Chapter 5 #2
I laughed and let him slide back down onto his feet, keeping my hands on his shoulders as I smiled down at my son.
I took a good look at him, and the boy looked happy.
Like, genuinely happy and relaxed. Standing there looking at his face, I realized I had been stressing and worrying myself ragged over him for absolutely nothing.
"So college has been good to you?" I asked, looking him over.
Ryan nodded his head, reaching up to play-pat my shoulder. "Yeah, it's pretty cool. I'm ready for my classes to start up, and I even made some new friends in the building who can play Fortnite with me."
I smiled, just feeling a deep sense of relief and happiness for him.
A selfish part of my chest wanted to tell him to just pack up his dorm and come right back home where he belonged, but I knew he was better off out there living his own life.
He was growing up, and that was exactly what I wanted for him anyway.
Ryan’s eyes suddenly shifted past my shoulder, his smile widening. He stepped back a bit as Lauren walked up from the hallway, casually fixing her glasses on the bridge of her nose.
I reached out, grabbing Lauren by the hip and pulled her against my side. "Ry, this is my wife... the one I told you about."
Ryan gave her a respectful nod, his eyes bright. "Yeah, I remember. It’s so nice to finally meet you."
Lauren didn't hesitate for a single second, stepping right out of my hold to wrap him up in a warm hug. "It’s so nice to meet you too, Ryan."
When she pulled back, Ryan cut his eyes over to me with a slick smirk on his face. "To be completely honest, I thought he was just making you up all this time."
We all broke out into a collective laugh at that. I shook my head, reaching out and snatching the boy into a swift headlock. "Watch your mouth, boy," I mumbled playfully, but he laughed and quickly ducked his chin, slipping out of my grip.
"Go get yourself settled," I told him, pointing toward the back of the house. "Dinner is already ready."
Ryan smiled at me, gave Lauren another polite nod, and grabbed his bag to head down the hallway toward his room. The second he turned the corner and disappeared from sight, I looped my arm right back around Lauren, pulling her against my chest.
“I should tak you right now for that shit you did.”
“Please don’t.”
Lauren
The echo inside my empty condo was loud, a hollow reminder of a chapter I was finally closing for good.
Every single piece of furniture had been loaded onto the trucks, and my car was already scheduled to be delivered by the moving company in just a few days.
I sat on one of the final remaining packed boxes, looking around the bare walls and just letting myself sit with my thoughts.
Right across from me, Bane was leaning against the kitchen counter, munching on the last bag of organic popcorn he’d managed to scavenge from the pantry. If that man wasn't going to do anything else, he was absolutely going to find himself a snack.
Watching him chew, I couldn't help but reflect on everything that had taken place over the last few months.
It was crazy how my entire life had completely flipped upside down within the span of a few weeks, and now, a few months later, I was actually getting used to living back home in Georgia.
The rhythm of us was finally settling. Malcolm still reached out every now and then to check on me, but I could tell by the tone of his texts that he deeply regretted not taking me up on my offer when he had the chance. But that window was closed.
Bane had already promised me he was going to personally work on my car the second the movers dropped it off at the house.
My mind was already drifting toward next month, though.
I had been working on planning the honeymoon we never actually got to have when we first got married.
We were supposed to be getting everything ready for the trip, and Ryan was even scheduled to fly out and join us near the end of the vacation so we could spend some real time together as a family.
A few hours later, the empty condo was behind us, and we were fully settled into our seats at the airport gate, waiting on the flight back home. I was staring out the massive glass windows at the tarmac when I felt Bane’s eyes heavy on me.
He nudged my knee, catching my attention. "Hold out your hands, babygirl," he murmured.
I looked at him suspiciously, eyebrow raised.
Bane just smiled, rolling his eyes at my hesitation. "It’s a good surprise. No funny business, I promise. Trust me and put your hands out."
I smirked, giving in to him and holding my hands out like he asked.
My breath instantly caught in my throat, and my jaw dropped completely down when he reached into his pocket and slid a stunning, flawless diamond ring right onto my finger.
It was heavy, sparkling brilliantly under the harsh airport lights.
He made sure the band was fitting perfectly snug against my skin before he brought my hand up to his lips, pressing a warm kiss against my knuckles.
I pulled my hand closer to my face, completely in awe of how beautiful it was. Tears were already stinging the backs of my eyes.
"The tattoos were cool, but I wanted you to have something real to show you I’m serious about us," Bane explained.
He locked his eyes onto mine, stripping away his usual tough exterior.
"I love the way you talk, Lauren. I love the way you love, and the way you care about everybody around you. I’m so in love with you, I can't even stop it if I tried... I’m really happy you decided to never divorce me and help me stay in the states when things were crazy.
You are the absolute best thing that ever happened to me, and I will continue to treat you like the blessing God gifted me with. "
A heavy tear spilled over my lashes, and I quickly looked away, trying to blink through the sudden rush of emotion clearing my throat.
Bane reached out, gently wiping the wetness from my cheek before leaning in to press a kiss against my lips. "Say it," he whispered against my mouth.
I let out a chuckle and rolled my eyes, blinking away the rest of the tears as I looked at my husband. "I love you, Big Bane."
"Nah," he muttered, shaking his head with a smirk. "The other one."
"You just can't help yourself, can you?" I teased. I weaved my fingers through his. "I'm in love with you too, Big Daddy… I’m so excited for our life together."
I watched as Bane’s eyes instantly got watery, a rare, vulnerable shine taking over his gaze. He looked away for a split second, swallowing down the emotion before he turned back and pulled me into a deep kiss that solidified exactly where we belonged.
Together.
For good.