“If it’s any consolation,” I say. “I blamed myself for years, and I still would have, whether you said that to me or not. And you didn’t force me to run away. I made that decision by myself because I was hurt, and confused, and grieving, and suffocating under the weight of guilt I felt. I don’t know that I’ll ever fully forgive myself for failing Ayden, because there was clearly something going on with him, and I should have made him tell me, but I ignored the signs because I was so wrapped up in myself and I didn’t want to lose my other best friend.”
“Stop, Lina.” Mr. Carter leans over his wife to touch my face. “Ayden loved you, and you were a great friend to him. If he didn’t confide in you, it was for his own reasons.”
“It’s never ending, isn’t it?” Nancy says, sniffling. “The questions that we’ll never get answers to.” She shakes her head sadly. “We work hard to put it aside, because we have three daughters who need us, but, God, it’s so difficult at times. Not a day goes by where I don’t miss my boy.”
Devin wraps his arm around my shoulder. “We miss him too. So much.”
We chat for a while, and Kayla joins us, and I can’t believe how big she’s grown. She was only eight when I left, and now she’s a teenager. She has the same blonde hair and blue eyes as Ayden, and it looks like she’s going to be nearly as tall as him as well.
When Nancy hugs me at the door as we are leaving, another crack mends in my heart, and it feels as if everything is slotting into place as its meant to.
Devin stays with me that night, holding me close as we sleep in my childhood bed. We stay another day and night, but then it’s time to return to the city. Devin needs to get back to work, and now I know about my inheritance, I have college applications to complete.
Mom told me last night that my father passed away a couple years ago after a short battle with cancer. He left half his vast estate to me, which surprised me enormously. I’m guessing it’s guilt money, but I’m not going to refuse it. Why should I? He was my father, and he gave me very little in life. This money sets me up for the future. I don’t have to work ever again if I don’t want to, but that’s not my intent. I need a purpose, and I want to go back to college. To get my psychology degree and eventually set up my own practice like I always planned to. My life experiences have made me even more determined than I was back then. This money will help, and it means I don’t have to rely on Devin financially, something which I’m uncomfortable with anyway.
Mom hugs me desperately, clinging to me as she makes me promise to call every day and to visit as soon as I can. I reassure her, and tease her about setting a date, and then we’re on our way.
Looking out the window, as we drive past familiar landscape, I reach across the console, laying my hand over Devin’s, smiling the first, real, genuine smile in years.
I’m home, and it feels unbelievably good to be back.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Devin
I hang up the phone, tossing my cell on the table and walk to Ange, wrapping my arms around her from behind. She’s chopping vegetables for dinner, and mouthwatering smells waft around the kitchen. I’ve only recently grown to like this house. I’d been on the verge of selling it before she reappeared in my life. Now, I wouldn’t dream of disposing of it. It finally feels like my home, now that the woman of my dreams is sharing it with me. While there are no labels, and we haven’t progressed beyond kissing and innocent touching, we turned a corner last weekend. She’s happier in herself, and that makes me happy in turn. I’m content to let her set the pace, once she understands where this is heading, and I’m confident she does.
“Who was that?” she asks, leaning back into me.
I kiss the top of her head. “Your mom. She forgot to give us some letters that came for us. She was calling to let me know she’s popped them in the mail.”
“What letters?”
I shrug. “Don’t have a clue.” I nestle my chin on her shoulder. “What are you making? It smells divine.”
She twists her head around, pecking me all too briefly on the lips. “Lasagna. Your favorite.”
“I think you’re spoiling me.” I wink.
“I think you deserve it.” She kisses me again.
After we’ve eaten, we curl up on the sofa watching TV, and I can’t recall the last time I felt so happy. She belongs with me, and I belong with her, and I’m going to make sure this time is for forever.
The next couple of months settle into a comfortable pattern. I return to work, and Ange spends her days redecorating the house, attending college interviews, and helping her mom with her wedding planning.
