“It’s your last chance to say no. If I cross the border, I am staying. I’m not going back.”
“You’re not going back anyway. You’re mine now.”
“I am. And you’re mine.”
“So…”
“You’re really coming? Now? I saw your text earlier, but I didn't want to get my hopes up.”
“Two hours out, so go back to sleep, I’ll have to ring you to open the gates.”
“I’ll come down, so….” I was smiling so hard. “This is it then?”
“Yes. I… It’s a bit fast, I know. I just… I didn’t want to stay down there any longer than I had to. I want to be with you.”
“I need to be up at seven.”
“I know. I’ll have a sleep and start getting myself organised. I won’t be in your way, and we need to talk…”
“About the important stuff.”
“Absolutely.”
“Bailey’s on the sofa. He needs a proper bed here.”
“We’ll sort that.”
“And I talked to social services…”
“Fox. Go back to sleep. We have a whole lifetime to figure this out now, and we will talk about everything, and whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”
“But what do you want?” The smile was still there. The crinkly eyes, the kindness, the gorgeous way he looked at me. Where he made me all warm on the inside.
“I just want you. I want us. And our family. However that will look.”
“I asked Bailey…”
“Good. I say yes. Absolutely. We need to try, and we’ll get to know him, and he’ll get used to us and he said he’d teach me how to dad.”
“He said that?”
“Yeah, when you had him on the phone the other night.”
“Oh yes.”
Family. We actually…familiedokay already. “We’ll be good at this. Promise.”
“We already are,” he said gently. “Go back to sleep. Keep the phone handy. Two hours.”
“Drive carefully.”
“I love you.”
Fuck. “I love you too. So much it’s actually stupid.”
He laughed. Then I went back to sleep.
Chapter 27
