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He told me he loves me, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to live with me or build a life with me and Ax.
I rock back and forth subconsciously as sweat collects under my armpits, and I start to feel a little woozy. I just need to spit it out and hope I’m not rushing things.
He huffs behind me, setting my second overstuffed and overweight suitcase and guitar inside the door before closing it.
“Babies require an exorbitant amount of stuff.” He rests his hands on his hips, and then his brow furrows while his eyes roam the room. “What’s wrong?”
My pulse rushes in my ears, and it’s suddenly hard to breathe.What in the hell is wrong with me?Just say it.
I try to pull in a little air. “So, about all my stuff…” My voice is breathy and not at all my own.
He steps closer, concern taking over his handsome face. His eyes search mine as he waits patiently.
“I was hoping Ax and I could stay…for a while, but if that’s an issue, or this is moving too fast, or it’s too soon, and you need time to settle in, then…”
His head cocks to the side just a quarter of an inch. “What?”
Snipe’s nails click against the tile floor as he re-enters the kitchen, coming to sit at my feet. I have no doubt he’s sensing my freak-out. I just have to get this out.Shit, breathe.
I inhale long and slow, then push it out quickly. “I’m not going back. I don’t know how it will all work, but I want to be here…with you. I don’t want to waste time or try to pretend that distance is somehow going to work because the truth is, I did that, and it pretty much sucked all the time. I don’t want to do that again, and…I don’t want to be away from you. I want to see where this goes…here…with you.”
I bite my lip, trying really hard to pull myself together while Sean just stands there dumbfounded, and I don’t have any idea how to interpret that. I probably need to stop now, but given that he’s staring at me, I keep going.
“If this is a problem or it’s too much too fast or–”
“Andie, stop.” His voice is soft but demanding, and he moves closer, grabbing my free hand and pulling me along with him.
“That’s all you’re going to say,” I babble as he tugs me to the other side of the room. “What are you doing?”
I shift Ax a little, trying not to jostle him as Sean leads me down the hallway and to the first door on the right. He opens it and steps inside, the only light coming from a small nightlight.
It takes a second for my eyes to adjust, but along the wall stands…a crib. The mattress tucked inside is covered with a sheet with little guitars all over it.
It’s my turn to frown as my mind spins with wonder. All of my anxiety suddenly evaporates, and an overwhelming sense of astonishment washes over me.
“Sean…” I’m stunned, speechless.
His fingers lace with mine, and when I look up at him, there’s a shyness that is both new and cute as hell.
“I want you here, both of you. Always. You being here is everything I wanted but was too afraid to ask for.”
I swallow what feels like a tennis ball and blink back the tears burning in my eyes. I move to gently lay Ax down in the crib, still trying to process this gift. I run a hand over his head, then return to Sean, pressing up on my tiptoes to wrap my arms around his neck and loving him so much my entire body lights with electricity that’s painfully alive and completely new. His strong arms come around my middle, holding me just as tightly.
We stay like that for a minute, maybe two, and then he lifts me one-armed and carries me out of the room, pulling the door slightly closed behind us. In the dimly lit hallway, he sets me down but doesn’t let go.
“I don’t want you to ever question again where you belong because it’s right here,” he taps his chest, “with me.”
I press back up to my tiptoes and crush my mouth to his. His light scruff brushes against my face as my mouth moves over his. His hands grip my hips, guiding me until my back presses up against the wall. Those large hands glide from my hips up the sides of my body until they push into my hair, and he takes charge, angling my head, slowly deepening our kiss.
His scent, his warmth, his security, and love surround me, and there’s nothing more I want in this world. He said this is where I belong, and he’s absolutely right.
Needing air, he releases my mouth, pressing kisses down the side of my neck to my collarbone, and a soft whimper escapes me. One large hand grabs the back of my thigh, hoisting me up, and I wrap my legs around him.
He finds my mouth again as he carries me down the remainder of the hallway and enters another room on the opposite side. He kisses me once more before releasing my legs and setting me on the edge of the bed. His bedroom holds the soft glow of the nightlights on each wall.
Sean moves to his knees in front of me, his hand cupping my cheek. “I want you, and I want us forever. I love you, and Ilove Ax. I’ve never in my life said those words to anyone. Before you, I didn’t understand what they meant, but I do now, and you coming here…” He pulls in a breath. “Andie, it means everything to me.”
I pull his face to mine, kissing him softly, my lips brushing over his. “Having you so far away wasn’t working so well for me. I was worried you might get your ass pummeled, and I wouldn’t be here.”
