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She sleepily murmurs his name again, rolling onto her other side.
I know he has a key, so I smile, anticipating her reaction when she finds out it’s me stood here and not him. I push away from the frame of the door, then slowly make my way towards her. “Mads?”
She grumbles. “Please, go away.”
I smile to myself that she hasn’t twigged yet. “Are you sure, babe? I sort of wanted to stay.” My voice breaks through her tiredness, waking her.
I see her body stiffen, her shoulders hunching as if she knows I’m here but she’s too scared to look. I hear her sob. “It can’t be you.”
Stepping closer, I walk around the bed into her line of vision. I click the bedside light on.
Blinking her eyes open, she just stares at me. I’m not sure how to react. Time freezes. My insides are burning. She doesn’t think I’m real.
Pushing the covers off her skin, I see her bump. Her swollen belly makes goosebumps plague every inch of me. My heart swells. My thighs begin to shake. I’m not sure I can stand too much longer. “I came back.”
Carefully swinging her legs off the bed, Mads pushes herself to stand in front of me. Her eyes drink me in, roaming all over my face. The cogs in her head bang loudly. I can hear every single second that ticks by, each one bringing her closer to me. “Dean?” She reaches her hand up, her soft skin cupping one side of my face.
I smile with the biggest sigh of relief. “It’s me, babe. I’m here.”
Mads folds, collapsing in my arms, and I catch her, moulding her body into mine. It’s euphoric. The satisfaction of having her back in my hold, immeasurable. My hands scrunch in her hair causing her to moan in between her tears.
She holds me tighter, pulling herself closer, and I breathe her in. If it wasn’t for her bump, I’m pretty sure she’d be climbing me.
Pushing my lips to her forehead, I tilt her head back, looking down at her. She’s trembling. Her tear-soaked face is blushed. She doesn’t wipe her face dry as her beauty attempts to steal mybreath. I don’t let it. “I’ve missed you.” My voice is hoarse as my thumbs stroke the sides of her face.
“Am I dreaming?” The croaky words roll off her tongue, riddled with confusion. Her eyes start darting between mine, her top lip disappearing under her teeth. I feel Mads’ knees start to knock against each other.
“Shh.” I steadily walk her back to the bed, sitting her down on the edge.
Mads lifts her hands to her face. She’s completely overcome.
I am too, but I need to make sure she’s okay. “Let me look at you,” I tell her.
Sniffing, Mads takes a breath, then wipes away her tears.
I kneel to the floor in front of her, brushing her hair off her face. I wait for her to look at me. “Mads.” I say her name, my need to see her becoming urgent.
When she eventually looks up, she holds my contact, her bloodshot eyes full of tears. “I’m scared if I blink, you’ll disappear.” Her voice shakes, her tears fall. And it’s me who suddenly feels weak.
My fingers squeeze her legs as I slump back to sit on my haunches. “Trust me, babe. I’m never leaving you again.”
Every night. Every, single, night, I clung to the image of the face staring back at me. Every outline, every curve, every detail of it… it’s what got me through. Ensured that I remembered I had something to live for.
Time seemingly pauses, stilling the air between us as we watch one another. Devouring her beauty, I’m completely taken aback. Someone must have made a serious mistake upstairs. There’s no way I am deserving of the woman before me. As much as I have come to accept it, I still need pinching. Whatever it is that I bring to her, it’s enough to make her stay.
The baby must kick for Mads looks down, breaking our focus. Her hand rests on her bump, her fingers elegantly spreadacross the material of one of my t-shirts she’s wearing.
I shift my gaze, happiness rippling through me. I lift my hand as Mads lifts hers, making way for me. The second my palm bends over the curve of her bump, I feel the tender thump. It warms my soul. The knock enough to shatter me like glass.
I close my eyes, allowing the movement under my touch to unearth a type of joy I’ve not experienced before. Until I met Mads, I’d never questioned whether the life I was used to, was where I was meant to be. Every day that I’ve been blessed to call her mine, deep down I’ve known thatsheis where I belong. Right here. On my knees before her.Thisis my purpose.
The club has been my entire life. If I were to die tomorrow, the world would know I was a Ripper. But for the first time in my life, I’d rather be remembered for being her man. Her protector. Her saviour as much as she has been mine.
Back where I belong, in this moment, I am content. At peace.
“Dean?”
Not ready to open my eyes just yet, I lean forwards, gently resting my head against her tummy.
