I agreed. “Ella, there’s a reason I haven’t been with anyone since I came here.”
“Oh, because you’re out of shape and wanted to tone up a little first?” She gave me a mocking head tilt.
“Ha. Because from the moment I saw your face and heard you speak, you were the only one I wanted. You ruined me for anyone else before you ever knew my name.” She’d ruined me from the second she’d said she regretted writing in pen. She’d had every ounce of my soul when I finished that first letter. “Now that I’ve had a night with you, I don’t want only one. I want them all, and I’m willing to take whatever you want to give me.”
She looked torn for a second and then sighed in frustration. “That was really good. I don’t have anything that awesome to say. I just love you.”
I kissed her softly, a simple caress of our lips, because I couldn’t help myself. “That’s the most awesome thing you could have said. Trust me. It’s not something I’m used to hearing.” Or anything I deserved, but I was the asshole who was going to take it.
“What do we tell the kids about us? I know that’s not usual first-date conversation, but we’re not exactly usual.”
“I’ll take my lead from you. Whatever you want to tell them, we’ll tell them.”
She brought her arms around my neck. “Well, I mean, you are their father.”
“Have to say that I love hearing that, too.” Even if it’s just between us. I knew this wouldn’t change the way she felt about keeping the adoption secret, and that was okay. For the first time since I arrived in Telluride, I felt like I had time. Time to win her over, time to earn her trust.
“Okay, we’ll tell them we’re dating. It’s not like we’d be able to hide it around them for long anyway.” She pressed against me.
“And why is that?”
“Because I have no idea how to not kiss you all the time now that I know how incredibly good at it you are.” Her fingers curled in my hair.
“Now look at who’s saying all the awesome things.”
Then I reminded her exactly how good at it I was. Until she stole every thought from my head, and I was once again at her mercy.
…
Were people allowed to be this happy? It seemed almost unnatural to have this as my new normal. I woke up, went to work, had dinner with Ella and the kids, and stole kisses when they weren’t looking.
I hadn’t been lying when I said I could kiss her forever. She was a thousand different kisses in one woman, the soft and tender, the deep and passionate, the hard and desperate. I never knew who I was taking in my arms, and yet they were all Ella.
Everything was Ella.
I’d taken a leap of faith and reserved my cabin indefinitely. Ella had protested the cost, but I’d handed Hailey my credit card with a smile. Indefinitely wasn’t forever, and I’d already found the perfect place to start on something more permanent.
Turned out I’d gotten some sound investment advice from a friend, and the location was perfect.
“What do think about a zip line?” Colt asked from the back of Ella’s cabin, staring up at the tree house we’d spent the last ten days building.
“I think that’s something you’d need to ask your mom about, because I’m so not getting into that fight.” I ruffled the short, buzzed locks of his hair. He’d stopped shaving it the month Maisie had gotten to skip chemo, and it was growing back quickly.
It had been a month since I’d adopted the kids, and eleven days since Ella had taken Maisie to Denver for her first MIBG treatment.
“I’d wear a helmet!” he argued.
Stay strong, I reminded myself. It had been just Colt and me for the last eleven days, with some help from Ada and Hailey, of course, and I was surprised he wasn’t ruling the roost yet. Probably because he’d spent more than half of those days in school.
“Oh, I don’t think that would even be a debate. Stop pushing your luck, kid.”
He sighed. “Fine. But what about a dirt ramp for my quad?”
Huh. Now that idea had some merit. “Hmmm.”
He saw my weakness and pounced, revealing that grin. “You know what?”
“What?” I asked with my hand on his shoulder.
“I think I was right. You know, back at the soccer game.”
I tried to think of which game he was referring to out of