we have to choose the wrong partner first to be able to tell who the right one is. To find our soul’s true mate. Even if it’s painful in the process, with tears and sorrow along the way, the journey makes us stronger. Ready.
And Ryan is definitely the right one. I know that deep in my soul that our paths were meant to cross, and that I’m ready to give him my heart, to love him with my everything.
We stare at each other, and stare some more, until Ryan leans in to place a soft kiss to my temple.
“Does that mean you have to go back to New York to get your things?”
I sigh. “Yeah. I also need to look for good doctors out here.”
Ryan starts rubbing my back. “We’ll figure it out together. I can fly out with you to help you pack, and we can research doctors together if you want.”
“You’d do that?”
He frowns. “Of course. I meant what I said. I want you. All of you. If it was up to me, you’d move in tonight and I’d never let you go.”
I swallow, tears starting to well up. “Thank you for forgiving me. Not that I’m complaining, not one bit, but I was ready to grovel, even if it meant buying all the fruit shirts and costumes out there. And I would have done it because you’re worth all the groveling.”
His eyes roam over my face. “Once I understood why you did what you did, it was easy to forgive you. We both deserved it. So many people hold on to negative emotions because they think they need to punish the other person when in the end, they’re only hurting themselves.”
I’m stunned into silence. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it this way, but it makes so much sense.
His hand goes to my face and he gently cradles my cheek. “I knew I’d fallen desperately in love with you, and I wanted us to give this relationship a real try. You deserve it, I deserve it, and so does our baby. There’s no need to make us both miserable for a prolonged time. It took me some tough workouts and a few days to work through it, but here we are.”
“You’re incredible and so smart.”
He smiles. “Must be my age.”
I smack him on the chest. “Whatever. I love it because it makes you, you. Exactly the way I like it.”
There’s no other warning sign but a quick flicker of his eyes to my mouth before he crashes me to him. His lips fuse to mine, and it quickly turns into fire.
Maybe it’s because everything’s finally in the open, not only my secret, but also our love. The fact that we’re doing this—doing us—infuses every touch with even more electricity.
When Ryan pushes off the back of the couch and tells me to hold on, I do exactly that. He carries me to his bedroom like I weigh nothing, depositing me gently on his bed.
We make out for a while before stripping off our clothes. Ryan makes me feel like I’m a valuable treasure. Cherished.
He licks his way down my body and stops at my stomach, peppering it with small kisses that make the butterflies go wild in my belly.
When he reaches my most sensitive spot, I’m so ready for him that my entire body is shaking with anticipation. I fall over the edge faster than I expect, unsure if my body was keyed up more than usual, or if Ryan is more of a master in bedroom skills than I thought. Which would suit me just fine.
He makes his way up my body and gives me a satisfied smirk. “I love you in my bed.”
Heat creeps into my cheeks. “I do too.”
He lies down next to me to give me a passionate kiss before I can’t wait any longer.
“You want to go on top again?” His whispered words against my neck make me shiver.
I nod, biting my lip. “Yes, please.”
My stomach is too sensitive to have his weight on top of me, but he enjoys me on top as much as I do.
He wiggles his eyebrows. “Well, hop on, then.”
I chuckle and watch him as he lies on his back, propping up his upper body with a few pillows. He didn’t do that the last time, but when I sink down on him I can feel the difference immediately. Our contact is stronger, even though I didn’t think that was possible.
The friction is off-the-charts hot and his