Page 24 of Only Time Will Tell

“I um, I totally agree with you. First thing in the morning, I’ll start making some calls.” As I pulled away and headed toward the stairs he playfully swatted my ass. “Don’t mark the goods before you own them,” I hollered over my shoulder, wondering if he caught what I hinted at.

“Ha, don’t fool yourself. You know as well as I do I already own that fine ass.” He laughed.

“Not until you sign on the dotted line,” I teased, blowing him a kiss before disappearing inside our bedroom. I knew once he figured it out, he’d come running. And sure enough, I’d barely sat down to slip off my shoes before he barreled in.

“Wait, are you saying what I think you’re saying?” He paused, bracing himself for what he figured would be another proposal refusal.

“Yes, my love, I’m saying yes a million times over. I never should have said— Oomph!” Was knocked out of me when he tackled me onto our bed, covering my face with so many kisses it was hard to breathe.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, Charlie. Fina-fucking-ly. What took you so long? What made you decide to say yes now?” he asked between kisses.

“The thought of losing you. The thought of our lives ending before they really got started. The thought of not having a future as your husband,” I whispered, overtaken by emotion.

He jumped up. “Wait, stay right there.” He rummaged through his dresser drawer. After he found whatever it was he plopped back down beside me. In his hand was a small black velvet box. He opened it, revealing a pair of matching wedding bands.

“Alex,” I gasped. I had no clue he’d already bought these. He took my left hand and slid a beautiful titanium band encrusted with sapphires on my ring finger.

“I’ve had these for so long, Charlie, waiting for you to say yes. Something I started to believe would never happen. I can’t bear to be without you, you hold the key to my heart, and without you by my side, I might as well not exist.”

“Alex, I’ve been such a fool. There’s no excuse for my bad behavior.” I started down at the shiny band. “Sapphires?”

“Yes, sapphires, just as blue as your eyes. When you’re not close enough for me to see them all I’ll have to do is look at the ring on my finger. Every time I’ll see your eyes staring back at me.”

My lips quivered as the tears I’d managed to hold back fell. He was going to be mine—forever. I jumped into his lap, and he wrapped his arms around me. Everything was gonna be alright. “Your turn.” I removed his band from the box and slid it onto his finger and kissed it.

“Come on,” he said, standing us both up, “My fiancé and I are in dire need of a shower.” He winked. “Let’s get your sexy ass out of those horrendous clothes. Remind me to burn them later.”

“Charlie?” Alex asked, soaping up the bath sponge.

“Yes, my love?”

“Why is it when we traveled back in time, I remembered nothing, yet coming home, I remember everything?”

“Great question I wish I knew the answer to. I believe the holder of the watch during the travel is the one who’s aware. We must’ve lost physical contact with each other when we were in the middle of traveling. That removed you from the equation which I’m guessing is how you ended up in your great-grandfather’s life. Like, you had to be put somewhere, and that impacted your memories. Coming home, I had a death grip on your shirt and refused to loosen it for anything.”

“Turn around and let me get your back.” When the sponge touched my skin, he chuckled. “I can’t believe I almost married a woman. What the in hell would I do with a vagina for the rest of my life?” We both laughed at that.

“One of my best features is facing you and you choose that moment to bring up a woman you damn near married?” I wiggled my butt and he trailed a soapy finger along my crack. I leaned forward and braced my hands against the tile wall, hoping this was going where I wanted it. Where I needed it, with Alex buried deep inside me.

“God, how I missed this ass,” he said, his thumb circled my hole.

“Trust me, it missed you too.” The tip of his thumb slipped inside. “Mmm, more.”

“Bossy little bottom, aren’t ya?” He slid a soapy finger all the way in, crooking it just right and hitting that sweet, sweet spot. “That’s it, baby. Let me in.” One finger became two. I pressed back, fucking myself on them.

“Mmm, more.”

“You ready for me?” he toyed, removing his fingers and replacing them with his cockhead.

“You know I…” That was all I got out before he pushed inside. The pain, a firm reminder of what my stupidity nearly cost me.

His arms came around my waist as we stood there for a minute, the weight of this moment hitting us both hard. Then he whispered, “Home.”

The weight of that one word that meant more than so many others he could have chosen right then, was unlike anything I’d ever felt.

“Charlie,” Alex bit my shoulder. “Brace yourself. This won’t be gentle.” Hard and fast, a reminder to both of us of what we have.

He rotated his hips, pegging my prostate with each thrust. On hand on my throat, the other the other over my chest. Alex was in charge and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I loved it when his dominant side surfaced. The need to come had me reaching for my cock, but he slapped my hand away.