He smashes his lips to mine. “Say it again.”
“I love you.”
His lips leave mine and travel down my neck. “God, you’re beautiful and all mine.”
His. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to be.
He presses his forehead against mine.
“I thought I was doing the right thing by allowing you to leave and giving you space to work things out in your mind. It killed me to watch you walk away. And if you came here and decided that this wasn’t what you wanted, I would have let you go. It would have torn me apart, but I love you enough to let you go, Payton. If that was what you wanted.”
“What if I don’t want you to let me go, ever? What if I want to stay here, build a home with you—a life, a future? Only with you.”
“God, I want that, too.” He breathes in relief. “God, do I want that, Pay. I want to spend my life with you and Gabby and maybe one day add more to our craziness.”
The butterflies in my chest swarm in a cyclone in my chest at the thought of having Ryland’s baby.
Panic blankets his face, and he pushes up off me with his brows scrunched. “Wait, where is Gabby?”
I laugh because it took him this long to realize that she wasn’t here.
“She’s still with my mom. I wanted to do this alone—you know, just in case.” I avoid his gaze, staring at the coffee table as if it had something fascinating on it.
His fingers pinch my chin and bring my attention back to him.
“Hey, there is not a world where I don’t want you. That I don’t want to kiss you.” And he does, enough to bring those fireworks I missed kissing others.
“What do you say we go get our girl and bring her home?”
More tears fill my eyes. “You’re right. She’s your girl in all ways that matter. And I would like that very much.”
Before I can blink, Rhyland presses one last kiss to my lips and is on his feet, hauling me into his arms in a firefighter’s hold.
“Rhyland?” I screech. “Put me down, you big goof.”
“Neva,” he responds, smacking my ass, causing me to yelp again.
“Hey, the front door is that way,” I say as he heads up the stairs.
His laughter vibrates through my body with our closeness. I bounce with each quick step he takes. “I’m well aware. But just because we’re going to get our girl and bring her home doesn’t mean I’m not going to take advantage of the house to ourselves for even a little while.”
Oh, I like his style.
After dragging out two orgasms from me, Rhyland finally slid home and fucked me in our bed.
I can still feel him between my thighs as I stand by the front door at my mom’s. Rhyland carries a sleeping Gabby down the stairs as Mom meets us from the living room with Gabby’s bag.
“You know I didn’t mind keeping her all night.”
“I know,” I say.
“We appreciate it, Connie. But I want both my girls home,” Rhyland says, and my heart flutters at the same time Mom all but swoons. Are those heart emojis in her eyes?
“It’s about time.” She laughs as she hugs me as Rhy carefully settles Gabby into her car seat. Mom and I lean close as we watch him.
“There is nothing more attractive than a man being amazing with a child.”
“Mom,” I hiss with a smile on my face because she is totally right.
