Page 117 of Forbidden King (Magnolia Falls)

I parked in the driveway and walked to the door just as it flung open before I could knock.

“Where have you been? I’ve called and texted,” she said, and I saw the concern as she took in my fat lip.

“Baby, I’m fine. My phone died. I was with your brother.”

I stepped inside and pushed the door closed before pulling her into my arms. She had my shirt bunched in her hands like she wanted to hold onto me.

“Hey, everything’s okay.” I pulled back, and she looked up at me.

“Yeah? He and I talked all night. He said he’d talk to you today, but then when I didn’t hear from you, I just got worried.”

“No more worrying, Dandelion. He knows everything. He knows how I feel about you. He knows this is the real deal, and he’s good with it.”

She let out a long breath. “I’m sorry that I caused a lot of this. You were right. We should have told him from the beginning.”

“Nope. As much as I hate that we hurt him, I think this is how it was meant to play out. And the truth is, we needed that time. Just you and me.”

“And now?” she asked.

“Now it’s you and me, and we don’t need to hide it. I can dance with my girl on country music night and kiss you at the Golden Goose and hold your hand when we’re out in public.”

“I like the sound of that.” She sank her teeth into her juicy bottom lip. “Anything else you want to do?”

“I want to bury myself deep inside you without any worries that I’m betraying anyone. And then I want to go get Beefcake and take him to lunch and tell him that you’re my girl. Because little dude has been pushing for it.”

“He’s always been an old soul. Wise for his years. So, how about you have your way with me, and then we’ll go pick up our boy and take him to lunch.” She smiled up at me before I reached around and grabbed her ass, lifting her into my arms. Her legs came around my waist, and I walked her down the hallway.

I dropped her onto the bed and hovered above her. “I remembered something today when I was talking to Hayes.”

“Tell me.”

“It was all those years ago when you were staying at our house.” I cleared my throat. “You were telling me about a wish you made on a dandelion that day.”

“I made a lot of wishes back then.” She chuckled as her hand came up and stroked the side of my face. “What did I wish for?”

“You told me that you hated the instability of your home. You said that you’d had this dream the night before that you were standing in a field of dandelions, wearing a white sundress, and you described everything so vividly. The way your hair was styled and the way the sun was shining down on you.”

She smiled. “Wait. I remember this, I think.”

“You said that a man was walking toward you and that you realized you were getting married there in that field. But the man’s face was blurred out, so you didn’t know who he was. But you knew that he would protect you and love you to the ends of the earth, and you made a wish the following day that you’d find that someday.”

She covered her face with her hands. “Oh my gosh. Yes. I still can’t believe I admitted that to you back then. I wanted that, you know? Someone who would love me as fiercely as I loved them.”

I pulled her hands away. “I think that’s the moment I fell in love with you. I didn’t know what it meant back then because I was a dumb kid at the time. But I remember thinking how cool it was to know what you wanted. To not be afraid to say it and find it and live it, you know?”

“You ready to live it, King?”

“I already am.” I pinned her hands above her head. “I want to be that man for you today, tomorrow, and forever.”

A tear slipped down her cheek. “You already are.”

I leaned down and kissed her.

Because forever started right fucking now.

thirty-one

Saylor

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