Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
Delaney
The house is quiet. The girls were exhausted and went down easily. Leia is spending the night here, and I’ll come back tomorrow. I’m not sure how much longer we can play this game of separate houses.
Bennett asked me to stay and have a beer on the front porch, and I made the mistake of laughing at one of his stories, leaning into his arm. One story led to another, and I can tell we’re both dodging the one story that will shift the vibe of our night.
It’s after midnight now, and Bennett suggested popcorn, so I’m perched on the edge of the kitchen counter, bare feet swinging. He stands between my legs, his palms flat on my thighs, while the popcorn pops in the microwave.
“You always were a night owl,” he murmurs, his voice a low rasp that makes my stomach flip.
“You’re mistaking that for you keeping me up at night,” I shoot back, smirking.
His eyes drop to my mouth. “My favorite thing to do.”
Our eyes lock, and that familiar tension snaps into place between us, meaning we’re about to forget all about the conversation we need to have.
“Kristie came to see me right before you did that day.” My eyes search his, and all I find there is surprise. “She asked that if you didn’t fight for me, that I let you go.”
The microwave beeps, and he takes the popcorn out, dumping it into a bowl.
“She told me about her family and her parent’s divorce. How she wanted to give her daughter a normalcy she didn’t get growing up. I was confused and upset, and then you came over.”
“And I didn’t fight for us.” His voice is quiet and laced with regret.
“I don’t want to go over all this again. It’s over and done with.”
“Why would she do that? How did she even know where you lived?”
I tilt my head, and he sighs. It’s not hard to find people nowadays.
He looks away from me, almost as though he’s ashamed of his next words. “I told her I loved you and that I was happy, but she begged and pleaded. I understood it. My responsibility to my unborn child.”
I hop off the counter and put my hands on his cheeks, turning him to look at me. “Exactly. And I understand too.”
He nods.
“We move forward. Nothing good is going to come from us constantly looking back. We leave the memory of Kristie alive for Wren, but everything else stays back there.”
He nods again, and I raise up on my toes, pressing a kiss to his lips.
“It’s us now. Where we are now is all that matters.”
His hands grip my hips, and I press my lips to his once more. The tension hums between us, growing heavy.
Bennett picks me up and places me back on the counter. “You’re amazing,” he whispers. His fingers brush my knee, sliding up as if he’s testing the line.
“Keep talking.” I laugh, but his eyes are heavy with lust.
“I want you.” His voice is thick.
I’m not sure if it’s because of Kristie being the center of our conversation, or if it’s the fact she came to see me reminding us of what we gave up, but if he needs me, he can have me to remind him that I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.
I tilt my head, lips parted. “Take me.”
That’s all it takes.
He steps between my knees. His hands grip my hips as his mouth crashes into mine. It’s messy and hungry and claiming. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he steps closer, grabbing my ass and bringing me to the edge of the counter.
His tongue finds mine, transitioning our kiss to slow and deep, and when I roll my hips against him, his groan vibrates through my chest.
“Upstairs,” he breathes against my mouth.
I nod breathlessly, heart pounding. He lifts me as if I weigh nothing, and I cling to him, willing to go wherever he wants me to.
He walks into his bedroom, where I’ve only been one other time—to grab his phone when he forgot it up here. He shuts the door with the softest of clicks, walks me over to the bed, and gently sets me down.
“The girls,” I whisper, reaching for the hem of his shirt.
“I’ll cover your mouth.” He tugs it the rest of the way off.
I’ll never grow tired of seeing him without a shirt.
My fingers run down the valley of his abs. “What about you?”
“You’re the loud one.”
“Excuse me?” I raise both eyebrows.
He strips his mouth off my neck to give me a wicked grin. “I say it as a compliment.”
When he does that thing with his tongue along my collarbone, I forget all about our playful arguing, though I’m half tempted to act as if what he’s doing isn’t driving me wild with want.
The desire snaps, and our hands are everywhere. His mouth on my throat, my hands buried in his hair. He nudges me up the bed, crawling up over me until his body presses me into the mattress.
