And because of that realization, I decide not to care about theshouldsorwoulds. I don’t care about the repercussions because,deep in my gut, I know we can overcome anything. The road before us is rocky, and I have no idea what the next year will look like, but the only thing I know for sure is that at the end of this, Willa is going to be mine.
“Morning, honey,” I say, and she sighs, then burrows deeper into my chest.
“Love that,” she says, something I feel more than hear, though I still catch her sleepy voice.
My hand lifts, brushing her hair back so I can see her soft face better.
“Love what?”
“You’re calling me that. Honey.”
I smile, instantly bringing it higher up on my list for Willa. She lets out a small yawn before continuing. “Everyone else says it in a bad way. Like I’m dumb or simply childish. You say it like you think I’m sweet.”
“You are.” We lie like that for a bit longer, and I watch her peaceful face, watch her shift in and out of sleep as I gently move my hand through her hair. After what could be two minutes or twenty, her eyes drift open, her warm brown eyes lock on me, and that sweetness she’s talking about moves through me, slow and sticky, like warm honey.
I think in that moment, I fall in love with Willa Marie Stone. Or, at least, I stop denying I’ve always been in love with her.
“How do you feel?” I ask, biting back a confession of my undying love, knowing it’s far too soon and neither of us is ready forthatmuch honesty. We barely just got past the fact that we’re both into one another, and that this inevitability is something that’s been brewing between us for years.
She smiles.
“I found out that you haven’t hated me all this time, and that you did, in fact, recognize me out of my glam all those years ago;you just needed to set a boundary. My dream man fucked me all night after years of wanting him. I feel pretty fucking good.”
“Your dream man, huh?” I ask, smiling, and she gives me an eyeroll and a deadpan look. I have to fight back a laugh, instinctively knowing she would not appreciate it right now.
“Leo, I met you in a coffee shop, and by the time I left, I was daydreaming about white picket fences and wedding bells. You’re hot, you’re smart, and you're funny in a dry way that I find incredibly entertaining. You understand the complexities of my life and my career. You know how to work with your hands, in more than one way, I’ve learned, and I’ve never met anyone more determined to take care of me than you are. Yeah, I’d say you’re my dream man.”
Her words catch me off guard, both for their honesty and for the words themselves. I stare at her for long moments, taking in her early morning beauty and wondering how the fuck we finally managed to make it here. Her eyes roam my face, as well, trying to read me, and a small furrow forms between her brows as she does. I use my thumb to smooth it over before drifting my fingers down her cheek and dipping to press a soft kiss to the top of her head.
“I fucked up,” I say, looking down at her. Her eyes go wide, and I see it, those big brown eyes that only a select few get to see, the golden flecks shining in the early morning light.
“You did?”
I nod, continuing to take her in, and shake my head with a heavy sigh.
“I did this all wrong,” I say. Nerves take over her face, and I shift, moving her to her back beneath me and hovering over her, my forearms supporting me on either side of her face, caging her in. Then I dip a bit, pressing my lips to hers softly. She melts beneath me, a soft hand coming up to cup my cheek, the five o’clock shadow scratching at her palm, I’m sure. “You deserve itall. The perfect first date before I take you to bed. If I did this right, I would have wined and dined you properly.”
Her nerves visibly melt away with my words, and a sated smile slides onto her face.
Willa deserves the whole nine, the big, well-planned date, a huge bouquet of flowers when I meet her at the door, a fancy dinner, an activity, and then a sweet kiss at the door.
“Well, you definitely dined,” she says, and I let out a laugh, press my lips to hers again, then shake my head.
“Mmm, I did,” I mumble against her neck, smiling when a shiver moves through her before I pull my head back. “I just wish I had given you everything you deserve.” She opens her mouth, probably to argue, to convince me she doesn’t need what I want her to have, to say something along those lines, but I speak before she can. “Tomorrow night.” Ideas are already pinging around in my mind.
“Tomorrow?”
“You and I, we’re going out. A proper date.”
“Really?” I smile, loving that look on her face, and I nod. Her white teeth sink into her full lower lip. “I don’t think I’ve actually ever done that.”
“Gone on a date?” I ask teasingly. “I know for a fact that’s not true.”
I regret the words instantly when an embarrassed blush burns on her cheeks.
“I mean like, a proper date. A normal date.” I smile softly at her.
“Well, then I’m honored I get to be the first one to give that to you.”
