“I promise you have nothing to worry about,” I tell him.
“I know.”He kisses me again.“Guess I’m not used to being put first, June Bug.”
My chest squeezes.After learning about his parents and everything he’s been through, it makes more sense than I’d like to admit, and I don’t care if it takes the rest of my measly existence to prove he’s worth the world.I’m determined to make him see it.That he’s a catch.That he’smycatch.
“Well, you should start,” I reply.“Because you and me?We’re the real deal, Ford Harden.”
“The real deal, huh?”
“Mm-hmm.”
His mouth quirks.“You serious?”
“As ED,” I reply, falling right into his trap and not regretting it in the slightest.
With a laugh, he steals another kiss.“Damn, I love you.”
The words hit just as hard as they did the first time he spoke them.Love.It wasn’t so long ago that I was convinced he didn’t know the meaning of the word.Now?Now, he encompasses it so fully, the idea of him feeling anything less for me is…laughable.Not that I take it for granted.Never.But he’s the most loving person I’ve ever met.Caring and kind and genuine.So freaking genuine.How did I not see it before?How didn’t he?
Running my hands along his chest, then higher, I sweep my thumbs across his stubbled jawline, letting his five-o’clock shadow tickle my palms.“I love you, too.”
“Thanks for the ride, Jeep!”Violet calls.“And by the way, you know you can just push our beds together, right?It’s not like I stay here very much anyway.And now, I won’t feel so guilty that I’ve basically moved in with Jagger without telling you, June.”
Ford tisks back at her.“Nope.No deal.If we make it too comfy, we’ll never leave, and even though this apartment isgreat,” he grimaces, heaping on the sarcasm with a freaking ladle, “Next time, we’re just bringing Quasimodough with us.”
“And all my things?”I question.
“I’ll make Hawke drop off some boxes.”
“Seems you have an answer for everything,” I note.
“You said so yourself, June Bug.”Towering over me, he brushes his nose against mine in an Eskimo kiss.“I’m like, really smart.”
My mouth splits into a grin despite my best attempt to keep it at bay.Heaven forbid, we keep this man’s ego in check, but I can’t help it.He makes me happy.Really freaking happy.“Okay, mister.We’ll talk logistics later.For now?”I rise onto my tiptoes and kiss him once more.“It’s time we tuck ourselves in.”
“And when you say tuck, you mean fuck, right?”
I snort.“Who are you, Shakespeare?”
He bounces his eyebrows up and down.“Just wait ‘til I show you what else I can do with this tongue.”
Violet opens the front door.“Aaaand, that’s my cue.”
“Really?”I challenge, my tone thick with amusement as the door clicks shut behind her.“Did you have to go there in front of Vi?”
His eyes crinkle in the corners.“Guess I couldn’t resist.”
The End
EPILOGUE
FORD
“You know you didn’t have to do this, right?”June whispers in the quiet bedroom.It’s early.Too early.I’m used to sleeping in, but when in Rome, I guess.
“You kidding me?”I counter.“Of course, I had to do this.We needed to celebrate your passing math.”
Her amusement is hushed so as not to wake anyone else up, but my chest squeezes all the same.“Pretty sure if we’re taking my math grade into account, we’d be at your happy place, not mine, because without you, there’s no way I would’ve passed.”
