Bang. Bang. Bang. The noise resonates through me as if it’s part of my actual heartbeat. My eyes blink open, registering the heat against my body, and I realize Ryker and I must’ve fallen asleep sometime in the middle of the TV show.
The sun peeks in through the window, blinding me, and telling me it’s already morning.
Oh shit!
A loud pounding against the front door startles me from my spot on the couch and I run to the door, opening it as fast as I can. A groan comes from behind me, as if the banging is waking Ryker up too. My eyes collide with a pair of ocean blue ones, ones I didn’t think I would see again, and my body sways. There’s too much going on, it’s too soon.
“What the hell, Fallon?” Ryker speaks sternly as he rushes me, his footsteps faltering when he realizes it’s only Reed. The look in Reed’s eyes says it all. He’s angry, and maybe even sad too. Then, I remember everything that took place yesterday, the pregnancy test, the storming out on me when I needed him most. Those memories cause me to grip the door handle tightly and suddenly, slamming it in his face starts to sound like a good idea.
“Can I come in, please?” His voice breaks, and I worry he may think something was going on between Ryker and I. Then again, do I really care to correct him?
Of course I do. I might be mad at the asshole, but I still love him.
I gesture for him to come in, and Ryker takes a step back, giving him barely enough room to step inside. When I close the door behind me, I feel the tension rise. The temperature in the room seems to rise a hundred degrees.
“I’m just going to leave. I didn’t plan on staying all night.” Ryker admits, slipping into his shoes and grabbing his jacket before Reed or I can say a single word. A pounding headache forms behind my eyes. It’s too early to argue, hell, it’s too early to even speak.
“Okay, thanks for everything.” I try to smile, but it falls flat when I notice the bags beneath Reed’s eyes. Were they there yesterday? I rub the sleep from my eyes, staring at him for a long moment.
“Of course, Fal. Call if you need anything.” With a quick kiss on my cheek, Ryker is gone, leaving Reed and I alone together for the first time since last night. I sigh, scrubbing a hand down my face. Thirst overrides everything else and I leave Reed in the entry so I can pour myself a glass of orange juice.
Baby must really be thirsty, I think to myself.
“I’m sorry.” Reed blurts out.
I hold the glass against my lips, my eyes never wavering from his.
“I’m sorry for being so dumb, for assuming the worst, and for not being here for you when you needed me most.” I place my cup onto the counter, afraid I may drop it onto the floor from the shaking in my hands. I don’t know if I’m scared, overwhelmed with emotion, or just shocked to hear Reed apologize. Tears sting my eyes, and I try my best to blink them away.
I will be strong. I will be strong.
“You don’t have to grovel, Reed. I don’t need or want an apology from you. I know where we both stand and that’s fine. I just think you should know…” Before I can finish what I want to say, Reed’s towering over me, his face inches from mine as his hands come up to cup my cheeks softly. The unexpected move steals the breath from my lungs.
“Before you finish, I need to tell you something.” He sounds so serious that I bite my bottom lip and nod my head. His fingers warm my body, sending tingles of pleasure down my spine. I’m not sure what happened after he left here last night, but he’s acting like a totally different person. I mean, he’s normally intense, but this is a whole other level.
His touch awakens the need that only he stirs inside me. In his presence, I’m under a spell that can’t be broken. I’m his.
“I knew I loved you the moment I met you.” His voice is strong, so sure about what he’s saying, and hearing him say that he loves me makes my knees go weak. My body sways against his, and I watch as his eyes widen. Reed leaves one hand on my cheek but wraps the other around my waist to keep me upright, my soft curves against his muscles.
We match up perfectly, like we were meant to be.
“You… you…” I can’t even bring myself to finish the sentence. I’m terrified if I do he’s going to tell me I’m wrong, that I imagined him saying the words I need to hear from him, the words I’ve been dying to hear him say since I he whispered them the night of the gala.
He grins down at me, and I realize what looks so different about him this morning. Reed looks as though he’s at peace, no longer struggling with whatever he’s been fighting the past few weeks.
“I love you, Fallon. Heart. Mind. Body. Soul. You belong to me. Every single piece of you is connected to me. I know I fucked things up, and I don’t really deserve a second chance, but I can’t lose you.”
Tears fall from my eyes. My heart beat thunders in my ears, and I sag against Reed’s sturdy form. He’s saying everything I’ve been longing to hear. Can I trust it? Is he just saying all of this because he’s afraid I’ll walk away?
