“Yes,” I say, and he smiles as he brushes his hand over my cheek.
“Thank you,” he whispers against my lips. “You’ve given me everything I thought I’d never want or have. You changed me. You’ve made me want to erase all of the sins in my past and be worthy of you.”
I can’t speak. But I feel so much. His warmth surrounds me. Protects me. I feel his love. His walls have collapsed around me, and I know he’s mine, and I’m his. My heart races and I pull him closer.
“Please say something,” he begs. “Tell me I’m not crazy. Tell me that what I’m feeling isn’t one-sided. Tell me…”
“I love you,” I blurt out.
“Tell me you won’t leave,” he says, pleading with me.
I sigh and close my eyes.
“I have to, Garrett. Kai doesn’t need me anymore, not like he did six months ago. I need to go back to work. It’s time.”
His eyes are heavy and he exhales. “This isn’t goodbye. You’re not leaving me, Sam.”
I smile. “I don’t intend to. I’ll just be staying someplace else at night.”
Relief floods his face, and he pulls me against him like he never plans to let me go.
“Good,” he whispers in my ear.
“And I think that someplace else should be my bed, permanently.” I feel him smile against my cheek.
“I don’t think Aunt Peggy would approve,” I joke, and he rolls on top of me, pinning me to the bed.
“I see I have a lot of convincing to do, don’t I?” His eyes are filled with determination, and he prepares to make sure my body doesn’t forget a single inch of his.
Within seconds, he’s claimed me again. Our bodies move in perfect rhythm as if we were built only for each other. “Say it again,” he pants as his thrusts fill me.
“I love you,” I repeat over and over again.
Garrett
Present
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Age 27
I WIPE THE FOOD FROM KAI’S FACE, and he’s belly laughing.
“Did you ever think you’d see this day?” Peggy asks as she rinses Kai’s bottles in the sink.
“No,” I respond. “A day like today seemed almost impossible to reach.”
I can still hear Kai’s sharp, painful cries if I let myself remember the early days with him months ago. Days when I tried to avoid hearing his screams. I disappeared for days and weeks on end. Escaping the reality that was my life.
Looking at him now, I realize the mistake I made. I should have been here to absorb every cry of pain. Every whimper. Thank God for Sam and Peggy. They did what I couldn’t do and helped Kai without hesitation.
“Thank you, Peggy,” I say.
“For what?” Your niece.
I look at her and raise my eyebrows. “You forced me to face what I didn’t want to face. And you helped me heal my son.”
“You didn’t need my help, Garrett. You just needed to find it in yourself to open your heart and love someone.”
I love your niece, too.
“Are you ready, little man?” Peggy asks. He coos and claps his hands.
“I think he is,” I say, and she lifts him out of his high chair.
“It’s such a beautiful day. I’m going to take him to the park after his appointment, if that’s okay with you?” Kai has a check-up today, and Peggy always insists on handling the doctor appointments. It’s kind of her thing with him, and I don’t complain. It’s hard to see him get shots, and I know he’s in good hands with her.
“We’ll be back in a few hours. Enjoy the quiet while you can,” Peggy says. She knows Sam is going to go back to work soon, and I’ll be adjusting to a new schedule and routine on my own.
“Okay. Take your time,” I say and rush up the stairs as soon as I hear the car pull away. Sam slept in today, and I plan to wake her up the best way that I know how.
I open the door to my room and am surprised to see Sam pacing, holding a pad and pencil. She’s in her panties and tank top and looks so fucking hot. She’s startled when I burst in and close the door behind me.