26. Chapter 26
Chapter 26
B ailey glanced at the clock on the stove for the tenth time. God shouldn’t he be home by now. She’d checked the airline four times and the plane had landed on time. She fidgeted with the belt of her robe. This better work because it was the only grand display she could think of. Maybe it was stupid, and she should come up with something else.
She heard the lock snick open on the front door. Gonzo was home. No time to rethink the plan.
She pulled the belt of her robe open and allowed the fabric to drop to the floor just as Gonzo rounded the corner.
“Holy shit.” He stopped dead in his tracks.
She fought the urge to shift nervously. Bailey squared her shoulders and lifted her head higher.
“Ugh.” Gonzo swallowed loudly. “Jesus.” He rubbed his hand over his face and cleared his throat. “What’s going on?” He quickly looked around the room, then his eyes honed back in on her.
She bit back a smirk. It was hard not to feel powerful when she’d rendered him practically speechless.
“Welcome home,” she said.
“Umm…thanks.” He flicked a look at her face, then his eyes trailed down her body. “I’m sorry. I have no idea what’s going on here, and I can’t form a coherent thought when you’re standing here looking like that.”
“This is my way of saying I trust you.” She flipped her hair off her shoulder. “I trust us.”
She took a step toward him, and he backed up slightly. Bailey bit back a grin. “You scared of me, Gonz?”
“What? No. I’m just trying to figure out what the hell is happening and my brain is seriously not firing. I can’t believe I’m asking this, but can you put your robe back on so the blood can fire back into my brain?”
“What, you can’t think when I’m naked?”
“Oh, I can think.” His eyes darkened as his gaze slowly trailed down her body. “I can think about all the ways I want to fuck you, but I’m pretty sure, given how we left things, this whole naked thing means something else, and I’m not quite seeing it.”
She scooped up her robe and draped it over her shoulders.
Gonzo let out a loud breath. “Bay.”
She held up her hand. “Let me go first. I had thought being naked would be pretty clear, but I can see how you might have interpreted it differently.” Having her robe back on should have made her feel safer, more comfortable, but strangely, it didn’t. She missed the confidence she’d felt when Gonzo had been mesmerized. “Do you want to sit?” She gestured toward the sofa.
“Yeah.” He followed her to the living room and sat down beside her. He bent his knee and turned so he was facing her. “Go ahead.”
She took a deep breath. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since you’ve been away.”
“Me too.”
“I got scared. The idea of starting over again, giving up my job again to follow you terrified me. All of my insecurities flooded back and I couldn’t think straight.”
“Okay. Are you thinking clearer now?”
“Gonzo, I stood naked in your kitchen.”
“So that’s a no?”
Bailey laughed. She could see why he’d think that. “No, that’s a yes. I’m thinking clearer. I realized I trust you. You’ve had my back my entire life. You’ve stood up for me. Championed me. Believed in me when no one else did. How could I not trust you’d have my back no matter where we were?”
He reached for her hand. “I would never hurt you, Bailey.”
“I know that. I got scared and for a minute I let myself forget what kind of man you are. I know you aren’t anything like Brad. If things didn’t work out for us, it wouldn’t be because some other woman caught your eye.”
“That is not something you ever have to worry about.”
“I know. I just let all my insecurities rise up.” She clasped her hands in her lap. “I did a lot of soul searching while you were away. It might have taken jumping out of a plane to get me to realize it, but I’m strong and I can handle anything life throws at me.”
Gonzo’s mouth gaped open. “Hang on. You jumped out of a plane?”
“I did.” She grinned as she remembered the way she’d felt.
“That’s incredible. I wish I’d seen that.”
“I got it on video, but that’s not the point. What I realized these past few days is that because of you, I not only learned to trust you, but I learned to trust myself. So even if we don’t work out, I know I’ll be okay. I’m stronger than I thought.”
He squeezed her hand. “First, I’m never going anywhere. You’re it for me. Period. There isn’t another woman in the world that could compare to you for me. I asked you to move with me because I can’t imagine my life without you. But I get maybe it was selfish of me to expect you to move.”
“No, it wasn’t. It was silly of me not to realize it might be a possibility. Of course, you might have to move at some point.”
He shifted closer to her. “I get how hard you’ve worked for your career, and it’s not that I think mine is more important.”
She cupped the side of his face. “I know that, Gonz. I do understand how it works. You just blindsided me the other day and I panicked. I’m not going to say I’m excited about the prospect of moving, but I’m willing to discuss it, which is more than I was willing to do the other day.”
“That’s all I ask.” He trailed his finger down her palm. “We’ll discuss any and all offers together, and whatever we pick will be what’s right for both of us.” He sighed. “You aren’t the only one who did some soul searching this week.”
“No?”
“No. There isn’t a deal big enough to make up for not having you with me. You being there is the deal, Bay.”
“Gonzo, that’s sweet of you to say but we both know if you’re offered the deal of a lifetime, you wouldn’t want to walk away from that. Yes, making the majors was a dream, but I remember that little boy who talked about making so much money he could buy his family all houses and cars and giving the big middle finger to all the people who didn’t believe in you.”
“Yeah, well, that was before my siblings got all greedy, demanding I buy them everything. Raul can buy his own house.”
Bailey chuckled. “Still, I know you, Gonz, and whether you want to admit it or not, a huge contract means a lot to you.”
“Well, sure it does. But so do you.”
“I know that. I’m not saying I’m eager to follow you anywhere, but I’m willing to discuss any offers you get.”
“Discuss meaning you might not move with me?”
“Discuss meaning we’ll pick the best option for us both. I know your career is important, but so is mine.”
He moved closer to her, sliding his leg underneath hers so she was practically sitting on his lap. “I can work with that.” He rested his forehead against hers. “I love you, Bay.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you too, Ram.”
Gonzo grinned at the use of his name. “So, can we talk about how fucking hot you look naked?”
Bailey snorted. So much for their sweet, romantic moment. “Sure.”
“I damn near swallowed my tongue.”
Bailey rolled her eyes.
“That is by far my favorite way to be welcomed home.”
“Don’t get used to it. I was making a point.”
“So, like special occasions? My birthday?” he asked eagerly.
Bailey pushed her hand on his forehead. “You’re such a goof.”
“No, what I am is a guy with a sexy as fuck girlfriend.” He pulled her closer and looked her in the eye. “It means a lot to me that you were willing to do that. I know how hard that must have been for you.”
“It wasn’t actually as hard as I’d thought it would be.” And it wasn’t. There hadn’t been a doubt in her mind that he would appreciate the gesture. He’d proven to her every chance he got just how much he liked her body. He made her feel safe. “No one has ever made me feel as sexy as you do.”
He shifted on the couch. “How about you let me show you just how sexy I think you are.”
“You always have sex on the brain,” Bailey teased.
“Can you blame me?” He squatted and pulled her with him as he adjusted his back against the sofa. Bailey straddled his lap.
“Not really no.”
Gonzo grinned. “Right answer.”