13. Easton
Chapter 13
Easton
Waking up with Taylor in my arms is like every dream I’ve had over the past decade finally becoming my reality. I don’t want to get up. I don’t want to move a single muscle and risk ruining what we have.
“Are you just pretending to be asleep?” Taylor asks with amusement in her tone.
“No, I'm pretending to not be awake,” I murmur, holding her a little closer.
“Easton!” She bursts out laughing and swats at my chest. “We need to get up!”
“Why, baby? I'm comfy.”
Ever since I called her baby last night, I haven’t been able to stop using the term of endearment. Since she confessed she would’ve chosen me over Jack, I haven’t been able to stop touching her or thinking about what a future with Taylor could be like .
“Because I'm hungry and today is a special day.” She wiggles out of my arms and climbs off the bed. She goes straight to my dresser and begins rifling through my drawers.
I slide a little higher in bed until my back is against the headboard and tuck my hands behind my head.
“Stop staring at me, Easton,” she singsongs as she tugs out a different shirt and slips it over her head.
“That would be impossible. I’ve been staring at you since we met.”
“We met when I was six.” She glances over her shoulder at me and frowns.
“Exactly. For an entire decade, I’ve been staring at you every chance I got.” I grin when she ties her hair into a messy bun on the top of her head. I always loved when she wore it like that. “What makes today special?”
I climb off the bed and go to grab a t-shirt for myself, but Taylor shakes her head and shuts the drawer. I guess I'm not allowed a shirt.
“Everything,” she murmurs as she stands on her tippy toes and presses a soft kiss to my cheek.
Before I can respond, she’s out of my room and rushing down the hallway towards the kitchen. I chuckle to myself and follow after her. I don’t know what changed, but I love the mood she’s in right now. She’s so much like the girl I fell in love with. So carefree and not afraid to be herself.
When I enter the kitchen, she already has ingredients out on the counter and she’s frowning at the side of a box of pancake mix.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I whisper against the soft skin of her neck as I wrap my arms around her waist from behind.
“I don’t think there’s enough mix.”
“Then let’s make cornbread pancakes. I like them better anyway.”
“Cornbread pancakes? That sounds awful.” She twists just enough to frown up at me.
“You have no idea what you’ve been missing.” I spin her around in my arms and lift her onto the counter. “You can watch me make them.”
“You’re going to make me breakfast?”
“I’ll cook you breakfast every morning if that would make you happy.” I step between her parted legs and cup her cheek. “Are you moving in with me?”
“Maybe.”
“Just maybe?” I smirk with amusement. “How can I change your answer to yes?”
“I think we need a test period. What if you snore too loudly?”
“You know I don’t snore.” I roll my eyes.
“What if you chew too loudly and it annoys me?”
“Taylor, you’ve been eating meals with me multiple times a week for almost twenty years. Has my chewing ever annoyed you?”
“Well… no. ”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s actually going on?”
She stares down at her hands as she tries to gather her thoughts. I can wait as long as she needs me to, but I want to know why she’s hesitating now.
“What are people going to say? I dated Jack for so long. We just buried him yesterday. If I move in and we start dating…” she trails off, leaving her thoughts hanging in the air.
I understand where her head is at and how she’s feeling. I’d be a liar if I said I haven’t had the same thoughts over the last twenty-four hours, but I don’t care.
Someone else’s opinion of me doesn’t affect me if I don’t let it. I don’t care if rumors go around about us. I'm sure at least one person will think we were cheating behind his back even though we didn’t. Some will think I'm making a move on Taylor while she’s vulnerable and taking advantage of her. Some will think she just wants one of the Maxwell brothers and she doesn’t care who. None of it matters though.
“Baby, I’ve been in love with you for years. Long before you and Jack started dating. This isn't some weird reaction to Jack dying or anything.”
“I think I fell in love with you long before I dated him too,” she whispers, blinking up at me with her big blue eyes.
“Then who cares what people say? Let them talk. Let them be annoyed or angry or upset or whatever else they want to feel. They’re not us and I don’t think we should stay away from each other to make someone else feel better.”
“Are you sure you don’t care if people talk?” She slips her bottom lip between her teeth and nibbles on it as she thinks.
“I'm positive, but if you have any hesitations about this, we shouldn’t do it. I'm not going to push you, Taylor. You know I’d never ask you to do anything you didn’t want to do.”
“I think I’ve waited long enough to get my happily ever after, I don’t want to wait another second.” She loops her arms around my neck and watches me carefully. She’s still unsure if this is the right move, but I'm going to work hard to put her mind at ease.
Gripping her hips, I tug her towards me until her thighs are molded around me. I wrap one arm around her waist and thread my fingers through the hair at her nap. I don’t hesitate to bring my lips down to hers and finally get the kiss I’ve been dreaming of.
Taylor freezes for a split second, then she’s kissing me back. I can tell she’s scared and doesn’t really know what to do and that ticks me off.
How could Jack have someone as amazing as her and not kiss her breathlessly every chance he got? Seriously, how did he find comfort in another woman’s arms when he already had Taylor?
I pull back and rest my forehead against Taylor’s as I try to catch my breath. That was the best kiss I’ve ever experienced. My body feels like it’s on fire and my heart is pounding .
“Holy crap,” Taylor mumbles under her breath. Her eyes are squeezed shut and she lifts trembling fingers to her lips.
“Are you ok?”
“No, I'm pretty sure you just flipped my world upside down.”
“What do you mean?” I take a step back and meet her eyes. She looks drunk and her eyes are glassy.
“Don’t move away from me.” She sticks her bottom lip out in a pout. She reaches for me and grabs my sweatpants, tugging me closer. “That was amazing, East. Absolutely perfect.”
“Not disappointing?”
“Not even a tiny bit disappointing. I want to do it again. We don’t have any plans today, right?”
“You just want to make out all day?” I ask with amusement coating my words. I love this woman.
“Yes. I’ve never done that before and I think it would be fun.” Her cheeks turn a bright pink, but she doesn’t try to hide her embarrassment.
I can't imagine what’s going through her head right now. If Jack truly didn’t kiss her often and when he did it was just pecks here and there, I really will be turning her world upside down. I'm going to show her what it’s like to be loved by a man obsessed with her.
“Let’s get some food in our stomachs, then we can do whatever you’d like, babe.”