“I guess.”
“Thank God, I hope this means that we can start from here. Are you taking me back, giving me another chance, Stella?”
“I guess so. But I’m scared, Alex. I’m not sure I trust your feelings yet. I mean, I’m always going to wonder if you really like how I look after what you said on the phone that night.”
“I know. I’m so sorry for that, angel. You’re so beautiful, every single part of you. I just lashed out at you and used the one thing that I knew would hurt you the most. I promise I’ll never say or do anything like that again.”
“You should know, I may get even bigger. There are no guarantees that I’ll ever lose weight or even stay the same. I can’t be with you if you’re going to make my appearance an issue. I’ve lived with someone like that my entire life, and I won’t do it again. So, if you have any reservations, you should leave now,” she says confidently.
I place my hand behind Stella’s head, beneath her hair, and pull her to me.
I whisper in her ear, “Stella, I don’t care if you gain a thousand pounds. It’s never going to change how I feel about you. I suspect you’ll gain weight when you’re carrying my babies. I can’t wait to see you like that, to be honest,” I say, smiling.
“What? Babies? I, uh, can’t even think about that right now.”
“I know. I just wanted to let you know that I want those things with you, Stella. I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. I’ve imagined our life together, and it makes me excited about our future. God, Stella, I’ve missed you so much. I’ve missed kissing your beautiful lips. I’ve missed everything about you.”
“Kiss me, Alex.”
I lean down slowly. I want to remember this moment. The moment my girl took me back. I’ll never let her get away from me again. Stella is it for me. She’s my beginning and my end. I just hope she’ll come to realize that. I hope I’m her beginning and her end. My lips touch hers, and it’s like fireworks. It’s been so long since I’ve felt her against me and since I’ve touched her. Too damn long. She’s kissing me back like she’s been in the desert and I’m water. I feel the same.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
STELLA
Well, it’s official. I’ve lost my ever-loving mind. A week ago, I took Alex back. I guess I could say we took each other back since the whole thing that split us up was a misunderstanding—a misunderstanding caused by a pit viper named Brooke Clark. I had to give us another chance though, even though I’m still wincing from the comments about my face. He’s tried very hard to show me how much he loves me. I’m going to keep reminding him though, even though it makes him feel guilty. Guilt is much easier to deal with than self-loathing, let me tell you. But, also, I sort of like the groveling. I deserve some groveling.
During our breakup, he lost weight. I don’t know how much, but it’s enough that you can tell. I’m sure his coach is on him about it. He’s also sporting a beard now. He must have decided to do that Octobeard thing, or is it Novembeard? It doesn’t matter; he looks damn good in a beard. It makes his eyes seem even bluer. His hair has gotten pretty long too. He could totally pull off one of those man buns. On other guys, I think they look kind of dumb, but on Alex, it’s hot.
Speaking of looking good. I need to get ready. Alex istaking me out tonight; he’s picking me up at five. I don’t know where he’s taking me, but he wants me to wear my blue dress. I know why he wants me to wear it. He likes what it does for my girls, and since all we’ve done is kiss this week, he may be hoping he can unbutton me again. It is a definite possibility, but I used it as leverage. I told him I’d wear the dress if he kept the beard and wore a man bun. I giggled when I asked. He, reluctantly, agreed. I can’t wait to see him.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
ALEX
It’s been a week since Stella took me back. I’m still so thankful that she did. I can’t wait to see her tonight. I’m surprising her by taking her to the Meghan Trainor concert downtown. Even though that’s not my favorite music, I’m looking forward to seeing it with Stella. She’s a big fan. I’ve asked her to wear the blue dress. It’ll fit perfectly into the event; plus, I have big plans that relate directly to twenty-four buttons. I had to agree to wear something called a man bun. Sure, some of the guys on the team sport those, so I knew what she was talking about. I for one, am not a man-bun kind of guy but for my girl, I’ll do just about anything.
I get to her place at exactly five. When she opens her door, my breath catches. It’s been forever since I’ve seen her in the dress, and it looks just as good as it did then. Maybe better now because I know what lies beneath the blue fabric. I want to reach out and touch her breasts. They’re just so plump and full. Damn, she’s got beautiful tits, and they’re all mine. I smile and lean in to give her a soft kiss on her lips. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”
“Thank you. So do you!” she squeaks. “Holy crap, you lookso good with the man bun. Promise me you’ll keep it like that forever! And don’t shave the beard.”
She’s practically breathless now. She reaches up and wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me down for a kiss. Damn, I like it when she takes the lead. I can get into that. I’ll keep the fucking bun for this. Suddenly, she pulls at my neck to get me into her room. Once inside, she turns and kicks the door shut and locks it. Her hands slide to my chest, and she pushes me toward her bed.
“Uh, is Lily here?” I ask.
“Nope. Out. With Hank.” She presses her palm on my chest and says, “Lay down, Alex.”
I do as she says.
“What time do we have to leave?” she asks impatiently.
“Well, we need to get on the road by five forty-five to make it.”
“Great,” she says distractedly as she climbs up onto the bed.
She scoots up to straddle me but stops to unbuckle her little belt first. I watch as she slips the little belt out of the loops sewn into her dress. Placing my hands behind my head, I can’t help but enjoy this little show especially when she starts to unbutton the first button.
“One,” I say with a smirk.
