheart. Your words are better than the finest poetry.”

   “Would you prefer whipper zipper?” She managed to keep a straight face then dissolved into a fit of laughter.

   “You’re going to pay for that at some point, you little minx,” he threatened good-naturedly.

   “Mmm, I’d like to make a deposit on that right now,” she purred as she began kissing and licking down the sensitive skin on his neck. When her hand dropped into his lap and cupped his semihard cock, he had her on her back within seconds. They completely lost track of time and where they were as she wrapped her legs around his hips and he ground against her softness.

   Jacob had his hand up her shirt, cupping one creamy mound, when he heard, “Dinner’s ready, kids! Whatever you’re doing needs to wait until later.”

   “Fuck,” he bit out as he reluctantly rolled off his wife. “I swear, they haven’t been here in months, and tonight, they just won’t go away. Wouldn’t you think any sane people would have gone to the store and never come back after what they’d just witnessed? But no, not them. They’re probably hoping we’ll break out in round two for their amusement,” he grumbled as he straightened his clothing before helping her off the bed.

   “Honey, it’s fine.” She laughed. “I’d actually like a chance to show them that I’m not the crazy woman they met earlier.” Jacob froze, riveted by how amazing it felt to hear an endearment fall so naturally from her lips. “What?” she asked as he continued to stare at her like a sap. Damn, was this love thing tricky. It was as if the moment he acknowledged his feelings, he had finally allowed himself free rein to bask in all things Lydia. She could probably fart like a pack mule and he’d still be enchanted. Okay, that might be pushing it a bit.