She laughs softly. “Don’t be silly. It was perfect.” She lifts her head and kisses me, wiping away any doubt I might have had.
Rolling onto my side, I pull Tilly with me and wrap her in my arms.
“Angelo,” she whispers and peers up at me.
“Yeah, baby?” I brush the hair away from her face.
“We didn’t use protection.” She grimaces.
“Fuck, I’m sorry. I got carried away.”
“I forgot too. I haven’t thought about condoms in…” Her voice drifts off.
“I’m clean,” I tell her, trying to put her mind at ease.
“Pregnancy,” she reminds me and runs her fingernails down the middle of my chest.
“It won’t happen again. I promise.”
There’re no other words spoken, and the only sounds in the room are our harsh breaths and beating hearts.
I haven’t moved in an hour. I’ve been staring at Tilly as she sleeps, feeling more content than I have in years. There’s no overwhelming guilt or remorse for what happened last night—only happiness, which I haven’t felt so completely in far too long.
The sunlight streams through the window above the bed, cascading across Tilly’s naked body and making her look almost angelic. She turns a little as the sheet falls away, exposing her breast in all its perfection.
There isn’t anything about her I don’t like. She’s as sweet as her cupcakes, caring, kind, and thoughtful. She loves the kids, and Tate has a soft spot for Tilly too. Marissa would’ve liked her if they’d met. They certainly would have become friends and probably stirred up a little trouble in the neighborhood.
Tilly’s eyes open slowly. “Good morning.” She stretches. “How long have you been awake?”
“Just a few minutes,” I lie because I don’t want to seem like a weirdo for watching her sleep for so long. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
She reaches out, placing her hand on my arm, and gazes at me from her pillow. “Did you sleep okay?”
“I haven’t slept that well in years.”
“Me either,” she says, fighting to keep her eyes open.
I grab her hip and pull her body toward me as I scoot across the bed, closing the space between us. “Go back to sleep,” I whisper as she relaxes in my arms and buries her face in my chest. “We’re in no rush.”
I could lie here all day with her body pressed up against mine, snuggling to keep the chill in the air at bay. There’s nothing more perfect, besides making love to her, than holding her close and just being.
She peers up at me with her green eyes shining bright against her pale skin and auburn hair. “What time are the kids coming back?”
I brush the hair away from her face with the back of my fingers. “Not until later.”
“I just wanted to make sure I didn’t have to run out of here.”
“There’s no rush. Lucio isn’t bringing them home until after dinner.”
She molds her body against me, throwing her leg over mine. “Good. I could stay like this forever.”
I hold her tight, inhaling the sweetness of her shampoo. “We don’t have to move all day.”
“Angelo.”
I know what she’s about to say is big.
“I never thought I’d feel this way again.”
