I Never Let You Go (I Never 3)

“Mmm,” I moan as Finn kisses up my neck until I feel his warm breath on my ear. This is so much better than an alarm clock waking me up. I think I can mark this as my favorite way to wake up.

“Rise and shine, beautiful.”

I roll over, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and meet his sparkling brown eyes. He leans down, gently brushing his lips against mine. I reach for his boxers and whine when I feel that the fabric of the denim jeans. Why is he already dressed? I pull back from his soft lips, knowing that he was far less clothed than when we fell asleep last night.

“Why are you dressed? The sun isn’t even up.” The room is still dark instead of the sun shining through the curtains. “How long have you been up?”

His mouth twists in a smile. “A little while.” He plays with the hair around my face.

“Come back to bed. We can stay in bed and order takeout and binge X-Files.”

His smile widens at that plan, but then he shakes his head. “Nope, we have plans. Come on, baby, you gotta get up.” He pulls on my arms, and I slowly rise.

I mentally go over my calendar and don’t recall anything planned for the day. “We do?”

The smile on Finn’s face widens. “Yes, Lo, we do.” He disappears into the closet and pulls out two suitcases.

I yawn and stretch, now sitting on the edge of the bed. “Are we going somewhere?”

He walks over and cages me in on the bed with his arms on the outside of my thighs. “Stop with the twenty questions, Lo. We’re going on a road trip today, that’s all you need to know. I packed up our stuff already, and coffee is waiting for you downstairs in the kitchen. Now get dressed, brush your teeth, and pack your toiletries.”

“Are we going overnight?”

He raises both eyebrows and gives me a look that says what did I just say about asking questions. I hold my hands up in innocence as I rise, making my way toward the dresser. “What! You can at least tell me that so I know what I need to pack.”

“Okay, fine, yes, we are going overnight. Now hurry up, babe, we’re leaving in twenty minutes.”

With a smack on my butt, he is out the door.

Surprisingly, we are on the road in twenty minutes. I know it’s so hard for Lauren not to ask any more questions about where we are going. Keeping this trip a secret from her has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.

I’ve been setting the plan in motion for a few weeks now. I had to enlist not only the help of our families, but I had to get out of my comfort zone and ask for the help of complete strangers. I have to say I’m impressed that Lauren’s family and friends all know what is happening but no one has let it slip up.

The girls were all out at a sex toy party Cami had thrown, so us guys were all hanging out at Zach’s house. Lauren’s friends had accepted me into their group as if I had been there all along. I think when Jax moves here, he will fit in well with the guys as well.

Right now, it might not be ideal for bringing this up, but getting alone time with Ky these days had been difficult.

I leaned over so my knees rested on my elbows. “Ky, you got a minute?”

He looked up from his beer. “What’s going on.”

Here goes nothing. There was no b

eating around the bush, so I just came out with it. “I want to marry your sister.”

He laughed. “No shit, I’ve known that for years.”

I shook my head. “I mean, I want to ask her to marry me.”

The side conversations between Zach and Ryan came to a halt, and they stared at me.

“Don’t you think it’s a little soon?” Zach chimes in.

“Nope,” I proudly stated. “She’s the only woman I’ve ever loved. This has been sixteen years in the making.”

Ky gripped the back of his neck while he stared at me. “I’m not sure what you need from me, then.”

I pushed my shoulders back and ran my sweaty palms over my jeans. “Well, I’m here asking your permission. You know, with your dad not in the picture, you’re the man of the family. It’s only fitting that I ask.”