She stops herself and looks away again. Gently cupping her cheek, I bring her eyes back to me and hold her gaze. “Aye. I meant it then and I mean it now. And I’ll mean it every day until the day I die. I love you, mo chroi.”
“You never did tell me what that means,” she says with a sniffle.
“My heart. It means you’re my heart.”
Tears well and spill onto her cheeks, but her face lights up in a radiant smile. “I love you too.”
Then she’s raising herself on her toes to kiss me. It’s consuming, like kissing Layla always is, but this time it holds so much more weight. We’ve been heading in this direction since the beginning. I think we both knew going into this that it wasn’t just a casual fling.
Breaking the kiss, I brush strands of hair from her face and tell her earnestly, “I’m sorry that the first time I told you was while I was in rag order. If I could take it back and do it over, I would in a heartbeat.”
A breathy laugh bursts from that perfect mouth. “It’s okay. You more than made up for it.”
“Ach, I owe you for something else too.” I tell her, a wicked grin forming.
Her head tilts to the side, eyes questioning. “What’s that, guapo?”
“A mind-blowing orgasm.” Then I scoop her into my arms, eliciting a shriek and peals of laughter, and carry her to bed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Layla
“How are you not nervous? It’smyfamily and I’m freaking out.”
We just landed in Brownsville for our Spring Break visit and we’re waiting to deboard the plane. I’m ready to bounce out of my skin. Yes, I’m excited to see my family, and I want them to meet Teagan, but I’m also worried they’ll be too much for him. Even though he’s proven over and over again that he can handle anything and anyone, no matter the level of their energy. He welcomes the challenge of meeting new people and figuring out what makes them tick. He’s genuinely interested in the people he strikes up conversations with, giving them his full attention. That’s probably why the kids he works with love him so much.
Love.
Heloves me. I love him.
Trading those words that day was better than what I had ever pictured. I was so worried that I wouldn’t feel the butterflies and overwhelming surge of emotions since he’d said it while drunk the first time, but they were there in force. I had no idea that actually sayingI love youwould elevate our relationship. We were already in such a great place. Our honeymoon phase, so to speak.
I thought we couldn’t keep our hands off of each other before, but that doesn’t hold a candle to how we are now. Somehow we manage to keep our PDA to a minimum when we’re with our friends, or in public, but once we’re alone, all bets are off. We’ve fucked or made love on every surface in my house. The stamina of my Irishman is otherworldly. When our bodies are spent, we still find ways to be touching in some capacity.
“Why?” Teagan asks from the seat beside me, bringing me back to the present.
“Because!” I exclaim, pulling my hair over my shoulder and anxiously twirling a strand around my finger. “You’re finally going to see what I mean about them being over the top and I don’t want it to scare you away.”
“Layla,” he says, pulling my hands from my hair. “There’s not a damn thing that’s going to scare me away from you. We’ve talked about this.”
Releasing a heavy sigh, I drop my forehead to his shoulder. “I know. I’m just so anxious.”
His lips press into my hair. “You worried they won’t like me, Cailín?”
A chuckle escapes me at the ridiculous idea. “No. They’re going to love you. I think maybe I’m not prepared for all the comments they’ll aim at me. The teasing will be relentless.”
“Ah, love,” he croons. “Don’t you know I’m a goalie? I’ll block every shot that comes your way.”
He means what he’s saying, but I know he’s also trying to lighten my mood. What he doesn’t realize is that those words are exactly what I needed to hear. After years of my family thinking they know what’s best for me, I’ve never had a single person come to my defense. No one to jump in front of me and take the hits. But here’s Teagan, ready and willing to do just that.
Lifting my head, I place a kiss to his jaw. “Thanks, babe. I love you.”
He grins, that boyish smile lighting up his entire face, then leans in to whisper against my ear, “I love you, Cailín. And I quite like the sound of you calling mebabe. Almost as much as I like it when you call me Papí.”
This makes me shiver and regret that we weren’t able to become a part of the Mile High Club.
“We’re not going to be able to share a bed, you know?”
