“Not now, Leigh,” he said, kissing her ear, her neck, her breast. “We have a lifetime to talk about the boys and their future siblings. Right now is for you and me. We have to be sure, in and out of bed, that we want each other. I learned a couple of things in the past few years. I learned that there’s only one way to really deserve you. I’m going to accept you exactly as you are, not try to live up to your brilliance. If you just say that I’m what you want—you’ll get just the me you see.”

“That’s the you I want,” she whispered.

Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

It was lunch break for the crew, and Leigh sat up on the redwood deck with a cup of decaf and a book. The landscaping and building was nearly done; most of the guys had gone to get some fast food, but John had stayed behind to play a little catch with the boys. He had also stayed because Jess had offered him a bowl of her famous vegetable soup and a garden salad. And because he was planning to make a life with Leigh and the boys, if it was possible. At the moment, it looked more than possible.

“Are you playing matchmaker?” Leigh had asked her mother the week before.

“Well, yes, I suppose I am. My grandsons need a man in their lives. Bring me someone you like better and I’ll stop working on John.”

“Just stop,” Leigh had said.

And Jess had replied, “No.”

Since Leigh knew there was no one in the universe better than John, she let her mother’s interference go. But she didn’t dare encourage her. Jess already talked about John more than Leigh did. Leigh was in complete agreement, but she didn’t want to scare him away. And they had decided not to rush for one reason only—it was ridiculous to get married after being together for a little under two months. She wasn’t entirely sure why it was ridiculous, but it certainly seemed that way.

The boys weren’t very good ball players yet, but they sure loved it when John gave them any attention. They had begun climbing all over him whenever they saw him. When his truck pulled up, they ran to him. It took a very stern mother to see to it that he was left alone long enough to get a little work done during the day.