Chapter 41
Chapter
Forty-One
West
She’s mad.
The moment she walks in, I see the scowl, the annoyance in her eyes, the rigidness of her posture.
Yup. Really pissed off.
It’s kind of hot.
But I can’t think about that right now because Joey has launched himself at me and is talking a million miles a minute.
“…and we played skeet ball and air hockey and there’s a Pokemon game—do you play pinball? West, when are we going to play hockey? Can we go to your house? I think—”
“Easy, big guy,” I say, ruffling his hair. “Mommy and I have to talk. Then we can figure out hockey. Okay?”
He frowns but nods. “I have to go potty!”
“I’ll keep him in his room,” Holly murmurs, going after Joey. “You two should talk.”
“Traitor.” It’s barely discernible, but I hear Serena’s muttered response.
“Hi.” I walk over to her slowly.
“Why are you here?” she demands.
“I made a mistake,” I say. “I fucked up. I’m sorry, angel.”
“Don’t call me that.” The set of her jaw tells me she’s more hurt than angry, but I’m not leaving until I’ve won her over.
“How come?” I ask softly. “Because you are my angel.”
“Obviously not.”
Our gazes lock, and I stare into her beautiful gray eyes.
“I’ve never used that term of endearment before,” I say thoughtfully. “Babe, baby, honey—those are my go-tos with women. But with you…the moment I saw you, it felt like you were an angel sent to me.”
That seems to leave her speechless, and she just stares back at me.
I reach out a hand, gently brushing my knuckles across her cheek. “So beautiful and sweet and exactly what I needed in my life, even though I didn’t realize it at first. That’s why you’re my angel.”
“I don’t have wings, and I’m definitely not some kind of divine messenger,” she whispers, though her voice is gentler now.
“Maybe not, but you did bring me a message—love. Whether it came from God or fairies or cloud people, I don’t know and don’t care. All I know is, I fell in love with you almost the first minute I saw you. When you asked me if I was a serial killer.”
One side of her lip twitches, like she’s fighting really hard not to smile.
“And the more I got to know you, the more I realized you were it for me.”
“But you don’t trust me.”
I pull in a deep breath and then let it out.
“I do. I was…insecure. Having a pity party. I don’t know what the fuck I thought I was doing but when I realized I’d jumped to conclusions and made a terrible mistake, it was like someone ripped my heart out of my chest. Not only did I fuck up, but I hurt you, and that nearly killed me.
Then I got home and you were gone. I looked around my empty bedroom…
that’s when I knew for sure I couldn’t live without you. ”
“That doesn’t solve the trust issues.”
“I’m so, so sorry, angel. I know I fucked up, but I swear to you, on my life, it’ll never happen again.”
“Why wouldn’t you even let me explain?” she whispers, her eyes filling with tears. “Wasn’t I worth a conversation?”
“Of course you were!” I say harshly, shaking my head. “It was all my shit. The way Briar chose Colt. I was looking at everything from that perspective.”
“You thought I was going to choose Tony?” She blinks, like that’s the stupidest thing she’s ever heard.
It probably is.
“I chose you that night on the side of the road!” she says, throwing up her hands.
“You absolutely could have been a serial killer or rapist or whatever. But my heart knew. Right then and there, in the snow and rain and ice, I chose you. And every day since then, I’ve been choosing you.
Even when accepting your help made me uncomfortable.
Even when I worried about whether or not you would bond with my son.
I kept choosing you—and you didn’t see it. I can’t keep fighting for—”
My heart explodes into a million pieces of love, hurt, and guilt but I realize I have to stick to my original plan: apology followed by cave man. I can show her how I feel a lot better than I can say it. So, I cut her off mid-sentence, yank her against me, and cover her pretty lips with mine.
“I love you,” I whisper between kisses. “I’ve loved you since the beginning. You’re my world. You and Joey both. Let’s get married. Tomorrow.” I kiss her some more, nipping and nuzzling, holding her close. “I don’t need any more time to know how I feel. I was afraid, but I’m not anymore.”
Tears leak from her eyes but she isn’t moving away, and she’s kissing me back.
“What happens next time you get insecure?” she breathes, pretty lips parted and a little swollen from our kisses. “We can’t get married and then you ghost me every time we have a disagreement.”
I shake my head. “Never again. I promise. If I start to, smack me upside the head and remind me of this moment. I love you, Serena. And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it to you.”
“Are you sure, West?” she puts her hands on either side of my face. “Once we do this, make it official, there’s no turning back. Joey needs a father. Especially now that Tony has agreed to walk away.”
I’d forgotten that she was with him earlier.
“You saw him? What did he say?”
“He asked me if I thought Joey would be better off without him, and then he asked if I thought you would be a better father than him.”
My chest tightens.
“What did you say?”
“I said yes, of course. Even if we weren’t together, there’s no doubt in my mind you’ll be a better father than he will. To any child.”
I kiss her again, this time harder and more passionately than before.
I fucking worship this woman, and I will truly spend the rest of my life proving that I’m worthy of both her love and her trust. And that of her son. Hopefully, our son.
“I love you,” I breathe when we come up for air.
She looks at me for a long time.
Then a soft smile brightens her beautiful face. “I love you too.”
“Come home with me.”
“Joey hasn’t eaten and—”
“You two should go,” Holly calls from the other room. “Leave Joey with me. I can take him to school in the morning. I don’t have anything else going on. And you guys need some…grown-up time.”
I look down at Serena. “What do you think? A little alone time for one night?”
She hesitates but then nods. “Yes. Absolutely.”
“I love you, angel.”
“I love you too.” She closes her eyes and leans against my chest. “Did you mean it that you want to get married?”
“Yes.”
“Something small. Soon. Before my life becomes a lot more public.” She pauses. “Do you have any idea what you’re getting into? Our lives will be complicated if the show takes off.”
I shrug. “I’m used to it. We’ll double up on security at the house, but otherwise, I’m prepared for anything, as long as you’re with me.”
“I’ve waited such a long time for someone to say that,” she whispers.
“And I’ve waited my whole life for you.”
She leans up and presses her lips to mine. It’s a whisper of a promise that fills me with love and…serenity.
She chose me.
And I’ll make sure she never regrets it.