Page 57 of Beautiful Life
She doesn’t move but bites the side of her lip again.
“Are you going to come to me now?” I ask again.
She drops her arms immediately and walks to me. I watch her move, gracefully, her long, bare legs peeking out from in front of my robe. I stand up straight and she face plants in my neck, fisting my shirt at my waist. I thread my fingers through her hair and pull out her messy knot. Her damp hair falls over my fingers and I put my lips to her forehead.
“You okay now?” I ask.
“I don’t deserve to want all that to be mine, but I do. I didn’t even know I wanted it to be mine. Thank you, Tone,” she whispers in my neck.
I chuckle into her hair. “It’s not like I saved myself for you. But I’m glad I can give you that and I’m glad it makes you happy.”
I feel her smile against my skin and a giggle bursts from her lips at my comment about saving myself. She leans her head back and smiles. “I had a crush on you in high school.”
I grin back. “I know.”
She rears back in my arms, the smile wiped from her face. “What? How did you know?”
Holding on to her tight, I simply say, “Gabby.”
“What?” she yells even louder. “Gabby told you I had a crush on you back in the day?”
“Yeah, but not back then.” I give her a yank and pull her close again. “She told me a couple months ago. She thought I was trying to play you when you were still stuck in your head, came to rip me a new one, and I had to set her straight. I can’t decide if it makes me happy you crushed on me in high school or pissed off I didn’t know so I could do something about it then.”
“Oh.”
“Although,” I say, turning our bodies to walk toward the bedroom, Leigh shuffling backwards in my arms. “I could be a dick in high school and like any horny high school boy, I probably would have ruined my chances at having you right now because you’d still be pissed twelve years later. I guess I should be grateful I didn’t know you were into me back then because I’m likin’ where you are now.”
“Tone,” she breathes, as we come to a stop because the back of her legs hit the side of my bed. I lean back a bit, yank the tie on my robe letting it fall open on her body.
“This is way better than high school, gem. I would’ve royally screwed my chances with you back in the day.” I lift my index finger up to her neck and it makes its way down the center of her body. I feel her shiver and when I reach her belly I round her waist with my hand pulling her to me. “It’s better having you now knowing I knew you then and you’ve been a part of my life for a long time. We’ll always have that, Leigh, and I like it.”
“I like that too.”
“We’ll be able to give those memories to our kids and their kids,” I add. “I like that even better.”
Leigh turns her head. I know that reminds her of her child she’ll never know, but I need her to look to the future and show her what will be.
“Sweetheart.” I give her a shake in my arms. She finally looks at me again, pain slicing through her features. “It’s true. I can’t wait for that. You need to know what I want—where this is going.”
“This is going really fast,” she says quietly.
“It doesn’t seem fast, I’ve known you since you were eight.”
“Tony.” She lowers her voice with meaning.
“Sweetheart.” I move my hand up her bare back in between her shoulder blades. My other hand dips in my robe to cup her bare ass making my robe fall completely open on her. I lighten the conversation. “Come Friday, we’re gonna have a dog. Don’t you think Fin’s gonna want some kids to play with?”
She narrows her eyes. “Finny.”
“Fin,” I correct her, grinning. “No way am I calling him Finny.”
“Whatever.” She shifts under my hands to yank my shirt up my torso.
This I allow, moving back a step to yank my shirt off. Her hands come to my chest to run her fingers over me. Then her gaze follows her left hand down to my scar and she does what she’s done countless times over the past two months. She runs her fingers lightly over it with a faraway expression on her face. This lasts mere moments like always before she looks up at me, but this time she tips up on her toes to kiss me, fitting her bare body to mine. I pull my robe off her shoulders and let it fall to the ground.
Then, finally.
Leigh is where she’s supposed to be. Completely mine, in my house, my room, and my bed.
