Page 70 of Kiss Kiss Bang
“I can listen you talk about this all day.”
She smiled and tipped her head coyly. “Everglades preservation turns you on, huh?” She tucked her legs under her, looking relaxed, her hair in a knot behind her head, not a drop of makeup.
“You talking about something that is important to you turns me on. Now come here, woman.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. “Have I told you that you are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met?”
She smiled and playfully pushed his shoulder. “We’re already sleeping together, you don’t need to lay it on so thick.”
“I’m being serious. You are the smartest, bravest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. I’m scared out of my mind about Sophie, but you have your shit together. You’re such a good mother, Livie.” He reached behind her and pulled the rubber band from her hair. It fell over her shoulders and her dark brown hair made her skin look lighter.
Her cheeks pinked a bit. “Well, thank you,” she said shyly.
“You know I wasn’t supposed to be at that electronics store that day? It was Annie’s job, but she was away with Rocco and I ended up going. Best thing that ever happened to me.”
“I’ve never been so happy to have a broken computer.”
He shifted her so she could straddle him. “I want to tell Sophie about us.”
She leaned back a bit, her brows furrowed. “You already did.”
“No. I prepared her for what I really want to tell her.”
“Which is what?”
“Which is that I’m falling in love with her mommy and with her, and that I want to be around all the time.”
Her eyes widened and there was a sheen of moisture on them. She swallowed. “That’s . . .” She cleared her throat.
“It’s a lot. It’s fast. But it is what it is. Why tiptoe around it? I don’t make spur of the moment decisions, I think things through and find logical reasons and solutions. This isn’t any different. I’ve never felt this way. I’m not going to sit on it and go slow just because of some misplaced societal notion of appropriate timing. When is it appropriate to feel a certain way? After a month, two months, a year?” He shrugged. “I feel it now and I’m choosing to go with it.”
She was biting her nails, and he pulled her hand out of her mouth. She paused, then spoke. “I don’t really know how to handle Sophie. She likes you, I like you, I guess that’s enough, right? Yes, I want this too.” She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Let’s do it. I want to talk to her alone first, though.”
“Okay,” he said.
“You really don’t think it’s too fast? How could you be so sure? I dated Neil for a year before we got married.”
“But how long did it take for you to know that it was real? That it wasn’t just a fling? That you were headed into serious relationship territory? I bet it didn’t take a year.”
She shook her head. “No. It took about two weeks.”
“There you go. You wasted a year. Could’ve been on a honeymoon by week three.” He smiled and shifted her tighter against his body.
“I feel the same way, Joey.” She was serious now. “I’m scared because the thought of losing someone else I care about is . . . it’s just too much to bear. But I’m willing to try. With you . . . I want to try.”
“Why’s that, baby?” he said, kissing her cheek and then moving down to her neck. God, he loved her long neck. He wrapped his hand around her hair and pulled it back a little in order to give him better access to her neck.
“Because with Neil it took me two weeks, but with you, I think I knew you were someone special within two minutes of meeting you.”
He froze.
That was the most meaningful thing anyone had ever told him. I love you wouldn’t have been as powerful.
“I want to make love to you,” he said, running his fingers through her hair.
She swallowed and looked breathless but nodded. “I’ll meet you in my room.”
He stood up and made sure the entire house was locked up for the night.
Before going to the room, he went to check in on Sophie and he couldn’t help but brush the hair off her face and check for fevers. It’s something that his mother used to do when they were sick and seeing Sophie feeling unwell made him anxious. He wished he could somehow snap his fingers and just make her feel better. She was cool under his hand, so he lifted her covers, made sure she was nice and tucked in and the padded to his room.
