“You should.”
“And I’ll go. I swear. With you, if you want. I don’t know why I tend to take forever to have a backbone with the women in my life. My sisters have always been strong. My mom, well, not so much. But she always had my dad helping her.” He looked at her with love in his eyes. “The way you help me. I was so fucking proud of how you dealt with Amy earlier. And how you’re such an independent woman. But I want you to need me too.”
“I do, but not for what you can do for me. I need you to love me. That’s all.”
“I do. More than anything or anyone. I love you, Maggie May. And if you leave me, I’ll never be the same. I don’t deserve you. But baby, I’ll do anything to make you happy.”
“But not at your own expense,” she reminded him, exasperated.
He chuckled. “Right. See? You should go to therapy with me, to make sure I’m getting the help I need.”
She smiled. “Are you sure about this? About me? I’m talking forever, Reggie.”
He nodded, solemn, and kissed her so tenderly, she wanted to cry. “Forever. You, me, Emily, and Frank. And the guys, my family, Benny and Doug, and…” He sneered. “Stephen, if you insist on remaining friends.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around him, loving him so much. “We should tell Emily we’re together now.”
“Ah, I think she knows.”
“How?”
He showed her the text Benny had sent him. A photo of a hand-drawn picture. Two sticks that looked suspiciously like Maggie and Reggie held hands with a big heart above them. A little girl and her dog sat in front of them with a flower. The flower had a smiling face and a baby bottle near it. “She drew this last Saturday at Doug and Benny’s, apparently, when you and I were talking.”
“Huh.”
“According to Benny, Emily said you and I make a lot of googly eyes at each other when we’re together.”
She blushed. “She saw that?”
“Yep.” He smiled. “Now do you forgive me or what? Because I have nothing but time, and I can tell my being here is annoying Stephen, so I’m happy to wait all day to hear you tell me you love me again.”
“I do, but I’m still mad.”
“Excellent. I’m pretty damn good at groveling.”
“Are we talking about Yahtzee groveling?”
“Oh yeah. Double score, for sure.”
She traced a line across his chest, missing how it felt to be skin to skin, pressed up against his heart. “Well, I could be persuaded to discuss the matter. But first we have Emily to deal with.”
“After you.”
They walked to the closed door of Stephen’s office and knocked.
Emily opened the door. She glanced from Maggie to Reggie. “Did you do the kissy stuff yet?”
“Yes, want to see?” Reggie asked.
Stephen looked pained.
“Yeah.”
Reggie planted a solid kiss on Maggie’s lips then took her good hand and raised it to his lips. Another kiss, and they remained holding hands. “See?”
Emily grinned. “Are we going home now?”
Stephen sighed.So muchsighing. “Emily and I are planning to spend tonight here. We’re going to watch a movie, okay? I’ll bring her by tomorrow.”
