Kevin's arms tighten around me. "That's not what it's supposed to be, sweetheart. It's supposed to be exactly this. Two people who care about each other, making each other feel good. Trusting each other."
"I trust you," I whisper. "Completely."
He presses a kiss to my forehead. "I'd have waited forever for you, you know. But I'm so damn glad I don't have to."
I smile against his chest. "I'm glad, too."
"I love you, Steph. So much."
"I love you too."
We fall into another comfortable silence, his fingers tracing idle patterns on my shoulder.
"Kevin?" I say after a while.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you. For being patient. For waiting. For making me feel safe enough to want this." I pause. "For making me feel like I'm worth it."
He shifts so he can look at me, his expression fierce. "You are worth it. You've always been worth it. You just needed to believe it."
I lean up and kiss him, slow and sweet, trying to put everything I'm feeling into it.
When we break apart, he tucks me back against his side.
"Stay," I whisper, even though I know he will.
"Always," he promises. "I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart. You're stuck with me now."
"Good," I murmur, my eyes already getting heavy. "That's exactly what I want."
As I drift off to sleep in Kevin's arms, feeling safer and more loved than I ever have before, I realize something.
I'm not afraid anymore. Not of Elliott, not of the future, not of loving Kevin with my whole heart.
Because Kevin isn't like my ex.
Kevin is patient, kind, and strong. He makes me feel cherished and protected without making me feel small. And he sees my strength even when I don't.
He's everything I didn't know I needed.
And now that I have him, I'm never letting go.
The last thoughts I have before sleep claims me are simple and true:
I'm home. I’m safe. I’m loved.
Chapter 10
Kevin
I wake up to Steph’s warm weight in my arms.
Not on the couch. Not listening to her breath through a thin wall. Here. In her bed. Where I belong.
She's curled up at my side, her head on my chest, one hand resting over my heart. Her hair is a mess, tickling my jaw, and she's making these soft little sounds in her sleep that make my chest tight with something I don't have words for.
This is what I've been waiting for.
