Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
TEDDY
“ Y ou ready?” I ask Willa, now that everything has settled down. West is wiping the blood off his hands. I’m sure I have some on me too, and I want to get it washed off. I want to wash all of this away.
“You’re not going with West?” she asks.
“You both can come.” West answers before me.
“We drove here,” Willa points out. “And I don’t drive, so I can’t drive it back.” I’d been thinking that too. I know West isn’t letting me out of his reach right now. I can see it in his eyes, and honestly, I don’t want to be. I’m still a bit shaken up.
“I’ll handle your car,” West says, placing his hand on my hip.
“No one will touch it,” King adds. “And I’ll take Willa home.”
“She can come with us,” I say quickly. I don’t know who this King guy is, but it’s clear he is majorly in charge around here. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to be bossing Willa or me around.
“I want to stay.” Willa takes half a step back. I'm not sure if she even realizes she's doing it. It’s in King’s direction.
“Your brother will lose his mind.” He’s gone to change. I guess when West burst down the door Derrick took me through, people started to notice that something was going on.
“I can do what I want.” Willa's eyes bore into mine, and our conversation from the diner pops right into my head.
“All right, but I want his number.”
“Give me your phone, princess.” Willa hands over her phone to King once it has been unlocked. He navigates to her messages, clicks on my name at the top, and sends it. “Now you have it too.” Her cheeks flush as he hands her the phone back. I suppose that is that.
“You sure?” West asks me.
“Willa can do as she wants.” He nods.
I give Willa a hug, and I let West lead me from the warehouse back to his vehicle.
"I don't want to hide us," I tell him as we make our way back toward home.
"Good," he says, giving my thigh a gentle squeeze, his hand resting there.
“You don’t worry about what might come of this or what others might say?”
“I don’t care, Teddy; there is nothing I want more than you, and I’ll do anything to have you.”
“I love you,” I blurt out.
“Teddy.” He flicks a glance over at me. “You say that when I’m driving and can’t touch you?”
“Sorry, it kind of popped out. Been holding it back.”
“Never hold back from me. I love you too. Think I have from day one.” I place my hand on top of his as he passes through the gate.
"If you're going to your place to grab stuff, I'm coming with you," he tells me when he parks.
“We’ll get all my stuff tomorrow.”
“All your stuff.” West turns to face me.
“Yeah, I’ll talk to my mom. I’m not sneaking around anymore.”
“What if she isn’t happy about all of this?”
“She’ll have to learn to deal.” Mom may be upset or worried, but in time she’ll get over it.
West leans in and kisses me. “Come on. I want to get the blood off of us.”
He takes my hand, leading me inside through the side door. I hear music when we enter, followed by my mom laughing. She must be cooking.
When we step around the corner, I see Jack and my mom dancing. He spins her, and she twirls back, resting her hand on his chest, extremely close. Intimately so. When he leans down to kiss her, I'm pretty sure my mouth drops open.
West and I are both standing there, seemingly in shock.
“How did we miss this?” I whisper to him. He shakes his head, clearly having no clue either.
“Teddy,” my mom gasps. “You scared me.” She looks like a kid who just got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. “You and your sneaking around are getting a little out of hand. We might have to put a bell on you.” Her eyes bounce between West and me. “Yes, I know about the two of you.” She rolls her eyes at me.
I shouldn’t be shocked. “Okay then, so you know I’m in love with West.”
“Anyone with eyes and that knows you is aware,” Mom says dryly. “Wait, is there blood on you?” She wiggles out of Jack's hold, who is acting like it's not a big thing he was kissing my mom. They’re the sneaky ones.
“It’s fine; it’s not ours, and everything is okay,” I reassure her. “Can we talk about it tomorrow? It’s late.”
“All right.” My mom's face softens. She kisses me on my cheek. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” I tell her.
“And you.” She points at West.
“I love her too,” he says before Mom can scold him.
“I know that too. Jack has reassured me, but now I’m always watching.”
“Noted.” West gives her a smile.
“I’ll see you both for brunch,” Mom says before going back to Jack, who winks at us as he pulls my mom back into their dance.
“Come.” West leads me out of the kitchen and upstairs.
There’s a big sense of relief that my mom is okay with us being in a relationship. I was worried it would put a strain on it. Even though I’m an adult and can do what I want, it’s really nice having her approval.
“Shower first,” West says as he begins to strip me of my clothes then his own before placing me under the running water. He takes his time, washing every single inch of me, and I return the favor.
Our touches start to linger, and it’s not long before West has me in his arms, kissing me under the warm spray of water.
“I love you so fucking much, Teddy.”
“I love you too.” I gasp as he thrusts his way inside of me.
“I can’t lose you.” He pulls out and thrusts back in.
“You won’t.” I moan as West starts to move faster, my fingers gripping his shoulders. I'm not sure if it's the adrenaline or the combination of everything from tonight, but my orgasm is already pressing down on me. With each thrust, he angles so his pelvis brushes my clit.
“Promise it.”
“Promise.” I cry out as I come. West is right there with me, groaning my name as his release explodes inside of me, not for the first time.
He kisses my neck. "You'll marry me," he orders, making me smile.
"I think I'll have your babies too." West lifts his head and gives me one of his rare smiles, which I know will no longer be so rare.
"There is no thinking about it. You will ."
" I will ," I promise again. I'll do anything that makes him smile just as I know he'd do anything to have me.