Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
TYLER
“Finally,” I exclaim, grabbing Sophie around the waist the second she steps inside, pressing my lips to hers.
With a hand on her cheek, I tip her head back, taking the kiss deeper, sweeping my tongue into her mouth to glide against hers.
She tastes like happiness and joy and the jelly beans I know she was eating in the car.
The scent of her strawberry shampoo surrounds me, and everything inside me lifts and settles at exactly the same time.
Home.
I may be standing in my own house, but it wasn’t home until she walked through the door.
“Hi,” she says breathlessly, eyes sparkling with fun and a smile on her lips as we ease apart. “This is a really good welcome home.”
I kiss her forehead, lingering there. “I like hearing you call my house home. I missed you today. I don’t know how it’s possible to miss you so much when I literally saw you this morning, but bet your gorgeous ass, I did. This house isn’t nearly as happy without you in it.”
Sophie grins, winding her arms around my neck and tangling her fingers in my hair. “That’s really good to hear because I’m never happier than when I’m right here.”
Warmth spreads in my chest at her words, and I can’t resist dipping my head, slanting my mouth back over hers. Our lips move together, and I wonder idly whether I can spend the entire rest of my life with my lips permanently attached to hers.
Who needs football anyway?
Food and water? Unnecessary when Sophie is around. I could survive the rest of my life on her taste alone.
“Fuck yes, it’s about damn time!” Maya’s gleeful voice breaks us out of our little bubble, and Sophie laughs as she steps back, but I grab her hand and tug her back against me, wrapping my arms around her from behind.
“Sorry,” I murmur, pressing a kiss behind her ear, chuckling a little when she gasps. “My mom got stuck in court today, so she postponed dinner to next week, and then everyone kind of ended up here instead.”
“Fuck right, we did,” Maya says with a grin, propping her hands on her hips. “You guys have been hiding out in a love haze or whatever, but it’s time to rejoin the world. Stories must be told. Questions must be answered.”
Sophie leans her head back on my shoulder, and I love the way her curls tickle my chin. Down baddest man, party of one. “Simmer down, My. It’s only been like a week.”
“Is that it?” I ask, kissing her cheek. “I could swear it’s been longer than that.”
Maya rolls her eyes. “That’s because it took you a whole ass lifetime to see the best girl in the entire world was right in front of your face.”
“I know. I hate that so much, but I see it now.” I nuzzle my face into Sophie’s neck and she giggles.
Literally giggles. I’m a happy sort of guy most of the time, but I had no idea that this kind of happiness existed.
“You’re literally all I see,” I murmur into her ear, and when she lets out a contented little sigh, I wonder if it would be rude to kick everyone out so I can carry Sophie up to my bed and do unholy things to her for the rest of the night.
“Are you talking about Sophie and Tyler things?” Maddy’s voice filters in from the living room, interrupting my dirty, dirty train of thought. “Can you do it in here? I’m too comfortable to move.”
“They’re busy saying hi like they haven’t seen each other in thirty-seven years,” Maya says, wandering back into the living room. “I think we’re going to have to give them a minute. But just a minute,” she calls back. “Some of us are starving in here, for food and for details.”
With a laugh, Sophie tips her head back and kisses my jaw, and even that little contact has my heart exploding. Fuck, I love her so much. “I guess there’s no way around it,” she says with a smile. “This relationship was always going to be a family affair.”
Spinning her around, I press a soft kiss to her lips, stroking a hand down her jaw. “Is that what we have? A relationship?”
Sophie laughs, kissing me again. “I mean, you told me you love me, and I loved you first, so I think a relationship is definitely in order. Like the boyfriend, girlfriend, you are my favorite human and I would probably die for you kind of relationship.”
Pushing a curl off her face, I run my thumb over the row of multicolored stones lining her ear. “I love the sound of that. Except for the dying thing. I want us to live for two hundred more years so I can love you for every single one of them.”
Sophie lets out a dramatic sigh. “Jesus Christ, Tyler, that’s swoon city.”
“How does that make you feel?”
She grins, and her whole face lights up. “Like it’s my favorite thing. I’m glad everyone’s here. I’m sorry I’m late. I was at my parents’ house hanging with my dad, Liv, and Brian, and I lost track of time.”
Leaning back, I study her face. She texted me after her third interview this morning to tell me it went well and would give me the details later, and I’m dying to know.
