A sense of peace washed over me when she said those three words I’ve longed to hear. I love you. I doubt she has any idea how much I needed them at that moment. I don’t remember ever blowing that hard before. It’s as though I was holding onto everything until she returned.

My Whitney.

My Love.

I tighten the hold I have on her as I walk down the hall to the spare bedroom. There’s cum leaking from her, dripping onto me, and I love knowing a part of me is inside of her.

When she bites me, she creates a storm brewing deep within my gut. I squeeze tighter, planning to release it all inside of her—again.

Whitney pulls back, stretching her torso away from me but keeping her fingers wrapped around my neck. She looks into my eyes as I walk us into the room and lock the door.

“I’ve missed you,” she tells me when I lay her down on the bed. A tear forms in her eye, but she doesn’t blink it away. It’s as though if she closes her eyes, this won’t be real. It’s how I feel too.

“I’ve missed you more than you’ll ever fucking know, Love.”

“You cuss more now than you used to.”

“Maybe. But then life didn’t go like it was supposed to either.”

“I’m sorry, Shane.” Her voice falls somber.

“Don’t you dare tell me you’re sorry ever again. You didn’t do anything, Love. And frankly, I don’t want to discuss that shit right now. I’m starved for you. I just want us, right now, at this moment. We’ll deal with everything else later.”

“I want that too.”

“Good.” I rise, hopping off the bed to shed my pants and boxer briefs. I’m back on top of her in a matter of seconds. She giggles, and it’s music to my ears. She has more than my heart wrapped around that tiny body of hers. She owns my soul. My being. She owns all that I am. She always has—always will.

Pulling her thigh up, I wrap her leg around me as I look into her eyes. Then I enter her slowly, inch by inch. Her eyes widen as I stretch her, and Whitney’s breath hitches. This time I’m taking my time with her, and I plan on reacquainting myself with every centimeter of her succulent body.

“Mmm.” Her moan reaches somewhere inside of me, tugging on my heartstrings. I pull my cock out, stroking her pussy lips never wanting her to forget the feel of them.

More moans escape her throat as her eyes flutter shut.

“Open them.” I don’t need to clarify. Her eyes snap open, finding mine immediately. “You’ll look at me, Love. You’ll look, and you’ll never stop looking. Got it?”

“Yes.” Her back arches, and I take hold of her hips, raising her ass off the bed and pulling her toward me, thrusting into her harder.

“Mmm. I can’t take this.”

“You’ll take it, baby. And you’ll love it.”

“Sh—Shane.” I pull out, only the tip of my dick remaining at her opening. “You’re torturing me.”

“And I’m loving every damn second of it.” I slide in, slower. I need her to remember what I want. And as the thought filters through me, she rakes her nails down my shoulders, stopping at the bottom of my biceps. My fingers dig into her skin, painfully I’m sure.

Getting that gleam in her eyes, her back rises off the bed. Her lips brush my skin seconds before her mouth opens and her teeth bite my chin, clamping down before sucking. She sucks hard, and when she pulls away, I meet her and capture her lips into mine and raising her ass off the bed. A nip to my bottom lip ensues, as my release starts to cord inside my gut all the way down to my dick. My speed increases and I continue until I'm fucking her hard.

“Harder,” she demands.

I push back through her, my body rapidly chasing my release.

I push her ass down to the bed and off my cock, and then I rush back inside her one last time, using everything in me to muster the strength to give her what she needs and then I’m gone—my seed, exploding deep inside her. Inside her where it’s meant to be.

I fall, giving all my weight to her. She greedily takes it, wrapping her arms around me to pull me closer.

After I come down, I roll off, bringing her with me. Whitney in my arms was always my favorite thing to do. And we lay here in silence for several minutes until I break the silence.

“I came inside you. Twice.”

She doesn’t flinch or even react to this fact. Instead, I get kisses and licks, and playful bites peppered all over my chest. “Yes! And you should do it again.”

“Love.” My warning falls on deaf ears. She laughs without any concern. “The last time I came in you, we created a person.”

“Yeah, well this time I’m on birth control, so I think we’re okay.” She pushes up and plants a chaste kiss on my lips.

Then she lays back down on me again. All feels right until my conscience creeps back in as I’m stroking the back of her hand. “I think it’s time to move.”

“Because of . . . the woman across the hall?” I still, not knowing what to say. I didn’t know she knew about Roxanne. “I heard most of your conversation with her when you went into the hall. I was on the couch.”

Her admission both soothes me and ignites guilt. One, because she knows the truth. I don’t have to hold back anymore. But two, because I do feel guilty and not just because of Roxanne putting her mouth on me, but because of the other women I remember being with. It always felt like a betrayal. Still feels like a betrayal.

