“Kiss me,” Dean whispered.
I slanted my mouth over his, and everything fell right back into place. The soft whimper Dean released went straight to my cock. My skin prickled with heat, and when I felt how hard Deanwas for me, I had to stop myself from pushing him against the wall and taking him right there in the kitchen. Because that would have scarred my son for life.
“I love you so much, Pink,” I murmured. “Nothing was felt right without you here. I promise to never hurt you again. To always tell you where I am or where I’m going after a game. I never meant to upset you like that.”
Dean sniffed softly. “I love you, too. And I promise to never leave like that again. It wasn’t right. And God, being around all those happy couples... It was awful. I just wanted to be with you. When Wyatt asked how things were between...” He sighed as he let his voice trail off.
“How is Wyatt?” I pushed a piece of hair behind his ear.
He shrugged. “Better than I expected. He’s still trying to recover from what happened, but I think he’s going to be okay. Might have something to do with Noel.”
“Noel?” My brows shot up.
Dean chuckled as he grabbed my hand and pressed kisses against my palm. “I have so much to tell you. And wait until you meet Ezra. That guy... Wow, he’s a lot. I’ve never met someone like him before. He’s really brought Mav out of his shell. They’re like best friends already. I’ve never seen my brother take to someone like that. Oh, and Killian is going to be a father! I’m so happy for him and Matty. They also got married. I know that they are going to be the best parents—”
I kissed him before he could go on, because I could. Because I wanted to. Because I had missed the fuck out of him, and now he was home where he belonged. Because he was suddenly so animated and happy. Because I loved Dean and wanted to kiss him.
“Can we finish eating now?” Cole called, and I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up from my throat.
Dean snorted, and the smile that nearly split his face had my heart nearly beating from my chest. I had missed him so much. And now he was back. I had no intention of letting him leave again.
AFTER I INHALED THEbreakfast Dean made, we spent the day together opening presents, making sure to stay as close to one another as possible. Cole loved the gifts Dean had gotten him. The ones that I had helped him with. Some new hockey gear as well as signed Mulligan paraphernalia that Cole nearly lost his mind over. Dean also promised to bring him to North Carolina once Killian finished the recording studio he was building at his house.
Then Cole was off to spend some time with his friend, and I was alone with my boyfriend. Snuggled up on the couch, I carded my fingers through his hair, his head on my chest. “What are we doing about this color?”
“I know, it’s bad,” he told me. “It was a spur-of-the-moment thing that I regretted the moment I saw it.”
I chuckled softly. “Sam can fix it.”
“I sure hope so.” Dean peeked at me from under his lashes. “Is it that bad?”
I shook my head. “No, but pink isn’t your color, Pink.” I moved to lie on my back and pulled him up so he was lying on top of me. “Do you think you’d want to be a father?”
“What?” He stared at me with big, round eyes. “Do you mean like a stepdad to Cole?”
I tugged on his messy ponytail. “Sure. Or a dad, dad. We could adopt or get a surrogate like Killian.”
“Beau.”
“Dean.”
He struggled to get to his feet. “What... I don’t... What exactly are you saying right now?”
“I want to marry you. That’s what I’m saying. I want to make this a forever thing between us. Before this little break between us, I had been thinking about it. And now, now that you’re back and we’re working on figuring everything out, I want to make it forever. I want you to be Dean Frost-Whitaker. I want to have you by my side forever and ever. I want to know you’ll be here when I get home, when I wake up. Cole and I love you. You’re the missing piece we didn’t even know we needed.” I took a deep breath. “I meant what I said before. I want you to marry me. I shouldn’t have asked you the way I did.”
Dean’s mouth dropped open. “This is a lot.”
“I know, and you don’t have to say yes now. Think about it. That’s all I ask.” I got up to touch his face. “But I want forever with you.”
He nodded. “Okay, yeah, I’ll think about it.”
“Good.” I brushed my lips over his.
Dean groaned as he pressed against me. “I think you should take me to bed, Daddy, and have your way with me.”
“Mm, do you?” I gripped his hips.
He nodded. “It’s been far too long.” Dean squealed with laughter when I picked him up bridal-style in my arms.
