“I know, Angel. And I’m so sorry. I know I say it all the time, and I know it doesn’t make a difference, but I won’t let anything happen to you or to her, and I wish I could take your fears away.”
I nod, unable to speak. I know he means everything that he says. I know he would lay his life down for me and my daughter—ourdaughter. I know it. But I don’t want him to have to dothat, and that’s what scares me. Because if he does, then he’ll be gone. I won’t have him. We won’t have him. I hate that I’m even in this situation. I just want to be happy with my family.
“We don’t have to go anywhere,” he says again.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “No, I… I want to.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod, wiping my eyes and turning back to the closet. “As long as I can figure out what to wear.” I chuckle.
He steps into the closet and pulls down a hanger. It’s a cream colored T-shirt. Nothing special, but very comfortable.
“You look amazing in this.”
I take it from him and look it over. “Really?”
He nods. “Yeah, really. I like that color on you.”
A sigh falls from my lips, and I lean up on my tip-toes. He meets me for a kiss that quickly turns heated. Not for the first time my stomach flips, and I think of more with him. He’s never pushed. Not once. Though I’ve felt him hard against me many times. I like it. Like that he restrains himself, doesn’t push me, doesn’t even talk about it. Doesn’t apologize.
The hanger falls from my hand, and I tangle them around his neck as his hands tighten around my waist. He’s hard against my stomach, and I groan into his mouth. I want more from him.
I’m certain he’s waiting on my word, for my okay, for me to tell him to keep going. And I want to say it, but right now, there’s something else I need to do. I pull away, catching my breath with my hand on his chest.
“Grizz—”
“It’s okay. I understand,” he interjects quickly.
He steps back, but I take his hand. He looks from it, to me.
“I want to,” I assure him. “I really do. I just…”
“It’s okay that you’re not ready.” He takes my face between his hands and looks into my eyes. “It’s okay if you never will be. Iwill be here, no matter what. I don’t care about more, I just want to be able to kiss you and hold you.”
I shake my head, staring at him in awe.
“What did I do to deserve you?” I whisper, holding back tears because I’ve cried too much today already.
He smiles and leans down to kiss my forehead. “You existed.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Anastacia
After kissing Dorothea no less than a hundred times and making sure Kelsey and Tommy have Grizz’s phone number—even though they have for years—another dozen times, we’re out the door. Grizz stops the moment the door closes, and panic hits me.
“What’s wrong?” I turn back to the door, ready to go in. Did he hear her cry? Did something fall? Did Tommy or Kelsey call for help?
He gives me a soft smile. “Will you ride with me?”
“Ride with you…” I say carefully, trying to remain calm. Obviously, this has nothing to do with the baby. I need to chill out. I’m going to give myself a heart attack. We aren’t going far, and we won’t be gone long. Kelsey and Tommy are more than capable of handling a baby for an hour.
“On my bike.”
My brows shoot up, and I look beyond him to the driveway, where his bike sits.
“I’ve never been on a bike before,” I say with a shake of my head.