I’m so damn proud of her. The idea of her moving to California fucking kills me, but this opportunity is the result of all the incredible things she has accomplished, and that leaves me in absolute awe of her.
I want her to have everything she wants.
To take every single opportunity that comes her way.
And if that means her moving across the country, then we’ll make it work, even if every instinct I have is screaming at me to beg her to stay. “Everything okay?”
A shadow moves over her face so quickly I don’t have time to clock it before it disappears, replaced by the smile I love so much.
The happy eyes I could get lost in for days.
“Everything is okay, but I’m starving. If everyone’s here, does that mean we’re having family dinner on a Thursday? Can there be tacos?”
I drop a kiss on her nose, flicking her bracelets and then linking my finger with hers. “Yep. I have Dr Pepper in the freezer for you.”
Sophie grins. “You are the perfect man.”
Pressing my forehead to hers, I can’t help but grin back. “Gotta take care of my girl.”
She leans back to look at me. “Your girl, huh?”
Chuckling, I drop my mouth to her ear. “My cock has been inside many different parts of your body many, many times. That absolutely makes you my girl.”
Sophie’s cheeks turn the prettiest pink as her lips tip up in a wicked grin.
“Feed me and make my Dr Pepper icy enough, and later you can be inside me as many times as you want.” She pauses, her tongue drifting over her bottom lip, her hands sliding down to glide over my ass. “Maybe I’ll even be inside you.”
My head spins as every drop of blood in my body drains directly to my dick. “Fuck,” I mutter, tipping my hips forward so she can feel exactly what the thought of that does to me. “You can’t say things like that when we have a roomful of friends on the other side of that wall.”
“Oh, on the contrary,” she says, squeezing my ass, laughing when my entire body jolts and my cock jumps between us. “I think now is the perfect time. It’ll give you something to look forward to.”
With a groan, I crash my mouth to hers, teasing her lips open with my tongue and dipping inside her mouth to taste her again because there is literally no amount of Sophie that will ever be enough.
She lets out a sexy little moan, and I want to hear that sound a million more times.
I want to strip her naked and spread her out over my bed.
Kiss every inch of her body and sink inside her until there is no way to know where I end and she begins.
I’m obsessed.
Enthralled.
I need her like fucking air.
“I think they forgot they’re not alone.”
Oliver’s snarky tone has me groaning again, this time out of frustration because I did forget Sophie and I are very much not alone. I tear my mouth from hers and tuck her into my side, turning us to look directly into Oliver and Jack’s smirking faces.
“Did you need something?” Sophie asks, voice full of amusement.
Jack laughs, elbowing his way between us and tossing his arms around us both. “We got tired of waiting for you, and we ordered dinner because Maddy decided she doesn’t do impromptu cooking. It’ll be here in half an hour, which gives you both plenty of time to give us all the details.”
“We’ve been patient long enough.” Oliver grabs Sophie’s hand and pulls us into the living room where the rest of our friends are sprawled out with drinks and bowls of various snacks scattered all over the room.
Sarah cheers when we walk in. Like, literally, actually cheers, and I grin as I flop down onto the couch and tug Sophie into my lap, wrapping my arms around her. “I think a celebration is in order.”
“Damn right, it is,” Drew says, strolling in from the kitchen and dropping down on the floor right next to Caitlin, frowning when Caitlin glares at him and moves so far away she’s practically in Oliver’s lap. “Little Ty Ty finally figured out what we’ve all known this whole time.”
I roll my eyes because I hate that stupid fucking nickname Maddy gave me when we were kids and then told all the guys about when she started working for the team last season, but then his words register. “Hang on. Did everyone know I was in love with Sophie except for me?”
“Yes,” Maddy, Caitlin, Maya, Emmy, Sarah, Oliver, Jack, Cam, and Drew all say in unison, and then everyone bursts out laughing.
“Sorry,” Cam says with a smile, swinging an arm around Maddy and tugging her closer to him. “You know I love you, dude, but it was pretty obvious.”
“By obvious he means you’ve been clueless for years.” Sophie gives me a sly grin and then leans in and kisses me as cheers erupt from all sides.
“But you’re forgiven because the way you, like, swept in and claimed her that night at the bar?” Emmy shakes her head. “So hot, Tyler. So fucking hot.”
Grinning, I lean down and press a kiss to Sophie’s shoulder. “Couldn’t have anyone else moving in on my girl.”