The Surrogate (Clearwater) by Marissa Dobson Read Free Book Online Page A

you?” She moved her legs to give him
space to sit. “I was thinking the other side. I enjoyed when you snuggled
against the chest last night. Scoot down and let me sit behind you.” Last night
they sat in the light of the tree talking of Christmases past.
    “With the weight of me and my
stomach against you I don’t know how you could have been comfortable.” She
moved enough for him the room to squeeze in beside her to cuddle.
    “You’re light as a feather.
Now come here.”
    After they were comfortable,
his arm around her body, he finally brought up the earlier call. “Did you truly
mean what you said before?”
    “About my weight?” She leaned
back enough from his chest to look up at him.
    “No. That you love me.” He
felt as nervous as a schoolboy waiting for her answer.
    “Yes. I think part of me
always loved you, but you were always out of reach. Now well, we can finally
have what we wanted.” She yawned and he knew they should call it a night.
    He ran his hand down the
length of her arm with the knowledge that he had everything he wanted right
there with her by his side. “Come upstairs to my room. Sleep beside me so I can
feel you next to me. Allow me to wake with you beside you to know none of this
was a dream.”
    “Okay. I’ll change and meet
you in your room.” She rose from the couch headed toward the steps.
    “I’ll be up after I check the
house.” Clearwater was a safe town, with very little crime, thanks to Sheriff
Ryder, but growing up in Denver instilled habits of locked doors. He moseyed
around the house checking the doors before making this way back to the living
room to unplug the tree.
    He took a final look at the
tree before unplugged it. “If this Christmas goes well I’m going to have more
than I ever knew I wanted.” With only days left before Christmas he had a few
final things he needed to finalize to tie everything up in one big Christmas
bow.

Chapter Seven
     
    Christmas morning Jessi woke
in Michael’s arms, his fingers gently gliding along her shoulder blade. “How
long have you been awake?”
    “Only a few minutes.”
    She twisted her head to look
up at him. She wasn’t sure what she would have said, but before she could he
kissed her. The unsaid words died on her tongue. His kiss was full of heat and
need. She opened her mouth, meeting his kisses with her own desire.
    When the kiss ended she
snuggled tight against his body. Wishing her large stomach wasn’t in the way so
she could lay the length of his toned body, feeling him pressed against every
inch of her.
    He stared at her so long she
started to feel nervous and had to ask, “What?”
    “You’re beautiful.” His face
told her he wasn’t lying, he honestly found her beautiful. Her cheeks heated
with a blush she couldn’t restrain.
    He reached under the covers
and pulled out a small ring box. “I asked you once before, but this time I want
to do it right.” He tried to slip out of bed, away from her.
    “Yes.”
    “I haven’t asked yet.” He
smiled at her a twinkle in his eyes.
    A light laugh escaped her
lips, taking a bit of her apprehension with it. “Stay here, ask me where you
are.”
    “I wanted to get down on one
knee, but if you insist.” He opened the box, taking the beautiful diamond ring
from its bed. “Jessi Ann Macis, years ago when I was just a measly medical
intern I fell in love with you and over the years that love has only grown stronger.
Will you do me the honor of being my wife? Marry me and make me the happiest
man alive.”
    “Yes. I love you and it would
be my pleasure to be Mrs. Johnson.” He slid the engagement ring on onto her
finger. “You have any connections that could see us married quickly? I’d love
to do it before the girls are born, to give them a proper family right from the
start.”
    “Tomorrow I’ll see what I can
do. Until then, we have a Christmas to get to and you have to break the news to
James—preferably before we got to the Christmas party at