“Hey, what is it?”

Whitney sits up and straddles me as she looks down, searching for what’s changed.

“I’ve slept with other women.” I can’t keep that fact from her. I won’t. I’ve always been honest with her.

I see it. The hurt that slices through her tears at my chest, trying to rip me open. It’s the same pain knowing she’s been with someone else too.

“I can’t . . . undo it.”

“No.” She shakes her head, as a tear drops down onto her cheek. “It’s . . .”

She looks up toward the ceiling for a second or two before her eyes fall back to mine. Her tear drops to my stomach. “I’m the one that’s married.” She says that last word with so much anger pouring out that it twist me up inside knowing I should have done more to find her. I could have made her remember. I close my eyes trying to rid that thought. It’s no use. I open them, seeing her beauty looking down at me.

“But I was the one with a memory. I knew you were out there . . . somewhere.” And I should have searched more—harder, longer.

“Stop.” She bends forward, propping her hand on the mattress beside my head and with the other, she cups the side of my face. “I’m not mad at you. I’m not asking you to undo it or even be sorry. We were dealt a shitty hand. But now we’ve found each other again, and going forward, it’s you and me.”

“And the girls?”

“Yeah,” she breathes out, then flicks her eyes up and away from me as if in thought.

“We tell her,” I let out. I need my daughter to know I’m her father. I want her to know. She doesn’t have to call me dad, or anything other than my name if she isn’t ready or if she doesn’t ever want to. But I need her to know. I need to start being her dad. Regardless of everything, I want to be a father to my little girl.

“I know. We will. Let’s get through Thanksgiving, and we’ll tell her then. Her birthday is next weekend and . . .” Whitney trails off, and I had completely forgotten her birthday is December 2nd.

“We need to plan something,” I say before she finishes. “What do you usually do for her birthday?”

Whitney lowers her body down onto mine, and then she slides off to the side of me. Her face fell when I mentioned a birthday celebration for our daughter.

“Whit?” I question.

“Nothing. Just a cake with candles and some presents. My parents and Blake’s parents aren’t really celebratory people. Hell, neither is Blake.”

“So,” I twist to face her. “Everly has never had a real birthday party?”

“No.” She rolls to her back. “Neither of the girls have. I don’t . . .”

“You don’t what?” I inquire.

“I don’t have any friends, Shane. I don’t know any of the parents at her school. I don’t mesh with them, so I’ve never gotten to know them or their kids. And Blake never wanted to have anything extravagant or even take her anywhere.”

Hearing her say she doesn’t have any friends cuts me deep. She had great friends, real friends, before the accident. And she still has them, but I’m not sure if she realizes that.

“You have friends, Whit. You have people that love you and that you can lean on. You have me. You do know that, right?”

She’s silent for a minute, drawing circles on my bare chest. Finally, her eyes glance up. “I do have you, don’t I?”

“Yes, baby.” I roll forward, capturing her lips in a long kiss. “I’ll never go anywhere. And you have Kylie, and even Chance and Eve, though they aren’t around here. My brother and Taralynn like you too.”

“I remember my life before, but I’m still living the one I’ve had for . . . that last ten years.”

I breathe out, frustrated because she feels like she doesn’t have her former life in her grips.

“Whitney.” My use of her name sounds like a plea, and maybe it is. “You don’t have to have that life. You don’t even have to go back to the one before. I’m not expecting you to. But what I do expect—no, want—is for us, and the girls, to move on to a new life somewhere that isn’t here. I’m done with this place. This city even. We both need something new. A fresh start.”

“I just need you,” she confesses. “You and the girls without Blake or my parents. I’m done with them. I can’t even think of my mom or dad in a positive light anymore.”

“You have me. There’s no question about that. The question is, do I have you?”

“I’ve always been yours. Even when I wasn’t, I was yours, Shane. I’ll always be yours.” She makes me smile and it relaxes my mind.

“Will you move somewhere else with me? I am serious about moving from here. It’s not even big enough. The girls need their own room and—” she cuts me off.

“Boy, I’ll move and go anywhere you do. You’re never getting rid of me again.”

“Baby, I’m not a boy anymore.” I jump up, and out of the bed after planting another kiss on her plump, juicy lips.

“Where are you going?” She pulls the sheet up, covering her tits.

“To get your panties off the kitchen floor while you continue lying in that pee-ridden bed.” Her nose scrunches up in disgust, making me chuckle. Hell, she did clean it, and it’s now dry, but as I leave the bedroom, I catch her covering her eyes, causing a louder laugh to burst from my lips.

God, it feels good—so good.