It’s late. Dark. And the smell of Matt’s cologne lingers in the air. Between that and the heat of his body next to mine, I already know I’m going to sleep like a baby tonight.
“I’m fucking tired,” he murmurs in my ear. He presses a kiss to that sweet spot right behind my earlobe.
I love when he kisses me there.
“Well, after that performance, you should sleep good,” I say with a yawn.
He lets out half a chuckle, like he’s too tired to even laugh.
His chest expands with a slow, deep breath, then deflates.
“Thank you,” he mumbles.
“For what?” I ask into the stillness.
He shifts, getting even closer, sealing every inch of air between us.
“For moving in.” His voice is deep and rough, each word running together with exhaustion.
I hum, a close-lipped smile spreading wide, pure joy seeping through me.
I twist the ring on my pinky, still smiling.
“Do you remember when you asked me to marry you in first grade?” I ask quietly.
He grunts, deep and sexy. “Yeah. Course I do.”
I hold up my hand in the dark, not sure if he can see the ring.
“I found the ring you gave me today. It was in that box with the notes.” I pause, pressing my lips together, trying my damndest not to get emotional again. “It made me cry,” I say with a soft laugh.
He doesn’t say anything, just rubs his thumb along the metal on my little finger, slow, intentional, like he’s gone back to that day in his mind. He threads his fingers through mine and brings them back to my chest, giving a gentle squeeze.
“Do you remember what I said when you told me no?” he finally says, breaking the silence.
“That you’d ask me again later,” I say.
He grunts again. “Not that.”
A sting hits my eyes, and I hold my breath for a second before sucking in a sharp inhale. “You said you’d wait for me,” I whisper.
A warm breath kisses my neck. “And I still am, babe.”
My chin trembles as Matt’s mouth finds that sweet spot behind my ear again.
I roll over, my lips finding his as tears slip down my cheeks.
He doesn’t ask why.
He just kisses me back, slow and steady, like he’s known this moment was coming all along.
And maybe he has.
Chapter Forty-Seven
JORDAN
Three Weeks Until the Guardianship Hearing
