Page 204 of Wrecked
He captured her hands in his, stroked her soft skin. “What wouldyouwant?”
She broke away and stared out at the property. “For you to be happy.”
His heart kicked up speed. He had to tell her how he felt, what he wanted.
This is it.
“I remember the first time I saw you,” he began. “You’d just started with ALPHA and we passed each other in the hallway. I turned around and followed you into the break room to welcome you to the team.”
Turning to face him, she smiled. “I remember meeting you.”
“For me, the attraction was instant. Your smile got tattooed on my brain.” He tapped his head.
“I remember you hadgreateye contact.”
“That’s ‘cause I couldn’t stop looking at you.” He chuckled. “When we started working together, I knew you were special. Once we started hanging out, I realized that our relationship was different from anything I’d ever had. The only reason I didn’t screw this up is because we stayed friends. I’m angry, disappointed, and sad over what happened with Tommy. But everything changed for me when he told me he’d been with you.”
“Oh, wow,” she whispered.
“I’ve never been jealous in my life, but knowing that made me crazy.”
“You had my heart,” she whispered. “He was a stranger at some party.”
“It was the kick in the ass I needed to stop being afraid to love again.” He lifted her hand to his lips, kissed her soft skin. It’s always been you, Addison.”
She smiled. “I loved that you kissed me in the henhouse.”
He captured her face in his hands and kissed her, their tongues softly stroking each other. When the kiss ended, he peered into her eyes.
“I will always put you first,” he continued. “Being with you is what matters most. I love that we’re Operatives, that we’re partners, but I want it all with you.”
“Children?” she murmured.
“I didn’t want any, because of what I’d lost. That level of emotional pain wrecked me, and I wasn’t even a dad yet.”
“You were a dad the minute you found out you were having a baby,” she replied.
He nodded. After a pause, he said, “I would love to have children with you, babe.”
She stared into her lap, then turned toward the property. Not wanting to rush her, he stayed quiet while the August sun beat down on them.
After a long moment, she said, “I want to be a mom, but I would need to know, in my heart, that my relationship with my partner or spouse was unbreakable.” She gazed into his eyes. “I think that’s an unreasonable expectation for anyone, especially in a world where things are always changing. Someone better could come along. Younger, prettier, smarter, or just different.”
“Addison, are you concerned I’d leave you, like your mom left your family?”
Her chest tightened. “Yeah.”
“Do you trust me on a mission?”
“With my life.”
“Do you know that you’re my best friend?”
She smiled. “I’m your bestfemalefriend. You’ve got your band of brothers and that bondisunbreakable.”
“I would rather have a lifetime with you andnochildren, than a life with someone else and children.”
She stared at him for the longest time. “My heart is so full right now.”
