Page 65 of When Pages Meet Pixels
A single tear fell down her cheek as she pulled my head down and leaned her forehead against mine. “I love you too, Dexter.”
I couldn't help the wide grin on my face as I picked her back up to spin us around in a circle. Natalie's laughter surrounded us as she threw her hands in the air. I would do anything in my power to hear her laugh like this and to see her happy.
“Oh, wait!” I said, stopping our movement. “We have to tell your brother. I mean, I care about you, and if he wants to fight me for how I feel about you, then unfortunately, I will. I will not let you go freely.”
“Dexter!” Natalie laughed. “It's okay. I already told him, and surprisingly, he had already figured it out. I guess we weren't being as subtle as we thought we were.”
I expelled a breath of relief as I pulled her into my arms.
“You were willing to fight my brothers to be with me?”
“I don't want to fight them, but I would've. I probably would've got my ass beat too because I've seen the way Black and Key throw hands. I mean, I ain't no punk, but I pick and choose my battles. However, when it came to you, I would gladly take a punch to the face if I knew I could keep you by my side.”
Natalie shook her head laughing. “Nobody's going to lay a hand on my dorky baby. Especially with his glasses on.”
“I'm the dork, but you're standing in my front yard dressed up in cosplay for my game.”
“Hey! I was doing this for you. Besides, you have to admit, I look pretty damn good in this,” Natalie said, modeling for me.
I bit my bottom lip and groaned. “Yes, the fuck you do! Come on, I never showed you my bedroom.”
“Oh, no!” Natalie laughed, taking a step back. “Aren't your parents’ home?”
I shook my head as I stepped forward. “No, they left this morning to go out of town for an investment meeting.” I snapped my fingers. “Speaking of meetings. I want to show you something in my bedroom.”
Nat lifted an eyebrow.
“I promise not to bend you over until after I show you what I need to show you.”
Grabbing her, I pulled her into the house and led her up the stairs. Sitting her down at my desk, I opened the email that I had retrieved this morning. I watched Natalie's face as her eyebrows scrunched up as she read until they jumped up with surprise. She spun in my seat as she squealed out in excitement.
“Dexter, baby, this is amazing!” she yelled, jumping out of the seat and into my arms. “Congratulations! I am so proud of you. I know how hard you've been working on that game, and look, you're about to get it made. This is incredible.”
“You know, you were the first person I wanted to tell, but we were fighting, so I've kind of been sitting at my desk for a while trying to figure out who to talk to. I mean, I know I have Key, but like I said, you've been the only one on my mind.”
Natalie got on her tiptoes and planted soft kisses on my lips. “Thank you, baby. That is so sweet, and I couldn't be happier for you, but now, go call my brother before he really beats you up because he's definitely going to want to know the great news.”
I laughed and grabbed my phone. “Okay, okay, but as soon as I get off the phone, you better be ready because you are looking too damn good in this outfit. I hope you didn't plan on returning it because I am about to ruin it.”
She playfully yelped as I slapped her on the ass before she shooed me out of the room. As I listened to the phone ringing on the other end, I couldn't help but wonder. I'm not sure what will happen between Natalie and me down the road, but I have faith that everything will be all right. We decided to let go of ourlies and secrets that we had hidden from our loved ones. Then we let go of our fear of the unknown by pursuing one another. After everything we've been through, I had only one regret: wasting time when I should have gone after Natalie sooner. The future ahead of us was bright. I couldn't be more excited about it because I knew that the love of my life was going to be by my side.
The End
