Page 259 of Out of Bounds

“You’re staying here?”

“I’m staying here.”

He took a deep breath and pointed to himself. “I’mstaying here.”

“Yeah, I know.” I couldn’t help the smile. “Everything’s finally working out with the design department. I like building my own projects, I’m finally getting comfortable here and I don’t want to walk away from you. I don’t.”

Ryan reached out for my hand and drew me closer to him across the aisle. My heart beat in my throat. I couldn’t look away from those dark honey eyes if I tried.

“I’ve loved you every second you’ve sung cartoon movie soundtracks in my car. I’ve loved you every second you had me sitting on your bed so you could draw my ankles—or whatever the hell you were doing. I’ve loved you every time I got to touch you and every second I dreamed about it. I have loved you. Every second. Every minute. And I’m so sorry."

I melted. I couldn’t not melt.

"I’m pretty sure you fucked up my life,” he admitted, his voice low. “There’s that."

With a shrug, I sighed. “I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t fuck up my life.”

But there was something he needed to understand.

I put my hand to the side of his face. “It’s going to be hard.”

“Okay,” he murmured.

“I’m serious, Ryan. You could sign on across the country and Iwillbe joining a studio after I graduate. We could be in two entirely different places. Youneedto accept that.”

Slowly, he nodded and cupped my face. “It’s going to be hard when we have kids.”

And for the first time ever, I could see a future. Not just the written down goals I’ve jotted in the inside of a sketchbook, but arealfuture. Tangible and alive. All the phone calls, the long nights while he’d travel, trying to keep up with each other’s schedules, but I could see something else too. Something worth all of the effort. Dragging him to all the projects I’d ever work on, and cheering from the front row seats of as many games as I could. And Ryan with salt-and-pepper hair with one of our kids on his shoulder.

I swallowed. “It’s going to be a lot of work.”

He nodded again, slower this time and leaned in, crossing the distance between us. My hands went to his neck off instinct alone and I kissed him, closing my eyes, swept away by how much love I could hold for this man.

“Thank fuck!” Adam shouted from the field.

Ryan tried to break away from me, probably to yell at Adam, but I pulled him back just as quickly and kissed him again. I spent too many nights without him, I wanted to keep kissing him and his teammates could suck a dick if they wanted to stop me.

I threw up my middle finger and Ryan chuckled against my lips, no doubt catching sight of it.

“He’s been fucking pathetic, Kassie!” Adam yelled out. “Thanks for coming back!”

There were catcalls and wolf whistles from the field from more teammates and I drew back to give them a piece of my mind before Ryan knotted his fingers through my hair, kissing me again.

His lips traveled down to my neck and I caught sight of Ryan, flipping off our audience with me.

“I love you,” I whispered, pulling him back up to kiss him on the lips again.

“Love you more, art girl.”

“Want a bet?”

“That’s a bet.”

109

Ryan

Epilogue

---