"I'm sorry I hurt you." I had to bite back a sniffle because I suddenly wanted to cry again.
He moved back over to me. "And I'm sorry I hurt you." He cupped my cheeks with his hands. "If you can forgive me for that, I can definitely forgive you."
His thumbs brushed away the tears that trickled from my eyes.
"Just so you know, I hardly ever cry," I stated, sniffing again. "If you do something to make me mad in the future, I'm much more likely to seek revenge than sob on your shoulder." I considered my words. "Actually, if you make me mad andthenI start crying, you should probably run."
Ben smiled at me and wiped my tears again. "I'll keep that in mind. And I'll deserve it if I make you that angry."
"Liar," I mumbled. "I'm not known for being reasonable so there's no guarantee you'll deserve it."
He laughed. "Are you trying to be honest or scare me away?"
"You should know what you're getting into," I stated. My voice was prim, which I didn't like, but he needed the information.
"I've heard all about you from J.J. and Cam over the years, I'm pretty sure I know what I'm getting when it comes to you."
I squinted at him. "I'm not sure if that sounds like a compliment."
Ben kissed me again and released me when the timer for the pasta went off. He drained the pasta and tossed it into the pan with the tomato sauce. Then he pulled the garlic bread out of the oven where it had been warming.
"Believe me, it is."
"Hmph."
He grinned at me again but didn't say anything else. I watched as he sliced the bread and retrieved grated parmesan cheese from the fridge. I fidgeted with the hem of the shirt I'd borrowed.
Finally, I couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer.
"So what do we do now?" I asked.
He paused, cocking his head as he looked at me. "Why does asking that question make you so nervous?"
My knee-jerk reaction was sarcasm, but I swallowed it back. There was a time and a place for my smart mouth and this wasn't one of them. Huh. Maybe I could learn how to be an adult after all.
"Probably because this is all new to me," I answered.
He set aside the cheese and the grater and walked over to me. "How about you tell me what you want, and then I'll tell you what I want. If we don't agree on certain things, we'll compromise?"
At this distance, I could see the individual gold flecks in his eyes. They were so pretty, with the dark green around the pupil and the lighter brown on the edges. But, right now, what I loved the most about those eyes was the fact that they were warm. The affection and contentment in his gaze were contagious and my nerves melted away. Not completely, but enough.
"I like the way things were before, but we could actually go on dates. As long as I don't have to wear a dress." The corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. Fuck it. He said he loved me, so I was going all in. "And if things are still good in a few months, I'd like to get a place together."
"Is that it?" he asked.
I nodded. "I'm a simple girl. It doesn't take much to make me happy."
"I want to see you every day. To wake up with you in the morning and go to sleep beside you every night," he said. "I want your clothes in my closet, your laptop on my coffee table, and three different kinds of Coke in my fridge because you like them all and can't choose just one."
My heart beat faster in my chest at his words. It sounded like he wanted me to move in with him.
"And, in a few months,whenthings are still good, I definitely want you living here and wearing a wedding ring. In a couple of years, I'd love to have a baby with you."
Forget beating faster, my heart was trying to race out of my chest. I gulped. "Baby?"
"Well, ideally, two, but I'd settle for one if you decided one was enough."
"I don't know anything about parenting," I said, a sweat breaking out on my upper back. "I'd probably be horrible at it."
