As the world around me starts to filter back in, Rhodes is murmuring sweet words and whispered promises. He locks eyes with me as he pulls his fingers free of my pussy and proceeds to lick my arousal from his fingers. It’s hot as hell and I’m tempted to pull out my man’s cock and sink down onto it.
Rhodes smirks as he rights my clothes and then he stands and pulls me up to do the same. My legs are wobbly, but I manage.
“I love you, Helen,” his voice is soft and I am ensnared by his grey eyes.
He pulls a ring out of his pocket and holds it up between us. “We’ve been moving fast, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. I know what I want and you are at the center of every single dream I have. How about we keep building our life together and you agree to become my wife?”
Tear prick the back of my eyes and I’m nodding before my lips can even catch up with my heart. “Yes,” I croak.
Rhodes kisses me like I’m precious, like I’m fragile but not breakable at the same time. I melt into him and know that when we get home, Stella will be waiting for us, and he’ll follow through with his plans.
This is the life I wasn’t sure I would ever have, but I’m grateful as hell that Rhodes never once ran from his feelings for me. He embraced them and trusted them.
Our future is ahead of us and as long as I can avoid being arrested by him, I think we’ll be just fine.
EPILOGUE
EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER
RHODES
“I still can’t believe how amazing you are,” I murmur to Daniel, my one-month-old son.
This life is wild sometimes. I wouldn’t change it. I’m more than happy to embrace the messiness of it all. Because then the sweet moments mean even more.
The soft weight of my son in my arms fills me with awe. I’ve gotten accustomed to finding reverence in my daily life.
Because I had the pleasure of watching my woman grow our son. I was amazed every single day and took pleasure in tracking every single change and every inch of growth of her perfect belly.
I lost track of the amount of time I laid with my head next to Helen’s round baby bump and murmured to our little one. I talked about my dreams, the vision I have of our future, and how excited I was about meeting him.
The day Daniel was born was even better than I ever imagined. I’m still amazed at the feat my wife accomplished that day. Talk about something truly spectacular.
I’ve never seen anything like it, and I don’t think I’ll see it again until we grow our family with another little one. And we most definitely will.
“I love you so much, Danny,” I keep my voice pitched low as I sit in the glider and gently move.
He relaxes againstme, and my chest aches because of how my heart seems to keep growing as I spend time with my son.
“One day you’re going to come to me and tell me about meeting the person you know is the other half of your soul. Your eyes will be bright, and it’ll feel like you can’t contain all of the excitement and possibility you’re feeling inside of you. When it happens, I’ll give you a knowing smile, and I’ll remind you about how I felt when I met your mom.”
Daniel’s face scrunches up and I pause waiting to see if he’s about to leave me a present. It’s amazing the smell such a little thing can produce. Don’t even get me started on the spit-up. Needing to carry around an extra little towel, which is exactly what it is even if you dress it up and call it a burp cloth, to be able to clean up after a tiny being that projectile vomits is a new experience.
It’s not unwelcome, just new.
“Your mom is going to teach you how to show another person love because she loves you so much. She’ll also teach you to dance and laugh and dream. You are so lucky to have a mom like my Helen,” I whisper the words, knitting them within the fabric of him.
And I know my words are true. Because Helen was made to be his mom. She was made to nurture and raise and kiss boo-boos.
“I’m going to teach you how to be steady and strong, but I hope you always remember that strength doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to feel. You are. You can cry. You can laugh. You can feel lost. You can feel bruised or even broken. You’ll also always have a home right here with your family.”
Daniel’s eyes flutter closed and I watch as his breathing deepens in a way that tells me he’s lost in dreamland.
“I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do in this life,” my voice is thick and I have to swallow hard past the lump in my throat. “I can’t wait to meet the person you fall in love with and the friends you have that last a lifetime. I can’t wait to read you books and play with blocks.”
Ilean down and kiss the top of his head. When I take a deep breath, the baby scent of him has me grinning. Every movement I make to put him down in his crib is done slowly. Very fucking slowly.
When I walk through the door to our bedroom, my eyes land on Helen immediately. She’s propped up against the headboard with a mount of pillows behind her. Even though she’s not pregnant, my woman is still glowing.
