Chapter 110
REGGIE
It’s barely eight when I pull up outside Rowan’s. My shoulder aches like hell, but it’s nothing compared to the weight sitting in my chest.
“Just try and relax for a few days, Reggie. It needs to heal,” Finn orders.
“Yes, doc. I’ll sit on my ass and not move.”
Finn chuckles. “No, you wanna move a bit. Keep the blood flowing.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine. Thanks for fixing me up.”
He nods. “Of course. I can’t wait for the time in our lives when we don’t have bullet holes to patch up.”
I chuckle at that. “Yeah, once we’re out of the warzone, I expect some of our children one day might bring their own chaos to our doorstep.”
My chest squeezes. I never pictured having children, but with Bella, I could. One day maybe, if that’s what she wants.
After I say goodbye, I step out into the fresh air, heading into my house. Rowan already texted to tell me they were in here.
Home.
God, that word hits different now.
When I open the door, the smell of coffee and pancakes floods the air. It’s so domestic it nearly knocks me on my ass.
They’re in the kitchen.
Rowan’s standing at the stove and Bella’s perched on the counter, hair a wild halo, flipping pancakes like it’s her full-time job. She’s in one of my T-shirts, the hem brushing her thighs, and I swear to God I’ve never seen anything more dangerous.
She spots me first.
“Reggie!”
Before I can even blink, she’s running at me, bare feet slapping against the hardwood, and then she’s in my arms, careful of my shoulder but clinging to me like she’ll never let go.
I barely get a breath before her lips crash into mine.
Soft. Desperate. Real.
Everything in me loosens all at once.
I cup her face, tasting the salt of her tears and the faint sweetness of caramel syrup on her tongue. She kisses me like she’s trying to make up for every heartbeat we lost last night.
And I let her.
Because I don’t want to stop.
Ever.
Something soft brushes against my ankle and I look down, Sassy, now not so little, is weaving between my legs with a meow.
“Hey, pretty girl,” I murmur, crouching slightly to scratch behind her ear with my good hand.
She purrs like a motor.
Rowan chuckles from the kitchen. “Guess we were all worried about you, Irish.”
Bella pulls back just enough to smile up at me. “He’s fine now. Right?”
I grin, brushing my thumb along her jaw. “Right. I’m a picture of health, baby.”
“You need to get changed,” she says softly.
“Didn’t have much of a fashion show at Finn’s.”
“Come on,” she says, slipping her fingers through mine.
I follow her upstairs, Sassy trotting after us like a shadow.
The room smells like her, vanilla and something warm I can’t name. The sunlight’s streaming through the curtains, cutting across the bed that looks too big without both of them in it.
She turns to face me, her expression soft. “Let me help?”
I nod, and she steps closer, unbuttoning my shirt one careful clasp at a time. Each one feels heavier than it should.
When it’s off, she traces her fingers lightly around the bandage on my shoulder.
“Does it hurt?” she whispers.
“Only when you’re not touching me.”
She giggles, her eyes glazing over. “Smooth, Irish. That’s why I fell for you.”
I press my hand over hers against my chest.
“I know yesterday was a lot. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Lyla.
I wanted to protect you both from it.” I shake my head.
“It’s what I’ve always tried to do. Take the brunt of everything and force myself to deal with it.
When I’ve realized, I need to let people in.
I need to let you in. Because this would have never happened like that if I’d have just told you and Rowan the truth from the start. ”
She sighs, a tear rolling down her cheek.
“You did what you thought was right. You just tried to protect us. There is nothing wrong with that, Reggie. Sometimes, I enjoy being looked after.”
She looks up at me through her lashes.
“Oh, really?”
She nods. “And I’m hoping no more women are going to come forward and claim you or Rowan have impregnated them.”
“Nope. Only one woman I wanna get pregnant, and I’m staring right at her.”
Her breath hitches.
“Wow, Irish. We’ve bypassed the wedding and ran straight to babies.”
I lift my good arm and run my fingers along her throat. “It’s up to you, Princess. I’ve told you before. You have all the power here.”
She nods, the smallest movement. Then she helps me step out of my pants, steady hands guiding me as I change into the clean pair she grabbed from my drawer. It’s domestic, quiet. But it feels sacred somehow.
“Movie day? I used to love those when I was a kid with my brothers.” she asks, and that glint in her eye makes me smile.
“Yeah. I like the sound of that.”
She leans in, kisses me once more; it’s gentle, lingering, like she’s memorizing the feel of me alive and warm beneath her hands.
“I love you, Bella King. I’ll love you forever. For exactly who you are. You want me to walk through the fire with you? I will. You want me to put out the flames for you? I’ll do that. I’ll keep your heart safe, baby. I promise. For the rest of my life, I’ll choose you. Over and over again.”
She smiles despite the tears falling.
“I love you so much, Reggie. Even if I push you to your limits, I know I’m safe with you, that I’m loved and respected. You make me so happy. I can finally be me. And all I want to do is love you, forever.”
I kiss her again, showing her that I meant every word. That my love for her is endless.
“Hungry?” she asks against my lips.
“Starving,” I groan.
My cock aches for her.
“Reggie Murphy. Don’t you dare even think about it.”
I grin against her lips.
“You wanted to look after me, right?”
I take her hand and press it over my hardening cock.
“A good nurse would let me eat her pussy, distract me from the pain.”
“You’re pushing it, Irish,” she warns.
I grab her throat, walking her to the edge of the bed. Towering over her.
“Just because I’ve been shot, doesn’t mean I’ve lost my touch over you.”
Her cheeks heat.
That ache in my shoulder reminds me it’s there.
“Be a good girl for me and sit on my face, Bella,” I growl.
“Yes. Sir.”