My whole body deflates. Yep, back to being the resident screw-up. I’m getting better at it, though. Now I’m fucking up the lives of people around me. And without even trying. Maybe I can take a class on that at the community college. I’d be sure to get an A-plus.
“You’re my inspiration. I’m so impressed with you that I wanted to see if I could be even half as brave, letting myself find and chase a new dream.”
“I don’t know what to say to that.” Words completely escape me. Unfortunately, tears do not. They start streaming down my cheeks before I even register that I’m about to cry.
“Frank.” Oh shit, he’s using my actual name. That’s never good. Matthias pulls me close to him, and I can’t help but nestle against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “I love you.”
For the first time since I got here, I know exactly what to say. “I love you, too.” Those words are enough to stop all the spiraling. Yeah, he said it before, but each time, I feel like I find new meaning in the phrase. It’s still new, but I hope I keep feeling this way for years to come.
“See? This is how it was supposed to go, not me sending you stray text messages.” I press my lips to his to shut him up. None of that matters. He grabs me and kisses meforcefully. I’m more than happy to let him take complete control. His deep need slowly turns into a more sensual kiss, something full of promise and hope.
When he finally pulls away, I wince at the loss of contact. “How long do we have to stay here?” There are a lot of things I still want to do with my sexy Daddy, and not a single one is fit for his parents’ house.
“One glass of champagne. Then we head home. I’ll fake sick if I have to.”
“I’ve got a pretty good fake cough.” My demonstration is met with a shake of his head.
“No theatrics required.” He takes my hand and leads me toward the front door. Before he turns the knob, I stop him.
“Tell me again.”
“I love you, my Firecracker.”
“I love you, too, Daddy.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
FRANK
I’ve pinchedmyself three different times this morning trying to figure out if this is real. Either dream me is really good at pinching, or I’m moving in with Matthias today.
“Where do you want this?” Tyler pauses in the front yard, holding a big box full of my school materials.
“My office.” Matthias’s voice still makes me shiver when it’s commanding like that. Apparently, it has no effect on Tyler.
“Sure, no problem. I’ll carry all the heavy books to the back of the house.”
Matthias wraps his arms around me, pulling me toward him in a quick movement. I love the way it feels being wrapped up in his arms like this, him towering over me. The sense of safety and comfort washes over me immediately. I let out a contented sigh, not worrying about who might hear me.
“We should probably help.” It’s my stuff, after all. There’s very little I own, and since the furniture Matthiashas is fancy and not second-handIkea, there’s no reason to bring the stuff from my old room. Matthias wrangled his friends to do the moving. That leaves clothes and a handful of personal items. In exchange for a couple hours of moving boxes from one house to another, we’re hosting a backyard barbecue later today. A first after all the work done on the yard.
We’re hosting. The words still sound a bit foreign to me. That I’m included in the people who live at this address. It’ll take a while to get used to it. Given how often Matthias likes to have people over, I’m sure it won’t take long before I come to terms with it.
“This is the last one,” Oliver announces. He’s got a small box in his arms and a backpack over his shoulder as he heads inside. I suspect most of the stuff is being piled in the living room. I’m not looking forward to unpacking everything, even if I’m looking forward to starting a new life with Matthias.
Or continuing the old one.
“We should get inside, Firecracker.” Matthias pinches my ass—another reminder that this isn’t a dream—and grabs my hand, leading me inside.
As expected, the living room is a mess. Tyler might be the only one who carried anything further than this first room.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll work on it tonight. Let’s enjoy the rest of the day.”
Daddy approved procrastination? That’s something I can get behind. I do my best to put the chores out of my head and follow the noise into the kitchen. It didn’t take his friends long to help themselves to the beers in the fridge.
As I listen to the conversation around the room, I’m struck by how much has changed in the last several months.Not simply my address, but my whole life. Matthias is his own big piece of that, but also his friends and family. They’ve welcomed me into the fold with smiles and support. And not once has anyone complained about the changes in food being served. Well, that might change once they find out that Matthias is grilling veggie burgers. I told him not to do that. I can easily get my own food or grill mine first and let everyone else have their typical fare.
He shook his head and promised no one would mind.
