32. Every Dream I’ve Ever Had
EVERY DREAM I’VE EVER HAD
OLIVIA
The room is quiet. After hearing about me being pregnant—something even Winnie didn’t know—everyone seemed to accept that somehow, Lake was Bear.
It definitely sounds completely impossible, but I know in my heart that this man is Bear.
It also explains how I was able to give myself to Lake despite my history.
We’re lying like we normally did in that cage.
Me, on top of him, my head on his chest, listening to his heart.
Him, holding me, his fingers sifting through my hair.
“Are you awake?” he asks.
“Yeah, I’m just lying here thinking.”
“About what, baby?”
“That being with you like this, in a real bed is better than any dream I’ve ever had.”
“I have to admit, it is pretty damn good,” he laughs.
“Things were still pretty reserved with you and Blade,” I murmur, kissing his chest. There’s tension between him and his brother. I hate it. I wish I could help, but there’s not much I can do.
“We’ll be okay eventually. He went to prison for four years for killing me and I was alive. I have guilt, he has resentment. We’ll need to work through it.”
“There’s not much you could have done about it. You were in a coma for almost two years, Bear. Then when you came through, you endured surgery after surgery—over top of ones you already had. You had to do rehab, and you literally didn’t have any memory. He can’t blame you.”
“Logically, I think we both know that, but I think it will take some time. I’m not sure we’ll ever get back to where we were. Sometimes, there’s just no going back, Livy.”
“You’ll have to work it out, because Winnie and I are close. Our kids will grow up together.”
“Not so fast, woman. You promised me a house on the ocean.”
I pull back to look at him. “You really don’t want to be part of the club any longer?”
“I’ll keep my cut. If they have issues and need me, I’ll come back to help, but honestly, I’m done.
I want to live the rest of my life with you.
There’s so much I owe you that I’ll never be able to make up for.
You lost our baby, and I wasn’t there to hold you.
You lost your father. My brother tried to get revenge on you—”
“He stopped that pretty quickly, Bear,” I interject, not wanting to add to the tension between the brothers.
“He gave you hell at your father’s funeral. Blade has always been a hot head. There’s no excuse for pulling that shit, though.”
“Douglas made me convince him that I was the reason you died, and he was in jail. There was a lot of pain there. We all need to let the past go. I don’t want our future babies feeling tension between their daddy and their uncle.”
“Future babies?” he asks with a grin.
“We’ll never have our child that we lost back. I know that. It doesn’t mean we can’t have more kids. I want a family with you, Bear. We’ve wasted so much time thinking of other people and trying to do what’s right. I want to take that energy and build our life together.”
“That’s something I can get behind,” he purrs, biting my ear.
“Do you want to go back to the cabin tonight? Or are we staying here?”
“Let’s go back to your place tomorrow. I’m worn out tonight and I finally have my woman in my arms. For now, that’s everything. I just want to enjoy it.”
“Sounds good,” I respond but words end in a startled cry, as Bear flips me over on my back and reverses our positions so that he’s over top of me. “What are you doing?”
“Well, you can remember making love to me, and I don’t have any of that fucker Lake’s memories, so I think it’s about time I make my own.”
“You talk about it like you aren’t the same person,” I laugh.
“You may not have his memories, but my body recognized you even if I couldn’t.
Otherwise, I would have never let another man touch me.
I was fully prepared to live my life alone and be happy.
If I couldn’t have you, I didn’t want anyone.
I still don’t. It has always been you. I tried to force things with Blade, and we’re so different that we never would have made a happy life together. We’d have divorced.”
“I can’t say anything. I let that snake Ayita keep us apart,” I mutter.
“I think we’re both to blame for that. Although, I am bummed that I didn’t see you take revenge for both of us, Livy. Just hearing Cross tell me about it had my dick hard,” Bear laughs.
I roll my eyes. “I hated her for a lot of reasons,” I grumble.
“Ditto, baby,” he responds, kissing me quickly.
“Before I start making you my midnight snack, I do have a serious question for you.”
“What’s that?” I ask, instantly concerned. Bear must see it because he tries to smooth my brow by kissing it.
“Since we have all this money that my beautiful old lady didn’t want to touch, how soon do you think we can find an ocean front to hold a wedding?”
“You want to get married?”
“To you? I may marry you every single fucking year just because I can,” he says, and I’m not sure if he’s joking. “I plan on marrying you and having that child you spoke about, or maybe two, or maybe five.”
“Five?” I gasp, my eyes going wide. “Maybe we should talk about that.”
“Okay, fine. Still, I want the wedding soon.”
“How soon,” I probe, trying to figure out how quick I can pull of a wedding and make sure our friends all get to come.
“Tomorrow?”
I shake my head. “No Way, but how about a week? That’s if you can find a beach in North Carolina. That way all our friends can easily make it.”
“I can make that work,” he says. Okay, so you’re saying next Wednesday?”
“I’m not getting married on a Wednesday,” I grumble.
“Then the following Saturday. That’s giving you eleven days. That’s my final offer, Livy. I want my ring on your finger and my baby in your belly. I want our lives together to finally begin.”
“Deal. Tomorrow you can start finding us a beach. I hear the Outer Banks are nice.”
“I’ll get started on it. Now what shall we do?” he croons, sliding down my body.
We’re both naked, having already made love once everyone left. I needed to be with him again and he needed it even more, because he couldn’t remember what we shared a couple of days ago. This time was better, because he was my Bear, the man I’ve always loved. The man who owned every piece of me.
“We could try and make that baby you’re wanting again,” I suggest.
“Now, that’s a great idea, but I’m going to need to make sure my woman is ready for my cock first,” he says with a wicked grin.
Before I can ask him what he means, he’s got my legs on his shoulder sand his head is buried between my legs. After that, talking is the very last thing on my mind.