In our spare time, we do everything together, and it’s the first time in my life when I’ve properly dated, when I’ve fully shared my life with a woman, and I love it. I love coming home to a warm house and a home-cooked meal. I love snuggling up with her on the couch, messing with her hair, and dotting her face with sly kisses, as we watch a movie. I love going to sleep beside her and waking up with her curled around me, murmuring contentedly in her sleep. I love taking her to a show and seeing her eyes light up in wonder. I love spoon-feeding her dinner over the table of a restaurant, watching in amusement as she giggles in nervous embarrassment. I love holding her hand, going for walks in the moonlight, and glancing over my shoulder in the gym to see her checking me out while she works out.
There isn’t a single thing I don’t love about having her back in my life, and I make a point of telling her every day. In the first few weeks, I showered her with flowers and gifts until she made me promise to stop. When she told me she didn’t need grand gestures—she only needed me—my heart melted, and I couldn’t mount any argument.
While she’s moved her stuff permanently into my room, our room, and we share a bed every night, our intimacy hasn’t moved beyond kissing and hugging. I want to take it further, to bury myself in the woman I love, but I’m letting her lead this. Even if I have the worst case of blue balls in history.
We talk about our son, and though it’s painful to hear some of her stories, it’s cathartic at the same time. I’ll always hate that I wasn’t there to support her, but I’ve forgiven her for concealing it from me. Besides, I plan on giving her plenty more babies, and there’ll be time to make some new precious memories. For now, I want to honor the memory of the child I never knew, and I’ve made inquiries into relocating his grave. We want him close so we can visit often.
It’s Friday night, and I’m at a local bar with some of my colleagues waiting for Ange, when slender arms curl around me from behind. The smile on my face is instant as I spin around, leaning down to press my lips to hers. Her returning kiss is exuberant and demanding, and blood rushes straight to my dick. I’m instantly hard. “Hey, baby,” I say, grinning and breathless as I break the kiss before I decide to ravage her right here in front of my buddies. “You look happy.”
“I am!” Her grin is so wide it threatens to split her face, and she’s practically bouncing on the ground. “I got in, Devin! I got accepted to North Central University!”
I kiss her again. “Congrats, baby. I’m so proud of you.”
“I’m so excited. Everything is falling into place.”
Her stunning blue eyes are twinkling with excitement, and her face is radiant, glowing with happiness. I’ve never seen her look more beautiful or more content, and it fills me with so much emotion. “This calls for a celebration,” I say, taking her hand. I wave at my buddies, steering her out of the bar. I take her to Les Miserables, an expensive, popular French restaurant, and we gorge ourselves on fine dining and non-alcoholic champagne.
Snuggled into my side, she’s singing along to the radio in the car as I drive us home, and I know I won’t be able to wait much longer. I’ve been patient, but that patience is running low. I need her to know she’s my forever girl. I need to ensure she’s fully mine.
Proving how deep our connection run
s, she takes my hand the minute we step inside the house, pulling me silently up the stairs, as if she’s read my mind.
She pushes me down on the bed and straddles me. Leaning down, she kisses me passionately, running her tongue around the seam of my lips. When her tongue slides into my mouth, my dick surges to life, greedily taking whatever she’s offering. She rubs herself against me, and we both groan. Ripping her mouth from mine, she starts unbuttoning her blouse. When she tosses it to the floor, I reach for her, but she shakes her head. Her eyes glisten and her features soften as she stares at me. “There are so many things I love about you, Devin, but more than anything, I love how patient you’ve been with me. I want you. I’ve wanted you from the minute you reappeared in my life, but I kept my distance because I needed to be sure I could give you what you need.” She leans down, planting a scorching hot kiss on my mouth. “Sleeping in this bed every night and not touching you has almost killed me, but I needed to ensure I was ready to take the next step, and I am.”
