And Then There Was Us (And The There Was 2)

I want you to love me back, but I have all the time in the world, baby.

I saw her throat work as she swallowed, and then she glanced down, worrying her plump bottom lip with her straight white teeth. I couldn’t stop myself as I reached out to tip her head up so she could look at me again. But at the last moment I stopped, curled my fingers toward my palm, and dropped my arm to my side.

When Korrie lifted her head, I could see tears brimming her eyes.

“Oh, baby,” I murmured and didn’t stop myself then. I reached out and cupped her cheek once more, and she surprised the hell out of me when she lifted her hand and placed it over mine. My heart stopped before it kicked into overdrive.

“I’m scared, not just about my dad, even though he’s going to be fine, but scared about everything, Bishop.” She closed her eyes, and I pulled her in, wrapping my arms around her shoulders and keeping her close. I never wanted to let her go.

I’m never leaving you. I’m never letting you go through another thing alone.

“I may not know what's going on or what’s going to happen in the future,” she whispered, then tipped her head back to look into my face. I cupped the other cheek, now cradling her face in my hands. “But one thing I know for certain is I don’t want to be away from you.”

My throat tightened at her words, and I held my breath.

“I don’t want to go through any of this alone. I want you in my life, Bishop.”

I closed my eyes and swayed, her words so powerful that I couldn’t have stopped myself.

We stared at each other for a few moments, and I could see from her expression she was trying to hold in her emotions. I wanted to let her know that she didn't have to be strong all the time, that she could break down in front of me if she wanted. I wanted Korrie to know I could be strong for both of us if need be.

“I love you too,” she whispered.

I felt my body jerk from her words.

“But do you want this with me… all my chaos?” she asked.

I couldn't help but give her a small smile.

“Say something, Bishop.”

I realized I hadn’t responded, and I leaned in to kiss her, to show her without words that I’d never wanted anything else in this world more than to be the man by her side.

“I only want one thing, one thing,” I murmured against her lips. “And that’s you. Any way you’ll have me, I’m not leaving.” I pulled back and brushed a fallen tear that slipped down her cheek. “Don’t cry, baby. If you’re up against the world, if you're dealing with chocolate cravings, hell, if you need me to go out and buy you supplies for that time of the month, I want to be that man.”

She smiled, then laughed softly. There’s my girl. That’s the reaction I was going for.

“So don’t ever question that you are not what I want in this life. I want to be there for not only you, but to be there to help with your dad. You’re my family now, whether you fully understand what that means or not, and I’m in for the long haul.” I kissed her softly again. “And I’ve never looked forward to anything more.”

I couldn’t stop myself from running my thumb over her cheek, moving it down and following the path of her jawline, then moving the pad along her bottom lip. She parted her lips for me, her breath leaving her softly.

“I love you.” Maybe those words were spoken far too soon for where Korrie and I were at. But it’s how I felt, and I didn't want to hold it in. I couldn’t. I didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought about how “fast” this was. “I fell in love with you the moment I saw you standing in Lyrics for that job interview.” And the longer she stared up at me, the more I felt like I’d once again put my foot in my mouth. I smoothed her thick black curls away from her face, feeling pure happiness settle deep within me.

“I think that's when I fell in love with you too.”

And just like that, the sound of her voice and her words made my body feel calm and centered.

“It’s you and me, Korrie. Together. Forever. And God, I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

“No,” she said and rested her head on my chest. “We’re both lucky, because we have each other.”

So fucking true, baby.

“I don’t know what the future holds, but not having you in my life isn’t even an option.”

And it wasn’t. She was mine as much as I was hers now. Forever.