Chapter Thirty-Two
“So asshole, did you ask her yet?” Ben barged into my office at the back of the bar. I had some paperwork to finish up, so today I would be tucked behind closed doors.
He flopped down in the chair on the other side of my desk and crossed his arms. “What are you talking about?” I asked.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about, pussy. Kori, you were gonna ask her to move in.” He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “You grow a set yet, or you still thinking it over, coming up with a plan of attack?”
“I’m working up to it.” I was in a pissed off mood today, and I really didn’t have the strength to fight this out with him. The guy could read me like a book.
“Why you keep waiting? You two bounce back and forth all the time. Why not make it easier for the both of you?” I slid my chair back and pushed my legs out before me.
I stared across my desk at my best friend for over twenty years, and at this moment I had a strong urge to deck his ass. “We haven’t stayed over with each other for five nights now, so I’m not sure asking her to move into my place would be a good idea. Not when I can’t even convince her to spend the night.” I ran my hand through my hair and sighed in frustration. “Maybe she’s having second thoughts about us. Maybe she thinks things moved too fast, and now she’s pulling back.”
“Nah, you two are good together. She loves you, man, you can see it when she looks at you. You ain’t got shit to worry about. Just let it ride out.”
“Yeah, I hope you’re right.” I sat back up, leaning forward on my desk. “She said we’d get together tonight.” I shrugged.
“See, it’s all good, bud, no worries.” Ben stood up and walked from the room. I only wished I felt like his words were true. I had spent every moment since she drove away last night with my stomach in knots. The thought of losing her and Rhett was turning me inside out.
***
Not working past 4. We still on for tonight? R
Yeah, I’ll be at your house at five. I’ll bring dinner. K
Okay, I love you. R
Love you too. K
Staring down at my phone, my heart raced. Tonight was it. I was going to ask her what the hell was going on and make her tell me.
I finished up everything and stopped by the flower shop on the way home. I grabbed a bouquet of flowers and made it home before five.
I was just climbing out of the shower when I heard Kori holler from the living room. “Hello?”
I poked my head out the door and told her I was just getting dressed. “I’ll be right out.”
I threw on a pair of lounge pants and opted out of a shirt. When I walked into the living room, I found Kori smelling the flowers on the counter that separated the kitchen. “Hey, baby.” I kissed the side of her neck. “Those are for you.”
“Thank you.” She turned to face me and pressed her lips against mine. I took advantage of our closeness and deepened the kiss, swallowing her moans. “Wow,” she gasped as I pulled back.
“Are we okay?” I asked
Her eyebrows creased in confusion. “Of course, why wouldn’t we be?”
“You just seem distant, and it’s had me worried. Like I messed up in some way, or maybe you’re having second thoughts about us.” Her hand traced the skin along the top of my lounge pants. It felt so nice to have her touching me.
“I’ve been worried about Maria. She isn’t really talking to me a whole lot. She’s keeping her distance and not sharing anything. She won’t talk about Gavin. If I bring him up at all, she shoots it down.” She tucked her finger in the top of my pants and looked down. “She thinks I’ll go off on him again.” She shrugged and sighed. “I probably would, I just hate the entire situation. It makes me sick to my stomach because I know she feels more than he does. She’s setting herself up for disaster.”
Kori came closer and placed a soft kiss against the center of my chest, before looking up into my eyes. “But never once have I regretted us, our closeness. I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. I love you.” I brought my lips to hers once more for another kiss. “If it wasn’t for you and the support you give me, I’m not sure where I’d be right now. You mean the world to me and to Rhett. Don’t ever think that I’m pulling away from you. Remember, we talk things out…we agreed.”
I grinned down at the girl who stole my heart all those years ago, and my chest ached with the overpowering love I felt for her. She had the ability to weaken me like no other. Between her and Rhett, I had no hope of survival if I ever lost them.
After dinner and the cleanup, we put a movie in and relaxed on the couch. I held her in my arms, and Rhett curled up next to me. I was getting used to the animated movies, those had become our go-to. Tonight it was The Croods. I’m pretty sure I could recite it word for word, if I were asked to. For only being a year and a half, Rhett was very attentive. He was able to sit through a movie, and we could all enjoy it.
We put Rhett to bed in the room I called his. I had made it into a bedroom just for him. It was full of the things he loved, and most days it was like pulling teeth to get him to leave it. I imagined daily what it would look like to have his tractor bed, along with his other things, filling the room. I wanted them with me. I wanted to know that when I came home from work, they would be here.
I was lost, so in love with the thought of both of them filling my home. I wanted that so badly.
Kori and I crawled into bed, and I pulled her close to me, covering her body with mine. Her smile lit up my life in ways I couldn’t explain.
“I’ve missed you the last few days. I don’t like being apart. I love having you both here.” I kissed her jaw and whispered in her ear. “You two mean so much to me.”
Running her fingers through my hair, I felt her body shudder as I trailed kisses down her neck. “I love you too, and I love being here with you.”
“Move in with me.” I met her gaze and grinned. “Move in, and let’s start our life together…here.”
I could see the glistening shimmer in her eyes. She continued to look up at me as her lower lip trembled and her hand rested against my chest. “You sure you want us here, all the time? You won’t get sick of us?”
I chuckled and skimmed my nose over hers. “There is no way I could get sick of either one of you. When you’re not here, it feels empty. I want both of you in my world always, every day. You said it needs a woman’s touch, so move in and make it your home too.”
She gripped the back of my neck and pulled me down, crushing her lips to mine. The kiss was heavy, her tongue sweeping through my mouth. It wasn’t going to take much to get me all riled up. It had been too damn long since I had touched her.
“Okay,” she whispered, and that was all it took. I felt like the weight that had been pressing on my chest over the last week was now lifted.
Over the next hour there was not a space on her body I didn’t kiss and devour. I was almost carnal, I did everything I could to keep my shit under control. It was one of the hardest moments of my life.