Kieran’s lips stopped mine in their tracks, the nervous rambling I’d fallen into dropping off to a low, needy moan as he kissed me, backing me up against the wall, holding me in place.
“Shh,” Kieran murmured. “More kissing, less talking.”
Any argument I might’ve made drowned in Kieran’s mouth, hot and slick and exactly as perfect as I remembered it, his kisses treading the line between wholesomely sweet and unspeakably filthy like they always did.
Boy-next-door and sex god all wrapped up in one peach muscle shirt—I couldn’t believe he was wearing that monstrosityagain, although I did like the way it looked against his warm skin.
“Thinking too much,” Kieran said, which was probably true.
I curled my hand around his hip and let my brain shut off a little while, enjoying every tiny eager nip, every long slow kiss, every swipe of his tongue until we were both panting for breath, the wall doing most of the work in holding my body up.
“I love you,” Kieran murmured.
It was lucky I was leaning against the wall, or I would have crumpled to the floor.
I’d been waiting all my life to hear that.
“Just thought I’d get that out of the way,” he added while my stupid brain refused to say itback. But Kieran was still smiling, looking at me with bright, happy eyes, so stunningly pretty that it was hard to believe he was real all over again.
But my imagination wasn’tthisgood.
“How?” my brain said instead, which didn’t even makesense.Whyorwhatwould’ve made more sense thanhow.
“Umm.” Kieran blinked at me. “How am I here, or…?”
“I love you, too,” I said in a rush, watching in awe as Kieran’s whole face lit up, glowing with joy.
Glowing with joy because I’d just told him I loved him.
I almost couldn’t handle how good that felt.
“Oh, uh. Hold onto these,” he said, finally handing me the flowers he’d brought.
“They’re beautiful,” I said, holding them close to my chest.
No one had ever brought me flowers before.
Meanwhile, Kieran was digging in his pocket for something.
“Got it.” He grinned broadly, holding out his closed fist. He turned it over and then let his hand fall open, revealing…
A tiny, cheap children’s ring with a big fake red jewel on it.
“Before you freak out, this isn’t like… a serious proposal, although I think I probablydowanna marry you one day. That’s not the point, the point is… I still have mine. I thought you should have one of your own.”
I reached out to take it, trying not to pass out over Kieran saying that heprobably wanted to marry me one day.
We weren’t there yet.
But I probably wanted to marry him one day, too. Six-year-old me had thebesttaste in men.
“I want to be with you,” Kieran said. “I don’t care what it takes, I don’t care that I’m not good enough for you or that I wasn’t ready to be bi a week ago or… any of it. I just… want to be with you. If you’ll have me.”
“Since when wereyounot good enough forme?” I blinked at him, turning the little ring over in my hand. It wouldn’t fit any of my fingers, but that wasn’t the point.
It was going straight on my keychain soIcould show it off at the next event I dragged Kieran to, and we could be even more sickeningly cute together.
Because now it wasreal.