I stare up at him, my eyes bouncing back and forth between his as I try to decipher which it is, and after studying him for a few minutes, I know he’s sincere. His eyes are clear and he’s calmly standing here letting me examine him. He’s not looking away or shying from my touch. He’s welcoming me in, pleading with me for more...for something deeper.
“Will you give me another chance?” His voice cracks when he asks, and I want to shout the word yes, but he doesn’t give me the chance to say anything.
Reed takes a step back so he can press his palm against my stomach, his eyes softening but never leaving mine. “I want a family with you, Fallon. And not because my dad was demanding it. I want it because I want you. I want us to be together forever, and if you aren’t already pregnant, I’m going to do everything in my power to knock you up as soon as humanly possible.”
He grins, so matter-of-fact when he says all these things, like there’s no point in arguing because I’m not going to get my way. The happiness inside me can’t be contained and I fling my arms around his neck and hug him tight.
“I love you too, Reed. So, so much.” I can feel him smile against my neck, but I’m not finished.
Pulling back, I look up at him, unable to contain the smile spreading so wide across my face. “There’s only one problem.” His eyes turn wary, and I hurry to reassure him. “You don’t have to do everything in your power to knock me up because I’m already pregnant.”
It wasn’t exactly how I planned to tell him, but it works, because the joy filling his features makes me feel like my heart is going to explode in my chest. This might just be the best day of my life. I got the guy and I’m having his baby. Things can’t get any better than this, can they?
Just as the thought crosses my mind, Reed releases me, taking a step back while I look up at him in confusion. I’m watching his face so intently it doesn’t register to me that he’s lowering himself to the floor until it’s already done.
I cover my mouth with both hands and gasp. Reed’s down on one knee in front of me, and all I can do is stare at him in disbelief and try not to pinch myself to prove that this is real.
Even though I know it’s coming, I freeze when he pulls a small box out of his pocket and holds it up between us. His eyes are shining with unshed tears, and he has to clear his throat before he can speak. My stomach tightens nervously. I can’t believe he’s doing this.
“Fallon Marie Leary, you’ve been my best friend as long as I can remember. You’ve always been there for me, never judging me, never giving up on me. You loved me even before I realized what it meant to love someone.”
Wetness stains my cheeks as the box flips open to reveal a beautiful platinum engagement ring. The slim band is covered in tiny diamonds and sapphires, and it has a much larger round diamond sitting on top. The ring is familiar, and it takes me a second to figure out it’s the same one Reed’s mother wore before she died.
“Fallon, will you do me the honor of being my wife?” Excitement, fear and elation soar through me and I nod my head yes.
“Yes! Yes, Reed. Of course, I’ll be your wife.” Just hours ago I was afraid I was losing him for good, and now, now he’s promising to be mine for life.
“Thank fucking God,” he sighs in relief. As soon as he pushes the ring all the way down, he stands. I don’t even get to admire the ring that’s now made its home on my finger before he wraps his arms around me and seals his mouth to mine. The kiss is unlike any other we’ve had. Instead of trying to devour me, he’s gentle.
The love he feels for me fuels the kiss, and he’s holding me like I’m the most precious thing in his life. His tongue darts out to trace my lips before he pushes against them, silently asking me to let him enter. The moment my lips part, his tongue slips inside, and he leisurely tastes me.
“I was so stupid to think admitting my love for you would make me lose you, when not admitting it almost took you away from me.” I can’t even respond to his words, because his tongue is slipping back into my mouth, causing me to moan in pleasure.
There’s never been a more real moment than this between us, and I know now that all of it was worth the wait, worth the pain, more than worth the pleasure.
“I would have waited forever for you to figure it out, Reed,” I whisper against his lips when he finally pulls away, and his dark gaze pierces mine.
“I’m glad we didn’t have to wait forever.” He plucks me up off the floor, and my body melts into his. I wrap my legs around his waist out of reflex and let him take me into the bedroom. The fears, the anger, the pain that we caused each other last night fades away and in its place love and pure adoration blooms.
I love you.
I play the words over and over in my mind while Reed makes sweet love to me. Every touch and caress between us is amplified. His fingers play me like an instrument, and I fall apart over and over again. His lips remain on mine, and at the end, after he’s taken me to the brink of pleasure and back, I still hear him whispering the words.
I love you.
Except this time they aren’t in my mind.
He’s really saying them to me.
I finally have everything I’ve ever wanted.
Reed is mine. He loves me. And with the baby growing deep inside my belly, we’ve sealed the deal, we completed the baby arrangement.