Her chest inflates and deflates as she stands up and unclips her bra. Saliva pools in my mouth, and my dick is straining against my zipper. She shimmies out of her skirt, panties, and stockings and kicks her shoes off. Then she crawls back over me, naked and utterly magnificent. “I’m ready, Devin. I love you so much it feels like my heart could burst out of my chest. I’ve known since I was a little girl that you’re the only man for me. I’m all yours.” She starts unbuttoning my shirt. “Make love to me, Devin. Make me yours.”
I need no further encouragement. She helps me strip completely bare, emitting a little shocked gasp as she finally sees the tattoo with her name just over my heart.
“This is why you always sleep with a top on?” she asks.
I nod. “I didn’t want to scare you.”
She tilts her head to the side, looking at me as if I’m crazy. “When did you get it?”
“The week after you left.” I take her hand, placing it against my bare skin. “I told you, you were in here, and this tattoo let everyone else know it too. No one else has ever owned a piece of my heart. It’s always been yours.”
Her eyes are drenched with lust as she flings herself at me, ravishing my mouth and letting me know everything she’s feeling. Then we’re feasting on one another as if we’ve never eaten. Her lips brand my skin in every place they touch, and my hands are greedy as they roam the curves of her body. I flip her onto her back, devouring her mouth as my hand wanders lower. She arches off the bed when I slip one finger inside her, pumping slowly through her wet warmth. I add another finger and she moans into my mouth, almost making me come on the spot. I move down her body, kissing, nipping, and licking as I go, paying lavish attention to her breasts as my fingers continue moving inside her. Placing my head in between her legs, I lick up and down her folds, and she goes wild, bucking and thrashing, and I can’t keep the smug grin off my face.
My fingers move inside her again, and I pick up the pace as my lips suction on that little bundle of nerves. I suck her hard, my fingers pumping manically inside her and she explodes, screaming my name with her release.
I stroke my straining cock, positioning myself at her entrance. Her face is flushed, her lips swollen, and her eyes look drunk as she stares at me. Her fingers tickle the bristle on my chin, and she smiles. “I’m on the pill, and I’m clean. I got tested in rehab.”
“I’m good too,” I confirm, easing the tip of my cock inside her. Her eyes roll back in her head, and she produces the horniest sound ever. “Fuck, you’re so sexy.”
“Then show me, big boy,” she demands, sending me a naughty grin. “Show me how sexy I am.”
I slam into her, all semblance of patience gone. She wraps her legs around my waist, flexing her hips upward to meet me, and I pound into her, thrusting over and over, lost to sensation and emotion and the joy of finally being inside her again. She moans and screams without shame, and it’s hot as fuck. I sit upright, pulling her with me until she’s riding me in my lap. Placing one hand on the headboard, I thrust up into her in sharp, precise movements as she continues grinding against me, tightening her pussy around my cock. My teeth pull at her nipples, and I continue thrusting, slamming into her with years of repressed sexual frustration. She slips a hand down between us, rubbing herself, and I almost spill my load. Grabbing the back of her head, I pull her mouth to mine, and I kiss the shit out of her as I hammer us both to oblivion. She screams as her orgasm hits, and I roar as release detonates through me at the same time.
We’re both panting as I wrap my arms around her sweat-slicked skin, holding her close to me. I can feel the vibration of her heart beating against my chest. I pepper her face with soft kisses, whispering how much I love her.
“Devin,” she rasps, her voice heavy with desire and awe. “No one else has ever made me feel this way. I don’t have words to properly describe it. And it’s more than that—you have saved me in every way it’s possible to save a person.”
I lean back a little, still buried inside her, not willing to forgo the connection yet. Peering deep into her eyes, I brush damp hair back off her face. “I do. We fit together in every conceivable way. We always have. We just get one another. We were meant to be together. There’s never been any doubt in my mind about that.”
She smiles broadly. “Nor mine. When I looked at my future, it was always you.”
