Forever Winter

“All I’m saying is she’s mine too. Like a sister,” Cory adds quickly this time. Robert pulls his eyes from mine. “She was there for me when I went through some dark shit after Dad died. I was there for her in any way she’d let me be, too. But never romantic, brother. So you can cool the jealousy.”

“But you said you’re engaged. The ring,” Robert pushes, wanting confirmation.

“Like I said, I only wanted to be there for her. I asked her to marry me on paper. It would dispel the idea everyone has of me as a partying loser, and I could help her raise the baby that I thought some asshole left her with by taking advantage of her one night. A night she’d only come out to because she was supporting me. That’s Winter for you. Always trying to help when she can. Sweeter than she should be for the life she’s been given so far. It’s made me protective of her.”

Robert looks back down at me. “You don’t love him?” he asks me.

“Not like that. I told him I couldn’t marry him. It felt wrong.”

“Because you knew you belonged to me,” Robert says with confidence.

I smile. “Something like that.” He leans down, brushing his mouth against mine.

“I love you,” he says before he kisses me. I pull back after only a second.

“You know you’re the only person to ever say that to me.” I watch pain wash over his face for me. “No, I’m not telling you that so you feel bad for me. I’m telling you that so you know how special it is to me.”

“I promise I’ll say it so many times you’ll get sick of it. Then maybe one day you’ll say it back.” He tries to kiss me again, but I push on his chest to stop him.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of hearing you say that.” I wrap my arms around his neck. “And if you stopped kissing me after every time you said it, you’d get to hear me say it back.”

He sucks in a deep breath. “Angel?”

“I love you,” I tell him.

He lifts me into his arms. I wrap my legs around him. “You’re going to marry me.”

“Not sure that was a question,” I laugh.

“It wasn’t.” He starts moving and I know we’re headed back to the bedroom.

In the distance I hear a laughed, “I guess I’ll see you guys later,” from Cory.

“You’re lucky you are bossy in the sweetest of ways.” My back hits the bed a few moments later.

“Angel, I got you. I’m more than lucky.”

Chapter 11

Winter

Robert rubs the towel all over my body, drying me off. “How can I still be hard?” he mumbles to himself, making me laugh. I reach for his cock, but he grabs my wrist to stop me.

“I really do have to feed you, plus I still have something I want to show you, and if we don’t leave this room soon my mom will come in even if I lock the door.” He brings my hand to his mouth and kisses my palm. “And I need to get a ring on this finger soon. I don’t like it bare.” He pulls me off the countertop.

“We don’t have to get married if you think it’s too soon. Just because I’m pregnant.” I look down, feeling a little shy now. I want this so badly but for the right reasons. His finger comes to my chin, making me look up at him.

“Angel, I bought you a ring the day after I met you while I was searching for you. Long before I knew we’d made a baby that night.”

My mouth parts and I gasp in shock. Hope fills my chest. “My whole life I’ve always gone for what I wanted. I know within seconds if something is worth going for. With you it hit me harder than it ever had. I knew, angel.”

I throw myself at him, kissing him all over his face. Then our mouths meet and we’re kissing long and deep, putting everything in it. I lock my legs around him as my back comes to a wall.

We don’t pull away until I hear a woman calling Bo’s name. His mom. My eyes widen.

“We’re coming, Mom,” Bo shouts, setting me on my feet.

“Hurry up. I’ve got food on the stove,” she shouts back before I hear a door close.

“I need clothes,” I remind him.

“Yeah. I put them away for you while you were sleeping.” He leads me into a giant walk-in closet. The bag I brought is sitting in the corner and all my clothes are now hanging next to his. “We can send someone to get the rest of your clothes next week when the snow storm passes, or we can order new stuff.”

I walk over to my clothes. “It doesn’t matter,” I tell him, finding a sweater to wear with another pair of yoga pants. “There is nothing I need right now that isn’t already here.” I turn to look at him. He’s watching me.