“There is nothing wrong with looking at each other. There is nothing wrong if you like him and want to be together,” Aiden explains. “I’m just curious if you are together or not.”
I shake my head.
“Not yet, but I’m working on it,” Tobias says.
“Tobias!” I scold him.
“What?” He smiles at me. “It’s not wrong. I’ve told you several times that I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. I’ve told you that you are it for me and that I will be your rock through hard times.”
“He wants to be your Daddy,” Aiden chimes in.
“It’s not like you haven’t called me that already.” Tobias chuckles.
“I haven’t called you Daddy!” I raise my voice.
He nods. “Yes, you have. When you fell asleep in the car and we arrived at the hotel for the night. I tried to wake you up and you called me Daddy several times. It’s okay. I really liked it and if you ever want to call me that again, I won’t complain.”
It’s too embarrassing and I cover my face with my hands. “I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe I called you that when I was half asleep.”
“You trust him,” Aiden explains. “You wouldn’t have just called a random person that.”
“But at that moment he was a random person.” I throw my hands in the air. “I had known him for maybe an hour.”
“When you know, you know,” Aiden whispers. “There is nothing wrong with knowing that you want to be with him for the rest of your life when you first meet him. Love has no time restraints.”
“It doesn’t,” Tobias agrees. “I knew from the first moment I saw you in the coffee shop that I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life. I had this protective instinct that I’ve never had with anyone else.”
“Really?” I hesitantly ask.
He nods. “Yes, really. The more I got to know you and your little quirks you do without realizing, the more I fell in love with you. You make me want to spoil you, love you, discipline you, and make you the happiest person in the world.”
Tears pool in my eyes, and I look down at my lap. Here go the tears again.
“Wait? Are you crying?” Aiden’s panicked voice fills the room. “Shit. What should we do?”
“Let her cry?” Tobias suggests.
“I’ve never seen her cry. She has never been a crier, and now she’s about to burst into tears. We need to do something. Do you want ice cream?”
“She is not allowed ice cream at nine in the morning,” Tobias replies. “She can cry if she wants to. It’s healthy for her.”
“I’ve cried too much with you,” I grumble.
“Did I hear that right?” Aiden asks. “How many times have you cried?”
“It’s probably been four times now,” Tobias replies before I can.
“Shit.”
I look up at Aiden who is staring at Tobias in wonder.
“I figured she was bottling up her emotions, but I’ve never been able to make her cry. What did you do?”
“Nothing.” Tobias glares at him. “Why do you think I’ve done something to her to make her cry?”
He shrugs. “Because she doesn’t just cry from sweet words.”
“There is just something about him,” I murmur. “Something about how he looks at me, but also takes care of me. Something about how he can see right through me.”
