Page 64 of Falling for the Unexpected

I got out and took Stella from her car seat and followed Kyle into the house. I was still a little concerned about us spending the night here since his house wasn’t well suited for a toddler. It was the main reason we never spent much time here, especially overnight.

Kyle placed the leftovers Marla sent home with us in the fridge and then grabbed Stella out of my arms. “Follow me,” he commanded and then started to climb the stairs. At the top of the stairs I noticed a baby gate. Had he childproofed his house for Stella? Before I could ask about the gate, he directed me to the closed door of the bedroom I had stayed in the night of my birthday.

Kyle had the most ridiculous smile on his face. “What’s going on?” I asked, completely confused. I was nervous, but excited too because he looked absolutely ecstatic.

He took a deep breath. It was kind of cute how nervous he seemed to be suddenly. “This might seem a little fast, but I really wanted to have another option for us to spend our nights together. I don’t mind going to your apartment. I just would like you to spend more time here.” He was rambling a little bit, but continued before I could respond or even react. “I don’t want you to only come over here when you don’t have Stella. I want her to feel comfortable here as well so I turned this into a room for her.”

Kyle then pushed the door open and I took in the sight before me. He had a crib that could convert into a toddler bed up against the shared wall with his bedroom. There was a toy box in the corner, a dresser against the opposite wall, a large rug in the middle of the hardwood floor, and in the closet were a few brand new outfits already hanging up.

I looked up at Kyle, speechless. I couldn’t believe he would do this for us. It was overwhelming. This wasn’t just a gesture—it was a promise. His to me and to Stella. That he was serious, that this wasn’t some fling but something more permanent. His actions spoke volumes. And it filled my heart to the max.

“What do you think?” he asked quietly. I had been silent for so long he was probably starting to worry about my reaction. Or the lack of one. I was just stunned, utterly blown away. A million things were running through my head, and I felt even more emotions inside me about to explode.

Still speechless, I stared at him, the room, and then Stella—and promptly burst into tears. I immediately felt him wrap his free arm around me. Stella babbled on but I felt her little hand in my hair, as though stroking it in comfort. When I calmed down, I looked up at him, hiccupping out a response.

“Oh Kyle, i-it’s p-perfect. I can’t believe you did this for her. For us. Thank you!” I went up on my toes and kissed him soundly. This was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me or for Stella.

“There’s more,” he said, breathless and, to my amusement, a little dazed by my kiss. “I wasn’t sure about everything a toddler needed for the bathroom but I did purchase a couple things for her. I know, I went overboard but… it was important to me that you and Stella both feel at home here. Whenever you want to be here. If I’m missing anything we can go out shopping tomorrow.”

Again, I had tears streaming down my face, just staring up at him for several long minutes. “Babe, what’s wrong?” Kyle finally asked, sounding worried.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I assured him. He used a thumb to wipe the tears away. “It’s just… you’re so good to us. How did we get so lucky to have you in our lives?”

“I’m the lucky one,” he said, wrapping his free arm around me once more, and placing a kiss on the top of my head.

We proceeded to get Stella ready for bed together. He had even bought her pajamas, in her correct size! Just before laying her down, Kyle grabbed a book off the tiny bookshelf I had missed earlier and sat on the floor so Stella could climb into his lap. He read her a bedtime story and then gave her a hug and kiss goodnight.

“Wuv you,” I heard her say. I nearly lost it again.

I looked at Kyle and I could see her declaration had caught him off guard as well.

“I love you, too, Stella,” he answered, and I swear I heard a slight crack in his voice.

We walked into his room together, and as soon as I turned around, he grabbed me and kissed me hard. Kissing Kyle was one of my favorite things to do so I took my time, enjoying the feel of his lips gently sucking on my bottom one, then his tongue exploring my mouth, my tongue joining his. After a few minutes he pulled away to just stare into my eyes.

“I think today was the absolute best Thanksgiving ever,” he said.

I smiled. “Absolutely.”

“And our announcement seemed to go over well,” he added. “Even if Trent was a little weird about it.”

“I got to talk to him for a bit outside. I think he’s coming around to the idea already,” I said.

Kyle sighed, somewhat relieved. “That’s good because I’m not planning on letting you go anytime soon,” he said before pulling me over to his bed. “Or Stella.”

We both got ready for bed, me in one of Kyle’s T-shirts and him in his boxer briefs, and got under the covers. He wrapped his large arms around me and we just lay there in silence for a while. I was completely content in that moment which allowed the words I hadn’t planned on saying tonight to flow freely.

“I love you,” I said while he lay there silently. He was quiet for so long that I started to regret saying anything at all.

“Can you say that again?” he whispered, his voice wavering with emotion.

I turned my head so I could see him. It was dark but I could see his smile. It lit up the whole room—lit me up, too. “I love you, Kyle,” I repeated.

“Oh, babe, I’ve been in love with you for a while now. I just didn’t want to push you too quickly. I love you, too,” he said so tenderly.

We started kissing and then Kyle rolled me onto my back. Hovering over me, he looked directly into my eyes. “I’m the luckiest man in the world,” he said and then his lips found mine again. I was so consumed by his kiss that I gasped when I felt him nudge my entrance. We’d already had the birth control and testing conversation, but we hadn’t made love without protection yet.

When he gently pushed inside of me, my whole body nearly convulsed. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he grabbed both my hands with his and laced our fingers together. He placed our hands on the bed above my head and continued to thrust into me. Each movement was slow and controlled, both of us focusing on every sensation. This was the most passionate and intense lovemaking I had ever experienced.

I could feel my orgasm building, and from the look on Kyle’s face, I knew he was right there with me. I allowed myself to fall over the edge and kissed him deeply. I felt his entire body shake with his release.

“I love you so much,” he said and then kissed me again.

“I love you, too,” I responded breathlessly. I knew right then I was with the man I was meant to love and be with forever.