The words tumble out of her mouth, as if she spent her entire drive here rehearsing and needing to say them.
They’re words I’ve ached to hear. A part of me always hoped she felt them, but I’ve been dreaming of the day she might voice them out loud.
She squeezes my hands. “But what do you want?”
Does she really have to ask? It’s the same thing I wanted two weeks ago. The same thing I wanted all summer.
“You. Just you. I want it all with you, Miller.”
Her beaming smile is back. “Just to give you a heads-up before you really make your final decision, I’m currently homeless, jobless, and my van is way past due for an oil change.”
Chuckling, I pull her into me. “I can work with that.”
She slants over me, but before I can kiss her, she stops with her hands on either side of my face. “And I love you.”
My eyes dart to hers.
“I love you so much, Kai. Nothing about me leaving was because of you. I need you to know that. You’re more than enough, more than I could’ve dreamt for. I loved you before I left, and I love Max and I’ve never felt so much at once that I’m fairly certain my heart is going to give out soon. I’m only twenty-six, Malakai. It’s too soon.”
Hand bracketing her jaw, I pull her down. “Don’t worry, Mills. I’ll go long before you, due to my old age and all.”
“That would be best,” she whispers against me, her forehead leaning on mine. “Because if I go first and you meet someone else, I promise you I’ll come back and haunt the shit out of her.”
“I’m glad to know your jealousy goes beyond the grave, baby. Now please shut up and kiss me.”
Palm cupping her cheek, I thread my fingers through her hair and pull her lips to mine.
It’s as if every missing part of my life is entirely reassembled in that moment. Everything I’ve wanted for my life, for my son’s life is wrapped up in this woman I love. This woman I thought I lost.
She makes the sweetest moan of relief and I part my mouth, taking her deeper before our tongues tangle, slow and measured as if we’ve both been dreaming about this moment for the past two weeks.
Miller’s lower half melts into me, right into the cradle of my hips, and I use my other hand to curve around her ass, keeping us pressed together.
She slides her hands over my shoulders as we kiss and touch and remind each other that we’re here, in the same place, with no expiration date on our time together.
We have forever.
I pull away only slightly, needing to tell her something. “I love you.”
She smiles into my lips. “I love you.”
“Mmm,” I hum. “You should probably say it again.”
“I love you, Malakai, and I love your son.”
Fuck, that’s the one that does it.
Head dropping back, I look up towards the ceiling, taking a deep breath.
She runs a palm over my scruff, regaining my attention. “When I left, I hadn’t fully come to terms that what I was chasing was no longer my dream, but as soon as I got there, I knew. I have a new dream now. You and Max are my dream.”
I can feel my chest expand, as if it needs to make room for all the love in my life. Never once did that lonely fifteen-year-old boy ever think he’d be surrounded by so much support. So much love.
Love I didn’t see before—from her, her dad, my brother, my team, and my friends. I have this huge support system backing me and my son. I have the family I had always hoped for.
“Miller.” Wrapping my arms around her waist, I keep her close. “We were missing you before we even met.”
She leans down to kiss me as I sit on the edge of the couch with her standing between my legs.
For a long time, I felt a bit broken from trying to be enough for everyone else. But once this woman walked into my life, she made me realize that not only am I enough for Max, but I’m also enough for myself. And now I know, without a shred of doubt, that I’m enough for Miller too.
“Quite the party out there,” she says, gesturing towards the back door. “Why aren’t you dancing?”
My eyes track every inch of her face, basking in the knowledge that I’m going to have the privilege to see it every day for the rest of my life. “Because I only want to dance with you.”
She leans back as if she were ready for us to join our friends, but I pull her into my lap, letting her know I need a few more moments with just her.
I grab the magazine off the couch.
“You featured a dessert for my mom.”