Page 64 of Solitude

“What the fuck…” He whispers, more to himself than me. Louder, he asks, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I slide my hand over his forearm and squeeze. Touching him brings me a bit of peace. “I don’t know. I knew you wouldn’t care or judge me, but… it’s still embarrassing. I mean, my own parents don’t love me, Beck.”

Beck sighs and drops down onto the bed beside me. He hauls me into his lap, tucking me tightly against his chest, and I let him. Twining my arms around his neck and wriggling my bare butt on his lap to get comfy.

“Stop moving. Fuck.”

I flush and freeze in place. “Sorry.”

“Let’s talk about the important shit real quick then you can rub your ass all over me. Sound good?”

I nod, cheeks still burning.

Beck inhales and catches my gaze. Earnestly, he says, “You can’t ask me to marry you in the same breath you tell me you’ve been keeping a secret from me, Winnie.”

I open my mouth then close it. Any argument I might’ve had dies on my tongue. “You’re right. I wasn’t trying to keep a secret… I just didn’t know how to tell you that over the phone.”

He brushes my hair out of my face, tucking the wild, knotted strands behind my ears. “I get that. I do.” He lets out a breath. “But if we’re getting married, tying our lives together permanently, then we have to be honest and communicate. Because, unless you’re planning to move to Texas soon, we’ll be video calling and texting for the foreseeable future, baby.”

I cross my arms over my chest and huff, a grin pulling at my lips. “Well, considering you haven’t even answered my proposal…”

He laughs, pushes me back against the mattress, and covers my body with his own. He kisses the pout on my lips and the crinkles of my eyes and the furrow of my brow. He kisses my forehead, the tip of my nose, and my chin. He brushes his lips over my cheeks and pulls back to look at me.

“I will marry you rain or shine, no matter the distance, or the time.”

I can’t help the way my eyes get watery as I look at him. My grin is soft as I card my fingers through his hair.

“Don’t cry,” he murmurs, wiping at my cheeks.

Inhaling shakily, I lick my lips. “I’m happy. I thought… I thought you might think I was absolutely crazy for wanting to marry you so quickly. It didn’t even occur to me that there was a possibility you might say no until I asked.”

“I’m a sure thing, Winnie.”

“You love me as much as I love you, right?”

Beck grins. “More. I am going to be the most sure thing in your life, Winnie Carmichael. You’ll never have another love like this. Because I do. I love you.”

I pull him down and press my lips to his in a bruising kiss. It’s heat and passion, and my tongue thrusts into his mouth without a moment of hesitation. I hike my leg over Beck’s hip and push, flipping us over and right off the bed.

Beck grunts, the air punching out of his lungs. “Ow.”

“I’m so sorry,” I giggle. I landed perfectly on his chest. “I didn’t realize we were that close to the edge.”

My hair falls in a curtain around us as I hover over Beck’s face with a wide grin. Beck’s hands find the dip of my waist then drift over the swell of my hips and over the curve of my ass. He squeezes my flesh, pulling me tighter to his body, and I drop down so we’re chest to chest as I maneuver my legs to straddle his hips.

“Say it again,” he whispers.

“I love you, Beck.” I lift a brow at him expectantly.

“I love you more, Winnie.”

“And?”

He smirks. “And…”

I sit up, rolling my eyes playfully, and he catches me around the waist, yanks me back down to his chest, and brushes my hair off my face once more.

Then he says, “And I’ll marry you as soon as a fucking chapel opens.”

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