“Your dad, huh?” Davis says reaching for his wallet.
I lean in and whisper, “If that motherfucker had said Daddy, we were gonna have a real problem.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Only I can call you that.”
“What about Jordan?”
“Oh my god, you’re so gross!”
He laughs. “You’re right. He would never.” His smile is soft when he looks up at me. “So, what do you want to do now? A drink somewhere?”
“Nah,” I lean in and whisper. “I just want to get my Daddy home and give him some dessert.”
Epilogue
It would not be inaccurate to say that Davis fucked me all night long. We made love like we were making up for lost time—or trying to stave off the future. I spent most of the night lost in his arms, enraptured by his touch. Each time he came inside of me, I felt more and more like his. By the time we were sated, and sleep finally took us, the sun was threatening its ascent and we were both incredibly tired.
We wake and shower. I enter the kitchen, dressed though I’m still toweling my hair, to find Davis frying bacon.
“Drink that,” he says, gesturing to a tall green bottle on the counter.
I ditch my towel, pick the bottle, and pull up to him as he flips the bacon in the pan. “Since when are you into kale?” I say, reading the label.
“Dunno. Never been not into it. The lady at the market suggested it to me.”
I smile as I crack the bottle open and take a swig. It tastes a little bit like grass with a faint hint of sweetness. I lean over and kiss my Davis.
He smiles at me. “What was that for?”
“Nothing. You’re all cooking and making me drink my vegetables,” I say, a sheepish smile lifting my cheeks.
“What? Did you think it’d be all pizza and Italian beef sandwiches?” he jokes.
Later, we’re leaning up against the counter eating breakfast sandwiches—eggs scrambled to perfection as usual, by Davis—when he mentions that he must go back to Fairview. When he does, I fully set my plate down, my chest twinging as I realize this is what I’ve been waiting for. This isn’t permanent, is it? Him being here with me…
“Do you have to?” I ask before I can remove the uncertainty in my voice.
He kind of smiles but I know he understands what I mean. “I’ll be back up here in a couple of days,” he says. “You ran away from me, but you didn’t go that far. It’s a quick drive.”
I fold into him, laying my head on his shoulder. He caresses my back while he continues to eat his sandwich.
Later, I’m the first to go. He’s going to do some work at my place and avoid some of the rush hour traffic. I kiss him like our lives depend on it. In fact, I feel like they do. Now that I have him, I won’t be able to live without him. He holds both of my hands with just one of his, tugging me closer repeatedly, for kisses. “You’re going to make me late,” I murmur against his lips, my cheeks burning from smiling. I make no attempt to leave.
“Well, go on then,” he says, giving me one last kiss and a smack on the butt that finally gets me out the door.
I float all the way the L station. This is it. What I’ve wanted. My own little version of bliss. I almost falter when I think about how he won’t be there when I get back. But, I’ve waited three years for this man. I can wait a few days more. Right?
If I’m waiting to start forever with him, then maybe, just maybe I can.
Afterword
Taking Lead Page 23