Page 22 of Love ’em or Liam

She nods.

“Now I can start collecting the rest. The first time I make you come on my tongue.”

She sucks in a breath and her eyes go a shade darker.

“The first time you come on my cock. The first time you sit on my face.”

“Liam,” she whispers.

“The first time I make you scream my name. Come on my fingers. Really, the possibilities are limitless. But I didn’t want to make love to you before I came clean about that. I will try not to secretly read your texts again.”

“I’m not mad,” she says.

But I sense she’s not saying everything on her mind. “What else?”

“What if you’re wrong and I can’t come in all those ways? What if it’s not you, but it’s my body not cooperating?”

“I’m not worried about it. Just because your first husband didn’t take the time to get to know your body, doesn’t mean I’m not going to do everything possible to learn how to make your body sing. This isn’t something for me to get frustrated about. Knowing I can touch you, kiss you, fuck you, is all the pleasure I need. I will enjoy whatever efforts I put in to get you there.”

“Are you sure?”

“Fuck yeah, I’m sure.” I kiss her forehead. “But I also need to say, and I’m annoyed with myself for even mentioning this. If you need more time, I can wait until you’re ready.”

“You said you’d waited for me for a while.”

I nod.

“What did you mean by that?”

“Oh, Songbird, surely you know I’ve been in love with you since high school. Hell, you’re the reason I joined the Army.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Unfortunately, the logic of an eighteen-year-old boy insisted I go away and make something of myself before I’d be worthy of you.”

“To quote one of my favorite movies, ‘you about done?’”

“What movie?”

“Sweet Home Alabama. The point is, you’ve always been worthy. You didn’t need to do anything or change to be with me.”

“Yeah, I figured that out eventually. About the time I heard the news that you married my best friend.”

She winces.

“It was my own fault. I waited. I left.”

“And that was before Colt’s accident. Before he became a selfish husk of the man he’d been before. I mean we had no business sleeping together. The only thing we ever had in common was you. I won’t regret my life with Colt. I can’t. I wouldn’t have my son and I wouldn’t trade him for anything.”

“Me neither. I think how it happened is how it was meant to be,” I say.

“While we’re being honest… ” she says, then pauses. “I want to admit something. “I’m scared, Liam. Scared of letting myself love you, scared of letting myself be loved by you, scared for my son. I’m so tired of being hurt and let down by the people who are supposed to love me.”

I cup her cheeks. “Songbird, I will never hurt you. Ever. I’d rather cut off my own arm. That goes for Keller too. Speaking of, I hope it’s not too presumptuous of me to have already initiated adoption papers for him. I figured that would be the very best way to insulate y’all from a custody issue.”

Her eyes widen and fill with tears. “You already filed for that? I now I said that to the Bishops, but that was just me talking, trying to scare them into canceling their custody case.”

“I know because we hadn’t really talked about it. But I still want to do it.”