Page 45 of Stay With Me

The umbrella falls away, allowing the sky to rain down on us both. Ava doesn’t seem to care, fisting my suit jacket and kissing me with eager strokes as the raindrops mix with her taste.

“I love you,” she tells me, pulling back. We both stare at each other, blinking away the water as we pant for air.

“I fucking love you,” I reply, brushing wet strands away from her face and kissing her again. “Tell me you’re mine,” I growl against her lips.

“I’m yours, Roman. I always have been. I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Princess.” My forehead presses against hers. “I wasn’t going to let you get away.”

“I know.” She laughs, making my heart swell. “And I don’t think I’d want you to let me go.”

“Good. Because you’re mine, Ava. And I’m yours. Fuck the world, as long as we have each other.”

A life without Ava isn’t one I want to be a part of. I have no idea where our lives will take us, but as long as we’re together, I don’t care. She’s mine. My princess. My everything. I’m never letting her go again.

The smile she gives me has me weak in the knees. “Fuck the world. You’re mine, Roman Knight. And I don’t think I’d ever be able to let you go.”

I grin. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Epilogue

Ava

Two years later

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I stare at myself in the mirror, my body practically vibrating from nerves. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“You’re not going to be sick. Just take deep breaths. Everything is going to be fine. That man loves you so damn hard. You could trip while walking down the aisle, and he wouldn’t bat an eye.”

“Thanks for that.” I swing a glare Tasha’s way. “Now, all I’m going to think about is tripping.”

Roman and I have been engaged for a couple of years now. Since we found our way back to each other in the rain that day, we’ve been inseparable. The next day, we were on his private plane and headed to Paris. He proposed to me in front of the Eiffel Tower like a cheesy romantic movie, and I cried like a baby as he spilled his heart out to me. I said yes, of course.

With me being fresh out of nursing school, I decided to take some time off before starting my career so we could travel the world. I’m still young and my career was still there waiting for me when I got back. But time is precious, and I just wanted to be with Roman.

He insisted on spoiling me like his Princess, and I let him. If him buying me things makes him happy, and he knows I’m not with him for his money, then that’s all that matters.

Thankfully, my being with Roman didn’t ruin my relationship with Tasha. We’re still best friends and still do everything together. She even has her own room at the house.

She and Roman’s relationship is stronger than ever. I love watching the two of them bond and the way they are with each other. He really is an amazing father who loves his kid above everything else. As he should.

We’ve been back for about a year now, planning the wedding and getting back into a new routine of life. He bought us a nice house in a good neighborhood. I told him that just because we had the money to do so we didn’t have to get something massive and over the top. We settled on a good size house with lots of room, but nothing crazy enough to have its own wing.

It’s big enough for us... and the family we’re about to start.

“It’s not easy,” I say with another wave of nausea. “It’s not just the nerves that are making me sick.”

Tasha raises a brow. “What? Are you, like, pregnant or something?” She snorts out a laugh, saying it like it’s a joke. But when I just stare at her, my cheeks turn pink, and her eyes practically bug out of her head as she gapes at me. “No fucking way,” she yells. “You’re joking with me?”

“Would you be mad if I said I wasn’t joking?” I ask, my belly swooping as I wait for her answer. It’s one thing for me to marry my best friend’s dad, but having a baby with him? I’m not sure how she will react.

“You’re really pregnant?” she whispers, her eyes dropping to my belly as my hand instinctively goes to it.

“Yes.” I nod, tears welling in my eyes. “I’m about eight weeks.”

“Oh my god.” I watch as her eyes tear up, too. “You’re having a baby. I’m going to be an auntie.”