“I know, and I won’t let go,” she says, bringing her hands to cup my face. “I love you.?

??

“I love you more.”

“Not possible,” she says and then she brings her lips to mine.

And as my lips move with hers, I’m in what I consider to be utopia.

Phillip

“She really loves him.”

I glance up to meet my soon-to-be wife’s eyes, and I know that she’s right, but I don’t want to accept it. We stand beside our car, watching as Claire and that bonehead hold each other, swaying to the music playing from her car. I want to go over there and scoop her up and steal her away, but I know she’d fight me away. She loves the guy. I want to imagine her single and a virgin till she’s thirty, but I know that isn’t true. She hasn’t had it easy, and I wish I could undo those years of hell, but I can’t. All I can do is pray and hope to God that nothing ever hurts her again.

And by the way she looks at that kid, I know he could be her biggest heartache.

“Something about that guy rubs me wrong. I don’t know what it is. I mean, he seems like an all right kid, driven and ready for life, but I don’t know,” I say once we’re in the car. I feel like a creeper watching Claire as she canoodles with that guy, but I can’t bring myself to drive away.

“You’re jealous,” Reese says, and I whip my head to her.

“The hell I am!”

She laughs as she turns in her seat to face me. “Yes, you are, babe. She’s your number one, your right-hand man, and you know that he’s taking over.”

“You’re my number one too,” I say, not only because it is true but because I don’t want to admit that maybe she might be right.

“Oh, I know. Don’t try to distract me with sweet stuff; I know the truth – I can read you like a book, Phillip.”

I take her hands in mine, kissing her knuckles. “I know, but it scares me, you know,” I say. I usually don’t talk about my feelings, but I can say anything to Reese and she won’t judge me one bit – she’ll only love me. “I don’t want anything to hurt her, and I think she’s in too deep with this kid. He could hurt her, and then I swear to God, Reese, I’ll kill him.”

Leaning her head on my shoulder, she lets out a breath. “I know, baby, but we have to trust that she knows what she’s doing. And if it all comes crashing down in a heap of hell, then you know what? We will be there to catch her and help mend her wounds.”

“And then we kill him.”

“You’re damn right, we will,” she says, and I laugh as I wrap my arms around her.

“I can’t wait to marry you tomorrow,” I whisper against her hair as I watch as Claire’s hands cup that kid’s face.

“Me neither. Are you sure you want to marry me?”

I scoff, tipping her chin up so she’s facing me. “I’ve waited my whole life to hear you say ‘I do’ when the preacher asks if you want to be my wife, so yeah, I think I am sure.”

Grinning up at me, she runs her fingers along the hair on my jaw and I’m breathless, getting lost in her brown eyes. “Good,” she whispers. “’Cause I really don’t want to be left at the altar.”

“No worries, sweet cakes. I’ll be the hot one in the tux.”

“Good to know. I might have missed you,” she teases. “Marry Erik or something.”

“Cold day in hell, lady,” I say sternly and she laughs.

As she cuddles into me, I kiss her temple and whisper how much I love her. She giggles, running her nose along my jaw, basically making me the happiest man in the world. When Claire kisses the schmuck, I cringe and look down to find Reese watching me.

“Don’t worry about her,” she says quietly. “I know it’s hard, and I know you want to jump in and tell her to take it slow, but did we take it slow the first time we met?”

I chuckle as I shake my head. “No, we were at it like rabbits, which does not make me feel better, Reese.”

She laughs as she shakes her head. “I meant that no, we didn’t take it slow, but our love was real. You never know. It could be real for them.”

Tags: Toni Aleo Bellevue Bullies Romance
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