He brushed a strand of hair out of my face, his thumb grazing my cheek.“Anytime.Don’t hurt me, but I absolutely love that you felt jealousy.”
I stiffened against him, but he rubbed my back.
“I won’t put you through this again, not knowingly.But knowing that you can feel like this because of me, it’s reassuring.It means I have a presence.I need that.”
Frowning, I pulled away from him.“You have a lot of presence.It’s hard to miss.”
He chuckled, but the humor wasn’t quite there like usual.
“It doesn’t always feel like that.I’ve always only been an afterthought.But your jealousy proved that I can be someone’s first.Someone’s priority.Thank you.”
Toby’s hand slid up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing softly against my skin.
Heat rushed to my face, but I was unable to look away from his intense gaze.
“You take my breath away, Cadence, and I feel like one of the luckiest guys in existence for meeting you.”
Before I could respond, he leaned in, his movements slow and deliberate, giving me plenty of time to pull back if I wanted to.But I didn’t.I closed the remaining space between us, meeting him halfway.
His lips were warm and soft, moving against mine hard, sending a shiver down my spine.It was intense, but not overly, and steady.Certain.He was proving that he absolutely was in and wanted me.And I responded the same way.
I sank into him, my hands resting lightly on his chest.For those few moments, there was nothing but Toby, his arms around me, his lips on mine, and the steady beat of his heart against my palm.
When we finally pulled apart, his forehead rested against mine, his breath mingling with mine in the cool night air.
“I meant what I said,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.“You’re it for me.”
My heart swelled, and I smiled softly, brushing my fingers against his cheek.“You aren’t an afterthought.I need you to believe that.”
Toby broke out into a massive smile and kissed me again, but this time it was quick.A peck on the cheek.Then I was wrapped in his arms, squeezed closely to him.For the first time that night, the doubt and jealousy were completely gone, replaced by something more solid and healthier.Certainty.
Toby gave me certainty.
Chapter Seventeen
Usually Sundays werespent relaxing at Seth’s house while we worked on the big Sunday dinner with everyone.Seth always tried to go above and beyond, marinating meat, prepping ingredients.It was a whole thing that I was still trying to get used to.
