Page 115 of The Summer We Lie

"Fuck, I love you," I growl against her neck as she picks up her pace.

"Say it again," she pants, grinding down on me.

"I fucking love you," I repeat, gripping her hip and helping her move faster.

"I love you," she whimpers, and I suck her nipple into my mouth.

"Fuck, shit, fuck," she cries out, clenching down around my cock so tight I come with her.

"God damn," I groan as I spill inside her, continuing to thrust through our release.

We stay like that for a moment, foreheads pressed together, breathing hard. I brush her hair back from her face, taking in her flushed cheeks and swollen lips. How did I get so lucky?

"We're going to be late," she says finally, but she's smiling.

"Worth it," I reply, helping her fix her dress.

We clean up as best we can with the napkins from the glove compartment. I tuck myself back into my pants while she checks her makeup in the visor mirror.

"Do I look like I just had sex in a truck?" she asks, smoothing down her hair.

I look at her—glowing skin, bright eyes, that satisfied smile I've come to know so well—and nod. "Absolutely. You've never looked more beautiful."

She rolls her eyes but blushes. "You're not helping."

"Come here." I straighten her necklace, the one I gave her last month, a small silver pendant with our initials entwined. "Perfect. No one will know."

"Except Harper," she says with a grimace. "She always knows."

I laugh, because it's true. My daughter has an uncanny ability to read situations. "She'll survive."

As we walk toward the restaurant, I keep my hand on the small of her back. Before we reach the door, she stops.

"Thank you," she says quietly.

"For the orgasm?" I tease.

"For everything. For loving me. For making sure Harper and I found our way back to each other. For being patient."

I kiss her softly, cupping her face in my hands. "I'd wait forever for you. Both of you."

"Ready?" I ask, nodding toward the door.

She takes a deep breath and nods. "Ready."

I lead her inside, knowing everyone we love is waiting to celebrate her. My Skye. My future.

I sit back watching her just taking it all in. Over the last few months everything has come together in ways I never imagined possible. Harper forgave us—both of us—which was the biggest relief of my life. She and Skye are as close as they ever were, maybe closer. They still live together in that apartment, but Skye stays at my place most of the time, just the way I like it. Waking up with her curled against me, her soft breathing the first thing I hear each morning—it's become my oxygen.

Their semester will be ending sometime next month, a few weeks before Christmas. Harper dropped the bomb last week that she wants to transfer to a college in Los Angeles or close by. I've never seen her so excited about school. Skye was torn—happy for Harper but devastated at the thought of being separated from her. She wants to go with her but doesn't want to leave her mom and Justin behind.

Little does she know I've already taken care of that for her. Stephanie and I have been planning for weeks now. I bought her a house just ten minutes from mine—not too close to seem controlling, not too far to be inconvenient. It's already set up for Justin to attend a specialized school that works wonders for people with all levels of autism. I'm really excited I was able to get him a spot; it's pretty hard to get into, but I know some people, and that kid deserves every opportunity available to him.

Justin's such a cool kid and so damn talented. I secretly hope I can get him to give architecture a shot—he would be incredible at it. I'm planning to offer him an internship next summer. His eye for detail, his understanding of space and dimension—it's intuitive in ways that take others years to develop.

I nod to our waiter and then prepare myself because this moment will change everything for us, and I'm nervous as hell. My heart's pounding against my ribs like I'm a fucking teenager asking a girl to prom, not a grown man who runs a million-dollar business.

"You good, bro?" Logan asks from beside me. He's on one side with Harper next to him, and then Ethan on my other side. Across from me sits Skye, then her mom and brother, with my ex Autumn at the end. Autumn and Stephanie seem to get along, which is weird but a relief. I'm glad everyone fits together so well, like pieces of a puzzle I never knew I needed completed.