“Two weeks ago, for forever if you’ll have me.” My nose touches hers. My lips hang by a thread of breath to hers.
“Two weeks ago?” I ask confused. I’m at a threshold again. As much as I want to know why and how she’s here, I really want to fuck her in the elevator. Quickly glancing at the surveillance camera, I settle for a kiss.
It still doesn’t give her the opportunity to explain herself, but she did say forever, so it can wait. I dart my tongue out and lick her upper lip.
Love sparkles into my heart and desire into my dick. I groan and push my tongue into her mouth. I want to fuck her mouth with that kiss. I want her to realize she’s mine. If I can share her love with a dead guy, I’m certainly not sharing her lips or pussy with a ghost.
“Forever?” I ask detaching my lips from her quickly before diving back in.
“As long as you’ll have me, yes,” she answers next time we catch our breath. “I love you, Green-eyes, and I’m sorry I made you wait, but I needed to settle my life, to come here for me, to have something besides you, before we could start something. I followed someone before and he died, leaving me behind with memories at every corner. I couldn’t do the same with you. Just in case you die first.”
It’s the least romantic declaration I have ever heard but it’s us.
“I get it. But I promise you we’ll create the best memories in this city together. You, me, my son, our future kids and the crazy people around us.” I say at the same moment the door opens to Dan and Anna’s penthouse and I see my sister and Naomi waiting for us smiling.
“Sorry, not ready to talk to you two,” I tell them, closing the elevator doors back and pressing the ground floor button. Tessa settles into my arms and kisses my neck.
“Where are we going?” She asks.
“My place. It’s a ten minute walk and as cute as it is you met me in an elevator, I need to be in between your legs and I’m not giving a peep show to the security guards of this building.”
“Or you can press the fourth floor and we can go to my apartment,” she says, smiling against my skin. I lean back to look at her.
“You live here? In Anna and Dan’s building?”
She nods and blushes.
“You have a job, a new coach, an apartment. Something else I need to know?”
“I hope I have a boyfriend?” So freaking cute. I could eat her up.
“Of course you have a boyfriend.” I roll my eyes. “What I told you, about you having my heart. I meant it so much I was trying to find a solution to join you in Virginia seeing how you were making a life without me and I couldn’t stand it.”
“I couldn’t stand being without you. I spent two weeks in bed until Quinn called Dr. Saman.” I widen my eyes at the mention of Elaine’s mom.
“Your therapist is Elaine’s mother?”
“It is,” she laughs. “Sometimes I think King and Elaine sent us into each other’s way so we could find our bearings again.” I wrap her into my arms and kiss her forehead.
“Or Mark orchestrated it all, knowing we would be a perfect match for each other.” I press the button for the fourth floor and nuzzle my nose in her hair.
“Certainly a little bit of both,” she says, kissing my neck.
“A little bit of both.”
Epilogue
OLIVER
“Look how happy they are,” Lars says while I kiss Tessa.
He’s right. I am happy.
We are.
We’ve been dating for eight months and life has been easy. Maybe too easy? I’m not sure I have ever been that happy.
“Get your ass on the stage, Trouble.” Tessa tells him, walking away from me and grabbing Aito from his lap. ”Your bandmates are waiting for you.” The bar is having one of the special Darling Devils nights that we like to have. They sing a few songs while we raise money for charity.
“Ready?” Naomi says sliding next to me.
“I am. I just hope she is.”
“She is. But no long engagement. She waited a long time with King and… Well…”
“I know. So did I.”
“Do you want the Devils’ jet for Saturday? You know you can ask, and fly with us. They won’t mind.”
“I know.”
“But it’s not what you want… You got Sue’s ring?”
“I do. I can’t believe she gave it to me.”
“I can. She’s so proud of you both.”
“I know…”
“So if you know everything Ol, what are you waiting for?” Anna says while sliding next to me.
“I’m just taking a moment to appreciate that.” I point at Tessa hugging Aito while Lars is making him laugh over her shoulder.
“We’re lucky they get along so well.” Naomi says.
“Too much sometimes.” We both watch Lars and Tessa laughing together. They are like a brother and sister. They bicker and roast each other but also protect one another against Na and I.
“Has Tessa thought about how she wants Aito to call her. You’re Daddy, Lars is Pop. I want him to talk to me in Japanese, but you refer to me as Mommy. We aren’t calling her Tessa. That’s too impersonal. Once she has that rock on her finger, she’s part of the parenting quartet.”
“You’re incredible,” I tell Naomi before kissing her on her forehead.
“I’m not a hypocrite. When I told you I was pregnant with your child and imposed Lars on you as a second father, it’s not for me to reject the woman you’ve decided to marry.”
“Thank you,” I tell Naomi.
“That’s cute and all, but can I get the proposal I came for?”
“Why are you in New York all the time, sis. Don’t you live in Montreal?”
”My brother is getting engaged…” Anna says, I’m allowed to take some days off.
“I remember the times when she never took vacations.” Naomi says.
“I remember the time when you worked