Gently, I pull out of her sweet body, kissing her lips softly. Then I reach over, removing the black velvet-covered box from my bedside table. I kneel up in front of her, watching her eyes go wide. “I wanted to do this smoother. I had a huge romantic proposal all planned out, but I can’t wait any longer. I love you, Ange. I love you so, so much. You’re my forever girl. Marry me, baby doll. Be my wife.” I flick the box open, and the large diamond sparkles in the dim lighting of the room. “Make me the happiest man on the planet.”
She grabs my face, tears coursing down her cheeks. “Yes, Devin. Yes, I’ll marry you. I want to be your wife. Nothing would make me happier or prouder.”
Then we’re both crying and hugging one another, kissing and laughing, and it’s the best fucking moment of my life. “Here,” I say, removing the ring from the box. “Let me put it on you.”
“Wait,” she says, squinting to inspect the ring. “What does the inscription say?”
I hold it up for her, until she can read the etching on the inside of the band.
“Always remember,” she whispers.
I nod as I reach out to touch the small locket she still wears around her neck. “I asked you once before to never forget what you meant to me.” I gulp, choked with emotion as I slide the ring on her finger. It’s a perfect fit, as I knew it would be. “Now I’m asking you to always remember. I need you to remember what we’ve been through to get to this point.” I look into her eyes, rapidly filling up again. “Because we’ve been through a lot, but it’s shaped us as individuals, defined our relationship, strengthened our bond, and made us who we are today.” I trace one finger over the tattoo on her wrist. “While some of those memories aren’t pleasant, it’s part of our story, and we should always remember how hard we both fought to find our way back to one another. How much we’ve sacrificed for our love.”
“Devin,” she whispers, touching my face as tears blur her vision. “No proposal could ever be more romantic. No man more perfect. I will love you till my dying day.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Angelina
I’m floating on a cloud the next morning, ecstatic over Devin’s proposal, and still reeling from the most magical night of my life. For a reformed bad boy, Devin sure has turned out all sweet. Mom screamed down the phone when we called her to tell her our good news. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly love Devin anymore, she explained how he looked after her in my absence and how he attended dinner religiously ever Sunday for years. I cried when she told him she’d always considered him a son, but she was looking forwar
d to making it official now.
I leave them chatting when the doorbell chimes, moving to open the front door. A stunning brunette stands on the top step, frowning a little as she regards me. She recovers quickly, offering me a smile. “Oh, hello. I was looking for Devin. Does he still live here?”
I nod cautiously. “He’s on a call. Can I help? I’m his fiancée.” It gives me enormous pleasure to say the word.
Her frown disappears, and a huge smile lights up her face. “I wasn’t aware he’d gotten engaged. That’s fantastic news. Congratulations.”
Any anxiety I was feeling washes away at her genuine expression. “Thank you. I’m over the moon.”
“He’s a great guy.”
“I know. I’m very lucky.”
She hands me two white envelopes. “I’m sure he’s very lucky too. These were delivered to my house in error.” She glances over her shoulder, pointing at the house across the way. “Myself and my husband live there. I’m Gwyneth, by the way.” She offers me her hand, and I shake it. “I probably should’ve opened with that!” She laughs, a soft tinkling sound. “Anyway, my husband travels a lot for business, and I usually go with him. We’ve been away for the last two months which is why I’m only giving you these now. Hope they weren’t important.”
“No problem. Thank you, and I’m Angelina.”
“Nice to meet you,” she says, before backing up. “We’ll have you over to dinner one night. Get to know each other properly.” She waves. “Tell Devin I said hi and congratulations.”
I turn the envelopes over as I pad back to the living room, frowning as I stop the same attorney’s stamp on the back of both letters. One is addressed to me, and one is addressed to Devin.
“Who was at the door?” he asks, tugging me into his arms. “And why have they put that frown on your face?”
“It was your neighbor, Gwyneth, and she didn’t put the frown on my face. These letters did.” I hand him his, and recognition dawns on his face.
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