He sat up, taking my nipple into his mouth as he met me thrust for thrust, rocking us back and forth, the king-sized bed squeaking under us.
“I was so fucking scared,” he grunted out, his pace picking up. “I love you,” he whispered, digging his fingers into my hips. “I can’t lose you.”
“Nothing to be scared of. I love you. I’ve always?—”
Lee reached between us and pinched my clit, all the emotion and desperation coming to a head for both of us. I almost lost my balance as my legs shook through my release and Lee pulsed into me.
I needed to tell him the whole truth about how much I’d loved him “back then,” but right now, with Lee’s head nestled in the crook of my shoulder, his heart thumping against mine, it wasn’t the time for words, even if I could find them.
“That’s not how I planned to tell you tonight.” He peered up at me, a dazed smile lifting his mouth. “But great moments happen how they happen, right?”
I nodded, a lump in my throat cutting off my air from all the love in his gaze.
“But I love you. I love you so, so much,” he said, giving me a soft kiss before easing off the bed.
“I love you too,” I said, still choked up when I caught my reflection in the wall mirror. “How are we going to clean up enough to not look like we just snuck somewhere to have sex?”
Lee laughed, lifting and buckling his pants. Other than the color in his cheeks, he seemed fine.
I had to fix my makeup and hopefully smooth the tangles out of my hair, but I wouldn’t be able to erase the wide smile from my face for the whole night.
I hooked my bra, and Lee helped me zip my dress back up before I headed to the bathroom to touch myself up, feeling Lee’s eyes on me while I wiped off my smeared lipstick.
“What?” I asked when I turned my head.
“I didn’t think it was possible to feel this lucky everagain. And I do. So damn lucky.” He exhaled a long gust of air and shook his head. “You’re my miracle, Stella.”
I turned back to the mirror, trying to line my lips as my chin quivered.
I’d thought luck and miracles were for other people, so I’d never bothered to look. I’d never expected one to find me.
THIRTY-ONE
STELLA
“I hope you win, Daddy,” Bennie said as she hugged Lee’s waist at the door. “Sure you don’t need me to come help with practice?”
“I wish you could. The guys miss you,” Lee said as he scooped her up off the floor. She was still tiny, but her legs had grown enough to hang almost to her father’s knees when he picked her up. “But tomorrow is school, even if it’s the last week.”
“We don’t even have homework anymore. It’s wasting for me to stay home on a Sunday night when the guys need me.”
“Wasteful,” I said, holding in a laugh at the concerned crease in her forehead. “But like Daddy said, school is almost over, and we can go see the Bats anytime we want over the summer.”
“And not only am I off tomorrow, the Bats will play at home for ten days. So I can see you every day.”
“And I can go to practice this weekend!”
Lee shut his eyes at her hopeful gasp.
“We’ll see,” he said with a long sigh and set her down.
“Well,I’mhappy you’ll be home for ten days,” I said, looping my arms around his neck.
“It’s nice to sleep in my own bed for a while,” he said, framing my waist and yanking me closer. “Especially when I know the most beautiful woman in the world is waiting for me, naked,” he whispered.
“We’ll see,” I said, pressing my lips to his. “Good luck.”
“Hopefully everyone stays healthy so it’s not a late night. I intend to beverylucky once I get home,” he said, his voice dipping to a delicious, husky rasp.
