46. Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Roxie
Free.
Like a bird that just learned to fly, that’s how I feel right now. Was today one of the hardest of my life? A million percent yes, but the good has outweighed any bad that happened earlier.
Lennox is driving us to Ledger and Ainsley’s house while my hand is out the window, riding the air as we go. I breathe in the smell of fresh air and even fresher starts, loving every second of it.
I feel the car start to slow down before it pulls off to the side of a country road.
“What are you—” I don’t get a chance to finish my sentence.
Lennox slides his hand into my hair before kissing me. This kiss steals my breath, fills my soul, and makes me so damn happy. In this kiss is everything I’ve always wanted for my life, hand-delivered by the only man to dig deeper with me.
Lennox is my home; I see that now. The second I stepped onto his front porch, I knew my life would be changing forever. It just took me a while to see it.
He pulls away but tips our foreheads together. “I love you so fucking much.”
“Where did all that come from?” I match his tone.
“I’ve never seen you so carefree, so alive. You’re so damn happy right now, and I just wanted to be selfish for a minute and steal some of it.”
His words make me smile so hard my cheeks hurt. “You still don’t see it.”
“See what?”
“You are my happy, Lennox. Everything I’m feeling starts and ends with you. And Ivy,” I add. Can’t forget my Bug.
“Jesus, woman.” His eyes start to water, but he pulls me in for another kiss before I can say anything.
When I pull away this time, joy radiates from him. I imagine it’s what I look like reflecting back at him.
“Let’s go get our girl. We can pick up pizza on the way home and make it a movie night,” he suggests.
I nod, but I’m stuck on two words. Our girl. His acceptance of my daughter and the way he treats her will forever be one of my favorite things about him. From day one, his interactions with Ivy were different. She seemed to draw him out of his depression better than anyone else could. And now their connection is the best thing to watch.
He puts the car into drive again, but I can’t take my eyes off him. His goofy smile and the wind blowing through his overgrown hair bring out this kid-like nature within him.
“Do you always have your hair this long?” I ask as my thoughts whirl around a million different things.
“Uh.” He looks over at me with his brows furrowed. “No, I usually have it short on the sides and longer on top, so I keep the curls. Why? You like it this long?”
“I like you; I don’t care what your hair looks like. Well … as long as there’s something for me to grab on to. ”
“Boss Lady, who knew you had it in you.” He chuckles.
“You knew. You definitely knew, Lennox.” I laugh with him.
We arrive at Ledger’s house quickly after that. As soon as we park, Ivy bounds out of the house, running straight to Lennox, who picks her up and swings her around.
“How was your day, Lenny?” she asks, making my heart melt even more if that’s possible.
“Pretty darn good, Pixie. How was yours?”
She proceeds to tell him all about her fun day with “the gals”, talking a mile a minute, before Ainsley and Ledger walk out the front door. They both look at me with concern, but they have nothing to worry about. Walking up the steps to join them as the two most important people in my life talk about their day, I fill them in on the basics of what happened.
“So, you’re staying for good?” Ainsley asks, trying so hard to curb her excitement.
“We’re staying for good,” I say softly. Her hug takes me by surprise. Maybe because it’s more like a tackle.
“Jesus, Ains, don’t take the woman out,” Ledger says with exasperation.
“She tough; she’ll be fine.” She squeezes me tighter. “You want to stay for dinner?”
“Can’t. My man is picking up pizza on the way home, and we’re going to watch a movie with Ives.”
“Well, damn, girl.”
At the same time, Ledger says, “Ew. Can we not? I don’t need to know about Lenny’s … bedroom life. In fact, why do you want to know about Lenny’s bedroom life, Ains? Am I not doing enough?” His faux affront cracks me up .
Before Ainsley can answer him, Lennox walks up with Ivy in his arms. “What’d we miss?”
“Not a damn thing,” Ledger says, still with a disgusted look on his face.
I have to roll my lips inward to stop from laughing.
“Language!” Ainsley hisses.
“Oh my God, stop. I say worse, I promise.” I let out my laughter.
“Well, as fun as this is, I’m going to steal my ladies away and have a movie night,” Lennox says.
“With pizza?” Ivy gasps.
“With pizza,” Lennox says.
Ledger claps him on the back before giving him a side hug. “Proud of you, Lenny.” He says it quietly so no one else hears it, but I hear it, and it makes my content little heart soar.
Lennox clears his throat, shifting Ivy so he can give him a hug in return. He turns to me. “Ready?”
“Absolutely.”
The pizza is eaten, the movie is picked, and now the three of us are on the couch watching a princess movie while Lennox lets Ivy “make his hair pretty”. It might just be the most perfect evening ever.
“Hey, Ives, can we talk while you do Lenny’s hair?” I don’t really know how much I should tell her, but I’ve always been honest with her .
“Yep.”
“So, my aunt and uncle came to town.” At her sharp look, I quickly continue, “They aren’t going to bother us anymore, though. They were … taken care of and will be in a place where they can’t come after us anymore.”
“They’re gone for good?”
“Yeah, Bug, they’re gone for good.” It’s mostly the truth, and if they happen to be released, then I know Lennox and I will protect her no matter what.
Her smile lights up the whole room. Lennox peeks behind him with a very similar smile.
“Hey, Lenny?” Ivy’s little voice switches attention.
“Yeah, Pixie?”
“Are you going to be my dad now?”
