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I reached for the doorknob, but it swung open and Patrick stood before me in all his handsome glory. His hair was damp and the stubble on his jaw highlighted the dimple in his chin when he smiled.
We stood there looking at each other a moment before he reached out and grabbed me by the collar of my t-shirt to tug me inside. He kicked the door closed behind me, never taking his right hand off me. I laughed, wide-eyed at the sudden display of dominance as he pressed my back to the door.
Patrick pressed his body to mine as my hands found his skin under his t-shirt. We stared at one another until we couldn’t take one more minute without his mouth pressed to mine.
I held him to me, as close as possible, as our kiss fused us together. I loved the taste of him and the way he used his tongue to make me forget everyone and everything around us. We poured every emotion and feeling into it, and what it all boiled down to was love.
We had an unforgettable, all-consuming love that neither of us could live without. No matter what came at us or tried to tear us apart, we were inevitable with a forever kind of love.
CHAPTER 20
PATRICK
As soon as I saw William’s car pull into the driveway, my body surged with adrenaline and excitement. It was a familiar feeling, one that reminded me of the way I felt when we took the field in a high stakes game, and my defense had to make the other team pay and cough up the ball. Even though those games were important, there was nothing more important to me than fixing this situation with Cole.
I could feel his presence, even from inside the house. And when the garage door went up, I knew he was here. No one had that code but him and me.
I refused to be a victim at the hands of my own brain. Even though there were gaps in what I remembered, I knew Cole would give me the truth. I’d allowed our relationship to degrade, but not any longer. He was the most important thing in the world to me. Not my career or the money I made. Him, and only him. My career could go away tomorrow, and it might, but the last year has proven I couldn’t bear to lose him.
Two sessions with Donovan had helped me get my head on straight enough to see what I needed to do. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it would be worth it. It might even be downright gut-wrenchingly painful, but we could do it. I knew we could.
I pulled back from our kiss only because my injured brain needed oxygen. Pressing my forehead to his, I took in the scent of his skin and the smell of his shampoo mixed with his aftershave. They were uniquely Cole, and I’d know him anywhere.
“I’m so glad you’re home and I’m so sorry for how badly I handled things,” I said as I pressed kisses to his face.
He chuckled. “Me too, for all of it.”
I kissed him again and ground my hips into his. Cole lit me up in every possible way, but I knew we needed to talk. So I attempted to control myself and pulled away, leaving us both disheveled and breathless.
“Come on. Let’s talk.” I took him by the hand and pulled him to the sofa.
“Wait. How are you feeling? How are the headaches?”
I stopped and looked down at my crotch. “Well, this head is aching, but he’s gonna wait.”
Cole laughed. “Not the one I was referring to.”
I sat down and brought him with me. “I know. I can’t really say. I’ll let you know now that you’re home.” I looked at him closely. “You are home to stay, right?”
“You couldn’t throw me out if you wanted to.”
My face hurt from the grin that spread across it. “You make me so fucking happy.”
Cole leaned toward me and put his hand on my face. “And you do the same for me. I want us to work all this out, and I know it’s going to take some time. But I think we need to get someone to help guide us through it.”
“I’m glad you said that, because Donovan is ready to see us as a couple. He’s the therapist Cooper mentioned. I’d already been seeing him after Phoenix.”
Cole rubbed his hand down my face as his eyes bathed me in the same love I felt for him. “I’m so fucking proud of you. But I already knew before you remembered it. Simon told me when I losing my shit at the hospital.”
Should have known it. “I’m kinda glad he did, but do you know why?”
His eyes roamed over my face. “Yeah, babe. He said you were working with him to come out. But you need to know, I don’t care anymore. I’ll do whatever you need for us to do in order to stay together.”
I’d never been more in love with him. “Good. Because we’re coming out. I don’t know when, but I promise you, we’re going to live our life to the fullest as soon as I get my head on straight.”
“Not too straight. I love you just the way you are.”
“You love unfiltered Patrick.”
