“With your entire heart in your eyes.”
“Because I love you,” he said. “You own me, Bluebird. Completely. You always have, and you always will.” His lips skimmed against my knuckles in a light caress. “I loved you the first time I saw you in your cardinal pin, before you even knew I existed. Way before I even knew your name. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. No lengths I wouldn’t go to keep you safe. To keep you happy. That’s all I’ll ever want in this life—to make you happy. To love you with all that I am.” He choked up at the end, and I couldn’t help wrapping my arms around his neck and letting him feel my response, and the way my heart soared at his words, with a kiss.
It was beautiful. It was perfect. It was worth every ounce of heartbreak and every scared and confused thought I’d ever had.To be with Ollie, I would go through it all again, over and over, just for the moments like this, where I felt like my heart was going to burst from the overflow of love he gave to me.
“Reid?”
“Hmm?”
“Can I ask how you ended up on the kitchen floor?”
I laughed and pointed to his pants, keys, and wallet on the counter. “You went wild getting naked for me, that’s how. Stuff all over the floor,” I teased.
“You’re not complaining, are you?”
“Hell no. Actually, that reminds me—there’s something else about you that I forgot to mention I love.”
“My bowling skills?”
“It does involve balls, yes.”
“Huh. You haven’t seen me play tackle football yet.”
“No, but now I have something else to look forward to. But Ollie? I just have to tell you… I really, really love”—I moved in like I was going to kiss him—“your cock.” He busted out laughing as my lips twitched in amusement. “I know. Words I never thought I’d say, but it’s true. I’ve never seen a more impressive dick.”
“Uh, I would think fucking not,” he said. “But I, for one, am very happy to hear how much you love my cock. As a matter of fact, I think you should spend some time letting my cock know just how much you love it.”
“I dunno… I see lots of long, hard hours spent getting better reacquainted. You sure you’re up for that?”
He lifted his eyebrows and looked down at his lap to where his pants had tented. “Really? Do you have to ask?”
“Not anymore I don’t,” I said, and gave him another kiss. “You belong to me now. I’m taking you any time I want to.”
“I think I like this side of you.”
“I hope so. Because I plan to be around for the long haul. There’s no getting rid of me now.”
“I guess I can get rid of the chains in the basement, then.”
“Hmm.” I sucked his lower lip into my mouth. “Maybe don’t get rid of those just yet.”
“Is now the time you tell me you’re secretly a kinky bastard?”
“I don’t think I should tell you. Maybe I’ll show you.”
Ollie groaned and pulled me onto his lap. “How did we get on this subject? I thought you were going to tell me you came in here to play our song.”
“Our song, huh?”
His eyes twinkled. “Isn’t it?”
My heart melted a little as I realized I’d fallen in love with the most incredible person I’d ever met—a person that just so happened to be a man. And what was more? I fucking loved it. I loved the way my body caught fire every time he was near, and I loved the way he loved me with every fiber of his being. That’s just who Ollie was: someone who loved completely. And somehow, against all odds, it wasmehe’d chosen to give himself to. And I planned to choose him back, again and again, every day for the rest of our lives.
“I’m not sure how I got so lucky. I wouldn’t have even known how to wish for you,” I said.
Ollie tightened his hold on me and held my face in his hands. “I don’t need a wish.” He brushed a kiss against my lips before saying the words I would cherish forever: “I got everything I ever wanted…when you came back to me.”
epilogue