Page 150 of One Night with Number Nineteen

“Christ, baby.” He tugs me against him, burying his face in my hair. “I love you, too. I love you so fucking much.”

“I know,” I whisper.

His laugh is watery, but he doesn’t let me go.

Not for long moments.

And that’s okay.

Because I’m right where I want to be.

Then he pulls back. “I know this doesn’t fix everything,” he murmurs. “Know I need to keep working at⁠—”

I press my fingers to his lips this time. “We don’t need to be perfect. I don’t need to do it all myself and you don’t need to spin on your head to spare everyone’s feelings. We don’t even need to know what’s coming next. All we need is to figure it out together.”

He exhales, peels my palm free of his mouth, presses a kiss to the center of it. “That sounds like everything I’ve ever wanted.”

“Me too.”

A brush of his knuckles over my cheek. A warm palm sliding up my back. His mouth lowers to mine⁠—

Just as I hear:

“Mooom!”

We turn as Ollie comes bursting into my office.

“Look, Mom! Look Saw-yur!” he calls. “Gray found Ollie!”

He holds up the stuffed penguin, and though the toy looks a little worse for wear, it indeed is Ollie.

“Where was it?”

“In the flowers.” A guilty look. “Gray was helping me get my car back and he found it.”

Sawyer mutters, almost under his breath, “Damn.”

Brows lifting in surprise, I glance at him. “What?”

“Nothing.” A shrug. “It’s just…the three backups I ordered were delivered today.”

I still, surprise rippling through me. Then I do the only thing I can—I laugh.

And it feels great, feels perfect.

Finally feels like mine.

Like forever.

Especially when Sawyer drops his lips to mine and I get to taste his laughter too.

Aware of our audience, I pull back, brush a little dirt off Ollie’s stuffed face. “How’d we miss you, little guy?” I ask, and as Gray walks into the office, I look up. “In the flowers?”

He nods. “Yeah. The ones right beside the porch.”

My stomach drops.

Because I know I looked there. I know I did.