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Rhett grabbed a couple of blankets from the back of the truck and held out his hand for me after opening my car door. I glanced down at his hand, determined to get through this conversation regardless of the outcome; we couldn’t walk away with things unsaid like we did three years ago. But when I looked back up at his face, his eyebrows were raised in question. In his own way, it was like he was asking for me to trust him. So, I did.
With my hand in his, we walked down toward the water.
He spread one blanket out for us to sit on and wrapped the other one around my shoulders. I sat next to him, curled into his side, as we watched the sunrise.
Finally, he broke the silence. “I love you, Bella. It’s what I should have said last night.” He scrubbed his hand down his face. “Shit, I should have told you that weeks ago. Really, years ago.”
Relief hit me with a force that felt like an ocean wave crashing into me. In my heart, I already knew he did, but hearing those words said out loud cemented everything that felt right with us. But we still had things we needed to figure out, and maybe starting with how we felt would make that easier.
My hand rubbed along his stubble as I turned his face toward mine. “Look at me, Rhett.” He tilted his head down, and I could see the turmoil in his eyes. “I love you too.” He let out a sigh and bent to place a kiss on my forehead. “But we weren’t ready years ago. This is our time. Now, tell me what had you so bent out of shape last night that you acted like an ass.”
He chuckled into my hair and pulled back again to look at me. “I really was an ass, wasn’t I?”
“Yes. And now you’re stalling. Spit it out.”
He ran his hand through his hair. I waited, giving him time to form his thoughts into words.
“It seems so stupid now that I think about it. But I wanted last night to go perfectly because I planned to convince you to move in with me.” Then he added quickly, “With Brendan, of course. Lately, every time I hear something from Mom or Dad—evenBrendan really loves Mickey waffles now—I get annoyed, because I want to be the one telling them that stuff. I want you both with me. I love the mess and the noise and even the interruptions.”
So, he didn’t mind me bringing all our crap over the last week? I was still confused about why he got so upset last night then. I climbed up on my knees, positioning myself between his thighs.
“I just assumed that was the direction we were going. Like when I asked you to get the diapers out of the car, you brought in both big boxes. I have three bottles of hot sauce in your fridge, and all my stuff is overtaking your bathroom. Oh, and let’s not forget the decorative basket with throw blankets sitting next to your couch.”
His eyes widened, and a smile crossed his face. “Damn, you’re right. Sneaky little thing, aren’t you?” He shook his head. “I’ve been so focused and stressed about needing to make it official that I missed all that.”
I guess that explained why he seemed so distracted this past week.
“I mean, you made Brendan his own room. I didn’t think I was being sneaky. I also know you don’t do well with sudden changes, so I thought slowly moving in that direction was what you wanted.” I shrugged. “But why did you feel the need to make it official? Brendan and I were already staying with you more often than not over the last week.”
The idea honestly didn’t scare me. I guess when I put the extra diapers for Brendan in my car and a bag of my things to leave at his place, I was ready for the next step.
“I think… after Brendan’s seizure last week and not being there yet again for you. My parents having to step in and me sleeping on the couch. All of it just got me thinking that you and Brendan belonged with me.”
I hated that he got so hung up on the times hewasn’tthere for me. And not to mention relationships were mutual, two-way streets. We needed to lean on each other and work together; it shouldn’t all fall on him. And I knew that as long as we communicated and didn’t walk away when it got hard, we would be fine. I paused, thinking about how to put that into words and make him understand.
“Rhett, if this is going to work, you have to let go of the past. I could sit here and list off all the ways youhavebeen there for me. But honestly, you’re not always going to be there. There will come times I’ll need to handle things without you. And I’m totally capable of doing that.”
“I know.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I told you this all sounds so stupid now that I’m saying it out loud.”
“How you feel isn’t stupid.” I climbed up and straddled his lap. “But make sure you want us there for the right reasons.”
“I do. Trust me, I do. I love you, and I love Brendan. I want us to be a family. I want our house messy and loud. I want your hot sauce in the fridge and your girly shit all over the bathroom. I want it all.”
“Good. I want all that too. I want us to promise that we’ll talk through the hard stuff. We need to be open and honest with each other.”
Rhett’s hands squeezed my hips before trailing slowly up my back and around to cup my face. His lips brushed gently against mine until his hand tightened in my hair as he deepened the kiss. His other hand cupped my breast, and I moaned, instinctively grinding myself against his already hard cock.
Abruptly, he broke the kiss. “Unless you want me to fuck you right here on this blanket, we need to stop.” His hands gripped my hips tightly before he added, “I’m going to take you back to the cabin and have my way with you before I drop you back at Ashley’s.”
“I’m not sure if my boss will appreciate it if I’m late for my first day in a new position.” The corner of my mouth twitched as I bit back a smirk.
“I’m pretty sure your boss will understand,” he said before his lips trailed kisses along my collarbone. Reaching up, he tucked one side of my hair behind my ear. “So, this weekend, can we move the rest of your stuff in? And Brendan’s?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
Everything I’d ever wanted was happening. Our story might have begun with pain and tragedy, but I’d be damned if I let it end that way.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
