She groaned and smacked her palm against her face.“Yeah, you’re right,” she muttered through her fingers.“But if I’d thought about it then, I wouldn’t be lying in your bed right now.”
I rolled my head to the side and looked at her.Her hair was a mess, spread out across my pillow like a damn halo, and her lips were swollen from my mouth on them all afternoon.No way in hell I could regret a single second of this.
“True, babe,” I said softly.
Her eyes flicked to mine, a little wide, like she hadn’t expected me to agree so easily.I smiled and tugged her closer by the waist, pressing my lips to her temple.“You flew away from me fourteen years ago, little dove.Straight out of my reach.And now here you are… finally back home with me.”
Her breath hitched, and for a second, I thought I might’ve said too much.But then her mouth opened and words came tumbling out, quick and unplanned.
“I love you,” she blurted.She froze, and her eyes bugged out.The silence that followed was heavy enough to press into my chest, but I didn’t make her wait.
“I love you too, Adley.”The words rolled off my tongue like they’d been locked in me for years.Waiting for the right crack to escape.
Relief flashed across her face, followed by something brighter.Something that made my gut twist in the best damn way.I leaned in, kissed her slowly, sweetly, and deeply.I tasted every ounce of the truth we’d both just admitted.
When we finally broke apart, she settled back onto her back, and sighed like she’d just unloaded the weight of the world.I draped an arm over her middle and kept her anchored to me.
“Do you think Carnie would bring us dinner and not have it be awkward?”she asked after a stretch of silence.
I laughed, and the sound bounced off the walls.“I guess there’s only one way to find out.Text her.”
She groaned like I’d asked her to get up and run a marathon.“I will,” she said, and dragged the word out like she was already regretting it.
A few seconds passed before she piped up again.“I’m really surprised Slayer didn’t knock your lights out.”
I huffed.“Yeah, me too.”
She turned her face toward me, with her brows raised.“My father can fly off the handle at the drop of a hat.Thank God he actually listened.”
“Pretty sure Wrecker was the one who really defused that,” I muttered.
She smiled small but knowing.“Yeah.Probably.”
We let the silence stretch again, not uncomfortable, just thick with the things we didn’t need to say.Her breathing was soft beside me, and I thought maybe she’d drifted off, but then she piped up again.
“Hey,” she said suddenly.
I turned my head to look at her.“We’ve been talking this whole time, Adley.You don’t need to say ‘hey’ in the middle of it.”
She giggled and rolled onto her side to face me.Her hair spilled forward, and I tucked it behind her ear.“Sorry, my brain just thought of something.”
“Oh, Christ,” I teased, bracing for it.
“Why don’t you have a name?”she asked.
I frowned.“Did you just suddenly get amnesia?”I pressed a hand to her forehead like I was checking for a fever.
She swatted my hand away, rolling her eyes.“I mean, why don’t you have aroad namelike the rest of the guys?Is Junior really Junior?”
I laughed under my breath.“That’s a good question.”
She gave me a sharp nod like she was proud of herself.“Yeah, it is.”
I shrugged.“I guess I never did anything to get a road name.”
Her jaw dropped.“All of these years with the club, you never did anything that would get you a road name?I don’t even think you guys are trying anymore.”
That laugh of hers, God, it was light and bright and so damn hers.
