What if my family just forgets about me?
What if I never find happiness?
What if I just disappeared?
What if I had had a father who loved me?
There are a million what-ifs, but this…being here with him. That’s the only thing that I think I’ve ever been sure about.
I wrap my arms around him a little tighter as we zip back through the mountains towards Timberline.
I feel myself relax. Today had been a little nerve-racking. I wasn’t sure how he was going to react to the whole surprise thing. I went all out, buthe’shappy. That’s all that I could ever really ask for.
All three of us lay cuddled up as we watch a random movie. Mocha is on the floor, sound asleep, while I lie on top of Beck. His hands play with my hair, and I have to fight to stay awake.
“Sorry, I didn’t talk to you first about moving in. Hopefully you don’t feel like I’m overstepping and crashing my way into your life.”
That was literally the last thing I wanted. I wanted him to like me, not to think that I was taking advantage of him and his kindness.
“Don’t you dare think like that. There is nowhere else that I want you to be. You, Mocha, and Mason—you’re all my family. I will protect all of you with my very last breath.”
“What about Briar?”
He tilts his head. “What about him?”
“I don’t know, I just thought maybe… You would choose him over me. Like everyone else does.”
He lets out a long sigh, then pauses to think about what he wants to say next. “Honestly, I’m not really sure where I stand with Briar right now. I think I might need some time away from him to figure out where I want to go with that relationship.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’ve realized a lot of things this summer, and I think I need to take some time to reflect on them before I make any real decisions.”
He pulls me up just a little so that I can kiss him. The kiss is soft and gentle, like he’s trying to tell me how he feels without saying it. I move my legs and pull them so I’m straddling him, rather than lying on him. The kiss quickly gets more heated.
I lace both our hands together before I take them and pin them above his head. I know how easy it would be for him to flip us over and for him to just take control. I like that he sometimes lets me have the upper hand.
I just look at him for a few seconds, because he is genuinely a beautiful person, not just his face, but his soul. So much good trapped inside him, I wish more people got to see it.
I kiss him again, this time the kiss gets a little more heated and a little faster than the last one. I let go of his hands, and mine tangle in his hair while his grips my hips, pulling me down against him, so I’m grinding against his hardening cock.
“Mmm,” I gasp as I can feel him through the sweats he changed into when we got home.
With my gasp, he gently but quickly flips us so that he’s on top of me. My limbs wrap around him like he’s some kind of tree for me to climb.
His hand tangles in my hair, and he pulls my head back just enough to expose my neck. His lips find the skin, and he begins to press wet, open-mouth kisses to the skin. The kind that makes my eyes close and my toes curl.
“Let me make love to you, baby. Let me show you how much I love you, how much I need you.” The words that leave his lips leave my brain scrambling.
“Don’t…don’t say that word unless you mean it,” I beg, feeling suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. I know that I love him, I’m just too scared to say it out loud in case he doesn’t feel the same way about me.
He pulls his head out of my neck, and his eyes find mine. His eyes are soft, filled with so much emotion, so much affection that it makes my own fill up with tears. He doesn’t need to say it; I already know. He means the words, I think I knew that even before; his actions speak louder than his words and always have.
“I do mean it, baby. I love you, and I want to take care of you. I want you to stay here with me. I want to start a life with you, no matter what that looks like,” he whispers, using the pads of his thumbs to wipe away the tears that begin to trickle down my face.
“You’re sure?” I whisper, and he nods his head.
“Yeah, baby, I’m sure. Probably more sure of this than of anything else in my life.”