My heart stops in my chest. This isn’t something we’ve talked about. I know he’s committed to me and to Ivy, but this is bigger, more real.
His eyes widen before looking at me. I nod to him, telling him this is his call. I won’t pressure him into anything. Then his eyes fill with tears as he wraps his arms around Ivy.
“I would love nothing more than to be your dad, Pix.” His voice catches as she hugs him tightly.
My shoulders shake with sobs I’m trying to hold back. Before I see it happen, Ivy flings herself at me.
“Did you hear it?! Lenny’s going to be my dad, and I have someone to go wiff me to the daddy/daughter dances!”
The sobs become uncontrollable as her words hit me hard. Lennox stands up, wrapping both of us up in the most comforting of hugs .
“Love you, Pix.” He can barely speak with the knot in his throat, but he presses a kiss to my forehead.
“Love you too, Lenny. Dad.” We chuckle at her change-up. “Can I still call you Lenny sometimes?”
“You can call me anything you want.” Lennox picks us up and sits on the couch with me between his legs. Ivy curls up in my lap as I play with her hair at the same time Lennox plays with mine and presses soft kisses to my skin.
When Ivy starts getting heavy on me, I start to shift so I can put her to bed. Lennox beats me to the punch, lifting her effortlessly as he presses a kiss to my cheek.
“Let me put her to bed tonight. Please,” he adds. After everything that happened today and what she asked him, I know he’s feeling all sorts of things. What I do, though, is follow them and watch from the doorway. Ivy barely wakes up, but he reads her a story anyway. I hope this tradition never ends, even though I know there will a come a time when she’s too old for bedtime stories. I’ll still keep this memory in my mind until the end of my days.
“How are you feeling?” He walks up to me, grabbing my hand and leading me out to the living room.
“Surprisingly calm.” And it’s the truth. I’ve felt what feels like every emotion under the sun today, and yet right this minute? I’m content.
“I have a question for you, Boss Lady.” He’s still pulling me, this time down his hallway.
“What’s that, love?”
“What are your thoughts about moving completely into my side of the cabin?” We stop in front of his door at the same time he pulls me close .
“I think it might be the best idea you’ve ever had.” I stand on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his jaw. “Well, maybe second best. Ivy’s room is pretty badass.”
He bends down, lifting me in the air and spinning me around before walking into his —our— room. My back hits the bed before I realize he threw me. The look on his face tells me this is not going to be sweet and sensual. No, he’s going to take the day out on me, and I couldn’t be happier about that.
“Strip, Rox.” He’s already pulling his T-shirt over his head.
I sit up and yank off my tank top before fumbling with my bra. I watch as he shoves his shorts and boxer briefs down his legs. He kicks them off to the side as I struggle. My leggings and panties come off fairly easily. Once I’m stretched back out on the bed, he grips my ankles and pulls me to the end of the bed at the same time he sinks to his knees.
Fuck me.
Just the sight of him on his knees for me has me squirming.
The feel of his nose dragging along my inner thigh mixed with the scruff on his jaw sends a shiver up my spine. He nips me once, twice, before I can’t take it anymore.
“Please,” I moan.
He nips me again. “That’s not nearly enough.”
“Lennox, please. Put your mouth on me.” No sooner do I speak the words does he make it happen. My back arches so far off the bed that I feel like a circus act. He doesn’t ease into it, doesn’t make it soft or tender. No, he hits my clit with vigor right from the get-go and gets me so worked up I’m at the edge in minutes.
Reaching down, I thread my fingers through his hair and grip it hard, directing him where I need him. His hands come up and grab my ass that’s barely on the bed. Digging his fingers into me, he nips at my clit and swirls his tongue around it, alternating between the two before I’m on the edge of exploding.
One hand moves off my ass, and I only realize it when I feel two fingers slide inside me, stretching me. The feeling of being full lights me up from the inside out, and I don’t realize I’m screaming until Lennox’s hand cups my mouth.
“Shh, you’ll wake up Pixie.” He works his way up my body, fingers still inside of me, leisurely stoking the fire still right on the edge after my orgasm.
“Well, then don’t break my body in half with an orgasm,” I whine.
“You’re in trouble if you think that was the best I’ve got tonight.” His mischievous smirk should worry me; instead, it fills my body with anticipation.
“Maybe you’ll have to gag me, then.”
He sits up in shock. “Yeah? I can make that happen if it’s something you want.”
God, his willingness to do anything sends me into a frenzy. “Maybe I’ll just bite you when it becomes too much.”
His eyes flash. His fingers slide out of me, making me whimper at the loss. But I don’t have to wait long. He scoots me up the bed, placing me dead center, then stands up.
“Do you have toys?”
“Umm, what?”
“Toys, a vibrator preferably.”
“I-In my nightstand,” I stutter .
Wordlessly, he grabs a robe off the bathroom door, haphazardly putting it on before leaving me alone on the bed. He’s back less than a minute later, holding my little bullet in his hand.
“We need to move your shit over tomorrow. I’m not walking back over there for a fucking vibrator again,” he growls as he tosses the robe off.
“You’re kind of cute like this.” I giggle. I can’t help it. I’m so in love with him, with everything he is and everything he does. Something as simple as throwing on a robe because there’s a very small chance Ivy wakes up has me laughing.
“You won’t think I’m so cute in a minute.” He clicks on the vibrator, and I know this is going to wreck me in the best kind of way.