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When I tip his head, our lips fall open, and we sink into the deliciousness that is us. He kisses me like he needs to make up for lost time, and I let him because I know how amazing he is when he takes the lead. His tongue wraps around mine, his lips permanently imprint themselves, and somewhere deep down, I know he is going to be the last man I ever kiss.
“I love you,” he says, and if my heart had wings, I know it would fly.
“I love you, too,” I tell him, and he groans in response and smiles against my lips. It’s funny how hearing these little words can mean so much.
Breaking away, I lay my head on his shoulder. He wraps his arms around me and holds me in the best hug I’ve ever received. This is what I need, and my eyes drift shut as I breathe him in and let the enormity of what this declaration means sink in.
Briggs loves me.
Me.
For who I am.
I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.
“So does this mean you’ll marry me?” he asks, his face buried in my neck.
I laugh. “Too soon, Briggs. Too soon.”
He pulls back to look at me, and I get lost in his eyes. Eyes that say I’m the only one he’ll ever see.
“Well, you should know I’m not going to stop asking.” He smirks.
I run my hand over the stubble on his jaw and down to his heart. “Then you should know, when you least expect it, I just might say yes.”
33
BRIGGS
It’s been a month since the fire incident.
A lot has changed in that month, but not a lot at the same time. We’ve both been more open about how we feel, and I’m continually surprised by how far we’ve come since the very beginning. Me thinking all commitments to a woman would be like Adele and a terrible thing, to her removing the wall she’s kept herself behind. Goldie’s had to learn to let me help her, and I’ve had to accept that it’s okay to let her do things on her own. But the biggest change was that Goldie agreed to stay with me while her house was being repaired. We fit together far better than either of us expected.
I’ve continued to ask her to marry me at random times, and of course she just laughs. I’m not sure if she thinks I’m serious or not, but I am. I would marry her tomorrow. Soon enough, I’ll convince her, I’m sure of it.
We’re sitting on the couch in the living room, discussing what we’re going to take to Clay’s for Thanksgiving, when I decide to ask her a different question.
“I do love your painting. It’s going to look great when you finally decide where you want to hang it.”
Her feet are propped on my lap as she’s stretched out across the couch looking for recipes on her phone, and I’m watching her to see when my words register, and the moment they do, her eyes flick up to mine.
“Wait. What? Why would I hang it here? It’ll go back with me once the kitchen is done.” She glances toward the painting, which is propped up against the wall, and then back to me.
“You should hang it because I think you should move in with me.”
She stares at me like she doesn’t understand, but I do. I want her here with me, permanently. She makes my life better, and every day, I’m thankful that she moved in across the street.
“But we haven’t been dating that long,” she counters, then sits up so we’re more eye to eye. My arm is stretched out across the back of the couch, and my fingers find her neck and shoulder. She’s warm and soft, and I love touching her.
“Really?” One brow pops up. “We could argue about when we started dating, not officially of course, but are you going to change your mind about me? About us?”
“Well, no,” she says, drawing out the word and scooting on her knees a little closer. The gold flecks in her eyes become visible. She’s so beautiful that sometimes it hurts to look at her. Like right now. She’s in sweatpants, one of my long-sleeved T-shirts, and fuzzy socks. Her hair is piled on her head, and she’s makeup-free. She’s comfortable, relaxed, and authentically herself. I could never ask for anything more.
Well, except for her to be naked.
“Does separating us by a road make that much of a difference?” I ask, and she chews on her bottom lip. My dick twitches at the sight, as it knows exactly what those lips can do.
“I guess not. I’ve just never lived with anyone before.”
