“Just talk to him. If he’s a man worthy of you, he’ll understand your reasoning.”

“What if he doesn’t?” I whisper my biggest fear.

“Then he doesn’t deserve you,” he states, standing. I follow him up and walk him to the door. He gives me a hug, and a kiss on the forehead, before stepping out onto the front porch. “Call me tomorrow,” he orders, walking to his Jeep, passing Mic on the way and shaking his hand. I give him a small wave as he backs out of my driveway then look at Mic, who is standing near his bike, talking on his phone.

“Is that him?” I ask hopefully.

“No, babe, go back inside,” he tells me, and I frown but step back into my house and shut the door.

The moment the door closes, I realize how quiet it is. Since the moment I met Wes, there has been a loudness in my life that wasn’t there before. Not the kind of noise that is annoying or that you want to get away from, but the kind of noise that lets you know you’re alive and that the life you’re living is full. I didn’t know my life was missing anything until Wes…until now. Closing my eyes, I take a few deep breaths then pick up the remote and turn on the TV, hoping the sound will help chase away the feeling that has settled in my gut since I watched Wes ride away.

“You did this to yourself,” I whisper, going to the kitchen and getting a bottle of water before walking to my room and changing into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Afterwards, I head out to the living room to watch some TV.

*

“You’re home,” I murmur as I’m lifted off the couch and tucked close to Wes’ front as he carries me to my room.

“Sleep,” he mutters, laying me down then pulling the covers over me. I chew on my bottom lip, watching him, trying to gauge where his head’s at.

His back is to me, and he lifts his shirt off over his head and drops it to the floor, and then the sound of his belt coming off fills the silence, making that coiled ball of energy in my stomach unravel slightly with the knowledge that he’s not leaving.

“I’m sorry.” I reach out to him and run my fingers down his back as he takes a seat on the side of the bed. The moment I touch him, his muscles contract and he looks over his shoulder at me.

“We’ll talk about it in the morning.”

“I told my dad. He was here earlier.” I close my eyes, hating the distance I feel between us. “I know you will probably think it’s idiotic, but the idea of you and my dad not getting along is one of the worst things I can imagine.” I open my eyes back up, seeing he’s still watching me. “I love my dad; he’s my best friend, but since the moment I met you, that has changed. You have become important in a way that I know if I had to choose between the two of you, I wouldn’t be able to without it ripping me apart.”

“You think I would make you choose between us?” he growls, and his brows shoot together.

Okay, said out loud like that makes it sound stupid.

“I…I don’t think you would,” I shake my head. “I don’t think he would either, but how could I choose between two men I love?”

“Love?”

“What?” I ask, confused.

“You said you couldn’t choose between the two men you love.” He crawls over me, pressing me into the bed with his weight, his face inches from mine. “You love me?” he asks softly, and I shake my head and close my eyes. “July, open your eyes and look at me.”

I shake my head again and his hands go to each side of my face. “Baby, open your eyes and look at me.” The tone of his voice has my eyes opening to look at him. “I love you too,” he says, and my eyes slide closed and I let his words wash over me before opening them again. “Loving you means I want what’s best for you and that I want you to be happy. You think I don’t know what your family means to you?” He pushes my hair away from my face. “You don’t think I see the way your face lights up when you talk about your dad, or the love you have for him?” He kisses my lips then my chin. “I see it baby, and regardless if we get along, I would never make you choose between us.”

“I can’t believe you love me.”

“That’s all you got from that speech?” he asks, smiling.

“Uh basically…”

“I have no idea what I’m going to do with your crazy ass,” he mutters, looking over my head.

“Hey,” I smack his side, “you telling me you love me is kinda a big deal.”

“No more keeping shit from me,” he demands as his face goes serious.

“Promise,” I agree.

“Next time, I’m spanking your ass.”

My body freezes under him, and the space between my legs tingles from the thought of him spanking me.

“Interesting.” He smiles, and I pull my bottom lip into my mouth before I blurt out something completely inappropriate.

“Ruined,” he says, biting my chin, making me gasp as he pulls one of my legs around his hip.

“What are you doing?” I moan as he runs his hand down my stomach into my sweats.

“Make-up sex, baby,” he whispers against my mouth as he slides two fingers inside me.

Chapter 12

“Oh, my God. I’m coming!” I yell, rolling over to get out of bed when the doorbell rings for the tenth time in less than a minute.

“I’ll get it, baby,” Wes says, tugging me back down into bed and kissing the side of my head before getting up. I turn my head and watch as he pulls on his jeans, leaving the room without a shirt. Wondering who it is, I get up and follow him out of the room then stop in the hall, looking at his back as he opens the door. His body freezes, all of the muscles in his back going taught as he says something to whoever is at the door.

I pad to where he is then duck under his arm, coming face to face with my parents. Oh, crap!

“Morning, honey.” My mom smiles.

I blink, looking at my mom then at my dad. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Figured if he was here, that would mean he’s who I thought he was. If he didn’t come back here last night, I knew you would need some of your mom’s famous French toast to get you over him,” my dad says as Wes wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me out of the way.

“Uhh…” I mumble as my dad tugs my mom into the house, shutting the door.

“You wanna put a shirt on?” my dad queries, looking at Wes. Then his eyes drop to my legs and he frowns. “And you some pants?”