Page 63 of It Was Always You

I nod into his neck, pulling him closer as a gust of wind kicks up, scattering a dusting of snow around us, tiny icicles hitting my face. I burrow myself deeper into his body, wishing to fuse myself to him.

He pulls back, placing his hands on my cold cheeks before kissing me.

“I’m sorry I’m so late,” I murmur against his lips. “I’m sorry I had to think about it.”

His hands fall to my butt, massaging gently before he playfully spanks me.

“Yeah, you’ll pay later for stressing me out.”

“Let’s get one thing straight, first. I’m all in, okay? But if you and Gina want to try some bougie co-parenting bullshit where she moves into the spare room and we are like a sister wives-style family, you have another thing coming. If that’s the case, I’m installing nanny cams in every square inch of this house so I can keep an eye on her.” I think about her living in close quarters, hiding low like a snake, trying to sneak into Emmett's room when he’s sleeping, and I’m stuck working a night shift. “No, fuck that. If she moves in, thenI’mmoving in, too, so I can really keep an eye on her.”

Emmett throws his head back, his laugh echoing into the dark night.

I squeeze his shoulders, gently moving my hands up to massage his neck under his thick jacket and kiss him once more. “That’s my only demand out of all of this.” I tell him as sweetly as possible.

“You don’t have to worry about that. The most I’ll give Gina is supervised visits in a public place. But we don’t have to worry about that right now, we can decide that later.”

We.

He reaches a hand up, knuckle grazing the back of my cheek. “Why don’t you?”

“Install nanny cams?”

“Move in with us.”

My hands stop their massage and I pull back, testing the reaction on his face to see if he’s serious or not. His eyes meet mine. No blushing, no hint of a smile ticking the corner of his mouth.

“I’m serious, Jenna. You’re here all the time anyways, and we love it. You made this your home once before; will you move in and do it again?”

I love this house, the worn cabinets, faded shag carpet, and double doors leading out to the backyard. I love the people in it and the people who lived in it before—the only people that have ever felt like a family to me, something no other house would be able to replicate.

I pull him into me, murmuring myyesagainst his lips as a full-body shiver wracks through me.

“Want to go inside?”

I stand and wait for him while he stands, wrapping my arms around his thick waist and setting my head on his chest. “Is Allie at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s?”

He tucks me under his arm as he walks us to the door, our steps in sync with one another. “Just you and me, baby,” he says as he opens the front door. “The way it always should have been.”

Epilogue

One Month Later

Ishould probably go to bed.

I should have gone to bed two hours ago, considering I’ve been home that long. After checking on Allie and kissing Emmett’s cheek as he sleeps, I told myself a quick shower would make me feel better. But after the water ran cold and I wrapped a towel around myself, I caught a glimpse of my tear-streaked face in the mirror, and the feelings hit me all over again.

I look at my pajamas, still folded neatly on the counter, and wonder if I have the strength to put them on. Or if I should give up and curl into a pathetic little ball here on the bathroom floor.

With a heavy sigh that reverberates off the walls of the quiet bathroom, I toss on my t-shirt and brush my teeth, foregoing the pants as it takes too much energy to put them on. On light feet, I leave the ensuite and go into the bedroom.

Emmett’s back is toward me, laying on his side, arms across his massive chest, and I want to be right there so badly. I want to be tucked in between those crossed arms, breathing in his scent, locked into the only safe space I know.

So that’s exactly what I do, because I’m selfish. Knowing it will wake him, I crawl into bed, lifting one of his arms up, loosening the other, and tucking myself against his chest. When he smiles in his sleep, pulling me to him and wrapping me tightly, it solidifies the fact that he’s too good to me.

“Did you have fun?” his husky, sleepy voice mumbles.

I swallow thickly and nod against his chest. “Mmhmm” I squeak out, trying to make it sound cheery even though cheery is the last thing I feel.

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