“Is it going to bother you?” Lukas asked. It was hours later, but I knew exactly what he was talking about.

I leaned against him and roped my arms around his neck. “If it bothered me, I would tell you. I’m not some passive, meek thing, in case it’s missed your notice.”

A grin crooked his lips. He had smiled more today than I’d seen him smile since meeting him. It was amazing the transformation that had taken over in the past twenty-four hours. The shadow cast by Gilbert Grayson on his life had weighed on him more than I could have possibly realized.

“Here I was thinking I’d gone and found me a sweet, passive submissive. I don’t know, Stella. Now I’m thinking this just might not work out.” It was clear he was teasing by the way he kissed me as he finished talking. It was a kiss that curled my toes and made it clear just how well this could work out.

“You know,” I said, breathing a little harder. “We still haven’t exactly defined what this is. I know we talked initially that this is going to be about sex, but Lukas...” I hesitated now because I wasn’t sure if I could handle having my heart handed back to me if I gave it to him.

He surprised me though. He wrapped his hand around my hair, forming a loose tail, and tugging my head back with it. “It stopped being just sex for me a long time ago. Couldn’t you tell?” He rubbed his mouth against mine. “I think that’s why it was so easy for me to believe that you were the one behind the missing money. I needed to believe it. I needed a reason to push you away. I needed to find a reason to push you away so I wouldn’t end up hurting you.”

Cupping his face in my hands, I hauled his head down to meet mine and kissed him. It was a soothing sort of caress, benediction and forgiveness all in one. “You know,” I murmured against his lips. “It’s more than just sex for me too. I felt something for you even up on the mountain. Even as rough and grumpy as you were.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him, trying to get him to smile again.

It worked. Lips curving, he brushed his hair back from my face as he said, “You were a sassy little brat. I was up there for peace and quiet, and I had to deal with Little Red Riding Hood trying to sweet talk a bunch of wolves.”

I snickered but the laugh faded as he tucked me in closer, his lips brushing against my cheek, then up into my hairline. “Stella…” His mouth was right next to my ear now, the words low, spoken in a hushed voice. “Stella, I think I’m falling in love with you.”

The impact of those words was stunning. Tears blurred my eyes, and I couldn’t speak. A knot swelled up in my throat, and even though I coughed to clear it, I couldn’t respond right away. The words were there, but I just couldn’t force them out.

His cheek moved against mine, the stubble rasping over my skin. “I understand if you don’t have anything to say to me. Just tell me you’ll give me a chance.”

“Aw, Lukas...” I finally managed to say.

But I couldn’t force out anything else, and he started to speak again. “I didn’t think anything like this would ever happen to me. I didn’t think it could. But it feels good. It feels right.”

“It does,” I agreed. “You deserve love as much as anybody else does, Lukas. One day, you’re going to believe that.” We ended up curled on the bed, talking about everything, and nothing.

And then we ended up talking about Gracie.

I asked him about the plans for the baby plus another question that had been on my mind. “I don’t understand something,” I told him. “You were so convinced that Gilbert passed on his assholishness like it was a disease.” Easing back, I brushed my hand across his cheek, meeting his eyes. “If you’re that certain it has to do with genetics and DNA, why would you risk passing it on to a baby?”

“I never believed it was all just genetics. I believed it was his DNA, combined with how I was raised and what he passed on to me,” he confessed. He gave a diffident shrug as he continued, “I never knew anything but the hell he taught me. With that being all I knew, I’ll admit that I had reservations. I still do. But Gracie talked me into it.”

“Are you going to be part of the baby’s life?” Curious, I kept my head back to study his face. This answer mattered to me because, at some point, I’d always seen myself having kids, and if he couldn’t bring himself to be around babies, it was something I needed to prepare myself for.

“She wants me to be,” he said softly. “I’m not going to be the dad, per se. She’s the parent, but she wants me to be involved in the baby’s life. I’ll probably fuck it up, but she’s pretty insistent.”

And he cared too much for his friend to say no, I thought. My heart squeezed inside my chest. And he thought he wasn’t a good man.

“Don’t be silly.” I smiled at him, unable to hold it back. “Whatever role you have, I think you’ll be good at it. We choose who we are in this life, Lukas, you know. The past can shape us, but it doesn’t make us.”

He brushed my hair back from my face. “Are you sure you’re okay with all of this? The baby? Her living here? That was the plan all along, but I don’t want to do anything that causes you to be uncomfortable with it. You’ll always be number one for me.”

It was a startling revelation.

I could see in his eyes that he meant it. Had I ever been number one for anybody? I didn’t know.

I wanted to think it over and revel in the wonder of it, but he was still watching me, waiting for an answer, so I smiled at him and laid my hand on his cheek. “It’ll be fine.” Then, the light hit me and I realized something. “That means I get to be part of the baby’s life too.” Delighted, I threw my arms around his neck. “I love babies. I’ve always wanted to have a couple of my own.”

Nerves jangled inside as I settled back down on my feet to watch him, but he didn’t panic the way I’d expected.

“I kind of suspected.” A half-smile crooked his lips. “The look on your face when she told you her plans. I’ve been mentally preparing myself.” He cleared his throat then added, “Assuming you want them with me.”

I rose onto my toes and kissed him. “Lukas, it’s early yet, but when it’s time, I would love to have your babies. But we can worry about that later.” Hugging him, I leaned into him, enjoying the closeness, the intimacy, the simple knowledge that I had the right to do this. That he liked it.

That we fit.