His breath leaves him in a slow, stunned exhale.
“You saw that?”
“I saw all of it.” My voice hitches. “The lists and the reminders. The stupid little things about… My tea, and nail polish. The way I sleep. ” I look at him, eyes burning. “You remembered everything.”
His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t look away.
“And then I was looking for you.” I keep going, words tumbling out. “Because I couldn’t find you and I needed to see you, and I opened the guest room and there were boxes, Reid. Of baby stuff. You’ve been… preparing.” My voice drops to a whisper. “You’ve been doing all of this without asking anything from me.”
“I didn’t want to push,” he says quietly, swallowing hard. “Didn’t want you to feel cornered.”
The love in me crests, too big and too much to hold.
“You’ve been seeing me when I didn’t even know how to let myself be seen.” My hands curl into his shirt, fingers digging in. “I’ve spent my whole life trying to earn space, trying to be useful enough to deserve it. To be remembered and loved, and you just—” My voice breaks. “Gave it to me.”
“Because you’ve given me everything, baby.” His eyes are glassy now. “And I want to give you the fucking world.”
“I love you.”
My words land between us, and Reid goes utterly still, as though the world has paused around him. The bees, the breeze, the distant hum of the house behind us. His hands tighten on my arms just enough to anchor himself.
“You…”
“I love you,” I repeat, quieter but steadier. “And I have for a while.”
Something breaks open in his expression, and he exhales like he’s been holding the air in his lungs for months. Then a soft, almost disbelieving laugh escapes him as he drops his forehead back to mine.
“Jesus,” he murmurs. “Havoc.”
His thumb brushes beneath my eye, catching a tear, and then he lifts his gaze to mine.
“I love you too,” he murmurs, voice breaking a little. “I’ve just been waiting for you to catch up.”
The ache in my chest splinters wide open.
“I’m sorry you had to wait.”
“I would’ve waited forever.”
“I love you,” I whisper again, just to feel it land.
“I love you too, Carina. So fucking much. I’ve been falling since the day you told me to take my piercings out, and I was an asshole about it.”
I laugh against his throat, wet with tears and shaking. “You were a bit of an asshole.”
“Still am,” he mutters. “But you love me anyway.”
His lips find my temple, then my cheekbone, then the corner of my mouth, kissing me as though he’s trying to memorize this moment.
“I’m not great at letting people in,” I admit.
“You’re better than you think,” he says. “You let me in, and that’s the most important one.”
“Don’t get smug about it.”
He pulls back just enough to look at me, eyes a dark navy blue, mouth twitching like he’s biting back a smile.
“Too late.”
