Page 302 of Trouble from Abroad
Only then does he look up. Eyes wet. Jaw tight. “I’m never leaving, Mia. Never running. Not then. Not now. Not ever.”
Air finally makes it past my ribs. He always gives me what I need.
He leans closer until his head rests on my thighs. My fingers find the back of his neck and slide into his hair.
“You don’t fight fair,” I murmur.
“Never planned to. And I’m not getting off my knees until you say you’re not going anywhere.”
“I don’t want to leave, Pres. I thoughtyou left me. And, fuck—it wrecked me. I was so scared. Of a life without you and Lily.”
He rises on his knees, spreads my legs apart, and fits himself between them. Preston’s arms lock me and pull me in for the kiss of a lifetime. Heat and desperation collide until there’s nothing left to misunderstand.
He kisses me until I’m dizzy, ’til our tears are impossible to tell apart, and my body remembers what home feels like.
When we break apart, I’m shaking. He’s got his forehead pressed against mine, whispering my name, as if he was terrified he wouldn’t get to say it again.
“Say you’re not leaving us,” he chokes out.
“Don’t pull our kid into this. That’s emotional blackmail,” I say, too fast, too true.
Ourkid. The words are out before I can stop them. He grins, wrecked and so gorgeous.
“Don’t,” I shush him, fingertip to his mouth,laughing through another tear. But apparently, there’s no holding back on that ecstatic smile that takes over his whole face.
Inside me, something bursts free. All the fear. All the waiting. All the pretending I don’t already belong to him. It’s replaced with relief, love, the truth I’ve been dodging. This is where I belong. I’m not going anywhere. If stupid laws force me to, I’ll find my way back to them. And if any ghosts show up, I'll stand tall and fight for what’s mine.
“Pres,” I say, and he hums, swaying us gently—no music or rush—just him holding me as if the world is back on its axis.
“I love you.”
He goes perfectly still.
“I’ve been holding this in for so long. Scared of it. Fighting it, to be honest. Coming to terms with it, too. But goddammit, I love you. There’s no other explanation for what I feel, no other word that encompasses it all. I’m not even sure this one does. But it’ll have to do for now. I love you. I love you so damn much. Oh great, now it can’t stop shooting it out of my mouth.”
His eyes go wide, laughter threatening to break through the shock. It looks like he can’t decide whether to breathe or laugh. He does both. A breath stumbles out through a smile bright enough to blind the whole block.
“Say it again.” His eyes find mine and don’t let go. I cup his face, thumb brushing the tear I bet he doesn’t even register.
“I love you.”
“You’ve never said it before.”
“Fear slows me down, but I’m catching up.”
He kisses me, unhurried this time. Reverent, sealing themoment with all the promises I know he’ll keep until we’re dust.
Later, downstairs, he lights the fireplace. The first spark catches, and the air shifts, scented with a bit of smoke and everything new.
We sit on the rug, wrapped in one of the many blankets he laid here for tonight. My head on his shoulder. His fingers draw lazy circles across my back, and my breathing syncs to his.
The flames crackle. Our feet tangle in a slow, thoughtless massage of sorts.
He kisses my hair. “Tomorrow, we can take care of that list. I’m canceling Zaha and asking Callie to take Lily for the day. We’ll have a redo.”
“Forget about that list. Make love to me, Pres.”
His lips brush mine, a smile lacing his voice. “That’s what I’ve been doing, baby. The whole time.”
