Page 109 of Everlasting Promises

Words I never thought I’d hear from her lips.

I havethemnow.

Within moments, I have her laid out on the table like an offering. As if she’s my greatest reward for all the shit I’ve dealt with throughout my life. I push her thighs apart and feast on her until she cries out my name, then I bury my cock in her snug pussy until we both fall apart for the third time tonight.

51

BEN

The soundof Hope’s car pulling into my driveway rips my focus away from attaching the string lights to the gutters. I’ve never bothered with any of this stuff. There was never a point in doing it when I live alone and work the Christmas holiday, but now I have Hope and Evan, and I want to make the holiday special. She peers up and grins at me through the windshield while Evan climbs out from the back.

Rex leaps from the porch to welcome his buddy home, and Evan gives him plenty of attention, making his entire rump shake from side to side. Evan chuckles. “Yeah, I missed you too, boy.”

When I look back at Hope, her genuine smile is breathtaking. Her entire demeanor has changed in the last few weeks, and I’d like to think I’m at least part of the reason for that—I don’t think I can take all the credit.Shemade the powerful decision to live her life … to let go of the pain and the grief. And she looks so much lighter … freer … happier. It’s been a privilege to witnessher wade into the light after drowning in the darkness for so long.

I know she’ll still have her moments, but I couldn’t feel more proud of her.

I climb down the ladder and meet Evan—who’s wearing a cheeky grin—at the bottom. He holds out his fist for a complicated fist-bump-handshake type thing he insists us using, making me chuckle.

When he has my hand in his, he tugs me down so his mouth is at my ear. “So Mom tells me you guys are a thing now.” He pulls back and winks at me. “If you hurt her, you have me to deal with. And I don’t care if you’re a cop, I’ll kick your ass.” He pats me on the shoulder with a grin and raised eyebrows. “Okay?”

To say I’m surprised she spoke with him so soon would be a gross understatement. I don’t want to hide my affection, and I told her as much before she left to collect him from his overnight stay. She was concerned it would be too much too soon, but I explained my discussion with Evan at the bake sale. Surprisingly, she already knew about it, but I still didn’t expect her to share the development of our relationship so soon. It’s a relief because it means she’s not having second thoughts.

She’s all in.

Like me.

She’s ready to move forward.

And in this moment, I realize the amount of tension I’ve been holding in my body—worried she’d change her mind and I’d lose them both.

I nod at Evan. “You and your mom are my priority now. If I hurt heroryou, I’ll kick my own ass.” I widen my eyes at him. “But don’t let your mom hear you saying that you’ll kick my ass. I’m pretty sure she’d be mortified.”

He chuckles with a shrug. “Yeah, probably. But Iwillkick your ass.”

Hope strolls toward us, looking a little unsure, obviously giving us time to talk, but when she sees both of us smiling, her shoulders drop and her face relaxes. Once she’s within reach, I wrap my arm around her waist and kiss her temple. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she murmurs as she leans into me, resting her hand on my stomach and melting into me.

Evan rolls his eyes. “Does this mean I’ll have to see you guys kissing and hugging all the time now?” The playful tone of his voice and the tipping up of his lips suggest he won’t be bothered at all.

“Maybe,” I say.

“Ugh.” He rolls his eyes, and Hope chuckles.

“Only because I love your mom.” Hope grins up at me, her blue-green eyes glittering beneath the sunlight, and I can’t resist kissing the tip of her nose. “I was hoping you guys could help me decorate this afternoon. What do you think?” I want to make our first Christmas together special and start some family traditions.

Hope and Evan snap their heads toward each other with excitement. “Heck yeah!”

“Great. I’ll be about another hour with these lights, then we can start inside.”

“I think this calls for cookies. I’ll check if you have the ingredients, and if not, I’ll go to the store.”

My stomach rumbles at the thought of Hope’s fresh-baked treats. “I won’t say no to your cookies.” I lean down and kiss her …why shouldn’t I?

“Can I help Ben, Mom?”

“Of course.”

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