Nothing could be more perfect than it is with him. The way he’s able to slow our pace, wanting to take his time.
Bennett undresses me one painfully slow touch and kiss at a time, and when he pushes into me while gazing down at me, it almost brings tears to my eyes. He whispers sweet promises, and my fingers dig into his shoulder blades as I meet him thrust for thrust.
By the time we both come on a strangled whimper, making sure not to wake the girls, exhaustion takes over my body.
The room is a cocoon of crumpled sheets and early morning light. I blink, disoriented, trying to remember where I am. I feel the warm body at my back, see the picture of Wren and Leia on the nightstand, and it all comes together.
I search for my phone, but I have no idea where it is.
“Shit,” I whisper, hitting Bennett’s arm.
He mumbles something but doesn’t get up. I hit him again.
Knock. Knock.
“Daddy?”
Bennett jerks beside me, sitting up as though the word daddy is a blaring alarm clock. I’ll have to remember that for next time. His hand flies out as though he’s searching for his phone too, but I’m thinking it must be downstairs with mine.
“Shit,” he hisses, sitting up and running his hand over his face.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I freeze. “Is that—”
“Wren.” He presses his palms over his face. “It’s Wren.”
“Daddy, are you awake?”
I scramble, grabbing my shirt from the floor and shimmying it on backward before fixing it. “Where are my, oh my god, my underwear—”
“Laney.” He reaches for me. “Just stay still a second.”
I’m half out of bed, shirt on, crouching to find the rest of my clothes. I shoot him a frantic look. “Where do I go?”
“Maybe we let her know you’re here,” he whispers, rubbing his face again, clearly trying to shake off sleep. If he was in a panic like me, maybe his heart rate would get him to wake up and get dressed.
“I can’t be in here.”
“I mean, you are,” he says dryly.
“Not helping,” I mutter, pulling up my pants.
“Dad?” Wren tries the doorknob. Thank God it’s locked. “I’m hungry.”
Bennett throws on sweatpants, still shirtless, and moves to the door without telling me the plan. He turns and gives me an apologetic look and an expression as if saying, this is our life now.
He cracks open the door. “Hey.”
“Can I come in your bed?”
“No, um… let’s head downstairs. Give me a minute, okay?”
“Okay, Leia is still sleeping.”
He shuts the door and comes over, sitting on the edge of the bed with me.
“Where am I supposed to go if you sent her downstairs?” I ask.
He takes my hand. “I think we just tell them that we’re having sleepovers.
I know it hasn’t been long, but we’re committed to each other, and honestly, I don’t want to spend our evenings apart anymore.
We can do it this way, or we can find a place for just us.
I guess what I’m saying is I want us out in the open.
I want the girls to see our love for each other. ”
“I do too, but—”
“It’s been too long, too much wasted time.” His gaze searches my face.
I nod because he has a point. “So, what, I just go down there in yesterday’s clothes?”
“I could lend you some. I love seeing you in my shirts.” He waggles his eyebrows. He stands and holds out his hand. “Come have breakfast with us.”
I take his hand, inhaling to give myself some reassurance.
He throws a shirt on, then we walk downstairs, him first.
Leia comes out of Wren’s bedroom while we’re on the stairs. “Mommy, did you sleep over too?”
Bennett purses his lips.
“I did,” I say and hold out my arms. She walks into my open arms, and I pick her up.
“You should have packed an overnight bag,” she says.
Bennett laughs, which makes Wren come to the bottom of the stairs and see us all coming toward her.
Her eyes widen. “Can we go to The Getaway Lodge for breakfast?”
Bennett laughs. “I’m thinking breakfast at home. You girls can help us.”
“Yay!” Wren yells, and Leia squirms to get out of my hold.
The two of them go into the family room, and Bennett wraps his arms around me, kissing the hollow of my neck. “Easy peasy.”
He chuckles, but he’s right. That went a lot smoother than I thought it would.