Page 99 of Heart Breaker

I brush my thumb gently across her cheek, unable to stop touching her.

She searches my face like she’s trying to decide if she’s dreaming. “Really?”

A quiet laugh escapes me. “You think I’d say it if I didn’t mean every word?”

She looks at me, tears beginning to gather in those beautiful green eyes. I take both of her hands in mine.

“I’ve never said those words to anyone before.” I close my eyes and brush the tip of my nose against hers. “Not because I was holding them back, just because I’d never felt them.”

Emotion flickers across her face. “I love you too, Wes,” she says, a tear spilling down her cheek. The words take root in me. I didn’t realize how badly I wanted to hear them.

“I didn’t think it was possible to be this happy.” Her smile reaches all the way to her eyes. “Especially with the man I couldn’t stand the first time we met.”

A laugh slips out of me. “Funny. I was just thinking the same thing. I never imagined the woman who stormed into my office ready to tear me apart would end up stealing my heart.”

“I wasn’t that bad.”

I arch a brow. “Peach, you marched in there breathing fire, told me exactly what you thought of me, swore there wasn’t a chance in hell you’d ever be my wife…” I shake my head, grinning at the memory. “And then disappeared before I could get another word in.”

She presses her lips together, trying—and failing—not to smile. “I was making a point.”

“You were declaring war.” I kiss the tip of her nose. “I’m honestly surprised someone didn’t call security.”

Her laughter rings out across the cockpit. I cup her cheek, my grin softening. “And now my fierce little firecracker is sitting here telling me she loves me.” I smile. “Turns out I was the man you were meant to argue with for the rest of your life.”

“I am one hundred percent okay with that.”

I capture her lips in a kiss that I never want to end.

I spent years believing I was happy alone.

Turns out I was just waiting for the right person to prove me wrong.

THIRTY-FIVE

Lottie

A few days after we return from our honeymoon, we are at Landyn and Ford’s house for Sunday dinner. Calling it a “house” seems like a wild understatement—it’s more like a sprawling estate with a waterfront view.

Jesse, Noah, and Wes are standing around the barbecue, arguing while Ford grills. He flips a burger with ease and then swats at Jesse’s hand before he can steal another pepper from the grill. The Winters men are a sight for sore eyes, but my focus is on Wes.

Madeline and Landyn are setting the patio table, chatting about the latest episode of Love Island while passing dishes back and forth. Poppy and her pup Stella are racing laps around the backyard, her laughter carrying over every other conversation. Every thirty seconds or so, Ford glances over his shoulder to make sure she’s still in sight. He never hides how much he loves both of his girls.

“You’d pull a hamstring in the first 10 steps,” Jesse says to Noah. The two of them are in a heated debate over who would win a 100-meter sprint.

Noah shrugs. “Maybe. But I’d still beat you.”

“You absolutely wouldn’t,” Jesse insists. “I could give you a 10-meter head start and I’d still destroy you.”

Ford rolls his eyes. “I don’t know why I invite you two over.”

I shake my head, smiling into my glass. For a group of men that manages to successfully run a multimillion-dollar company, they’re remarkably committed to behaving like overgrown teenagers.

I watch as Wes crosses the yard to where I’m standing with a glint in his eye. We’d arrived half an hour ago, but he was immediately pulled away by his brothers while I sat and caught up with Madeline and Landyn. We haven’t had a second together since we arrived. Not that anyone has noticed. As far as the Winters family is concerned, we’re still just playing the role of husband and wife.

Boy, are they going to be surprised.

“Wanna sneak downstairs to the laundry room for a quickie?” he whispers in my ear. “I could ravage your body up against the washing machine. I don’t think we’ve fucked on a home appliance yet.”