Page 12 of Careless Whisper
“It feels like home.”
I nod my head and rest my chin on her head, breathing in that sweet smell of her. Her short curls spring around me in soft spirals, golden and glistening. “You’re my home. And I’m yours. You’re all I need in this life.”
“And you’re everything to me. I don’t know why I stayed away all this time.”
“Because this place isn’t your home. It’s a place where some bad things happened and you tried to bury them and then when you couldn’t you brought them out to the light in hopes that that would heal your heart.”
“But you needed me.”
“And I needed you.”
“I want you to stay with me forever. I want you with me all the rest of my life and one of these days, I hope that you’ll raise my babies with me and we’ll show them how real love looks.”
Her brow lifts and she smirks. “Babies, huh?”
“A little girl with your smile and the way you look around you with so much wonder and hope.”
She smiles and leans into my chest, snuggling me tight. “And a little boy with your warm eyes and your heart as big as Texas.”
I lift her chin on my palm. “It doesn’t matter to me what we have. As long as they’re as happy as we’ve always been with each other. As long as they learn that love is a gift to be embraced and you can find it in the best places, places you never thought you’d find them.”
“And that fighting for your story is more important than everybody liking you.”
“Exactly.”
And I lean down and kiss her, running my tongue along her lips. She’s breathless and panting by the time I lift my head, her blue eyes burning with lust and love.
“Now. I haven’t seen your place yet.”
She grimaces. “I’m sure you remember what it always looked like.”
I smile softly. “All I ever saw was you.”
“Smooth talker.” She grins and tugs me to the house. “Fine. But don’t blame me if it’s your new nightmare.”
“Never. You could never be in my nightmares.”
And she leads me inside, her palm warm in mine as she tugs me to the bedroom and pushes me down, straddling me. I run my hands up and down her back, watching as her eyes close and she shivers.
“Tell me what you want,” I whisper to her.
“You. Only you.” Her blue eyes open, blazing down at me.
“You’ve always got me. And our story will definitely not end like the first part of your story. Our story is a beautiful romance that will last until I kiss your lips for the last time.”
She smiles. “Perfect. I love a happy ending!”
Epilogue: Ben
“I’m telling you, I’ve never seen you look better than you do now. Married life definitely agrees with you!”
“Or maybe it’s the very hunky man over there staring at you.” She giggles and pats Steph’s knee.
Stephanie glances over, her sapphire eyes sparkling with wicked laughter. I groan when the camera pans over to me. She knows that I hate being on camera when she does these damn interviews.
“Say hi, honey!” She sparkles at me and I grit my teeth as the audience for the morning talk show claps and hollers for me to come out and sit with her. The toothy blond anchor interviewing her waves me forward and I stomp over to sit next to her. I lean over like I’m kissing her cheek.
“I’m gonna make you pay for this later, sweetheart.”