Page 286 of Come Back to Me

“I want you to take more pictures.”

“Can do.”

“I want you to fly me somewhere.”

I swallow. “Sure.”

“But I also maybe want a kid. Not yet though.”

“How many?”

“Three.”

“Three? Sold.”

“When?”

“When you’re ready.”

“Really?” she cries.

“Really.”

When her throat bobs again, I grin at her. “Is that a yes?”

There are tears in her eyes.Goodtears. “It’s a hell yes.”

Zee surprises us both by clapping her hands. “This is my moment to bow out.” Though Tee’s gaze remains locked onmine, Zee kisses her cheek. “I’ll see you later, future sister-in-law.”

Tee doesn’t even look at her when Zee passes by to yank off her face mask. That’s when I know I’ve bamboozled my future wife.

The second Zee trots out of the suite, only her phone and the discarded face mask on her person and dressed in PJs and fluffy slippers, I surge to my feet and surround Tee with me—sliding my arms around her waist and dragging her into me as I shuffle us deeper into the suite.

I push my forehead onto hers. “What was yesterday about? I thought you were breaking up with me or something!”

“So says you, Mr. ‘We need to talk.’”

Her lips find mine and suddenly, nothing else matters but this link. This connection. Us.

Tee

Three minutes later

If I didn’t know that Champagne couldn’t be an alternative for plasma in my blood stream, I’d say what was fizzing around my body was sixty-proof bubbly.

As his teeth tug on my bottom lip and he retreats, I don’t let him move. We stay that close, nose to nose, because even that’s too far. Especially as I admit, “I-I was afraid of whatusmeant.” My throat feels ridiculously full. “There’s this big bubble inside me, Cody, and I never want it to pop.”

“I’ll make sure it won’t. Your bubble is safe with me.”

A snotty, soggy laugh escapes me as I tuck my face into his chest. “Pinkie promise?”

Not only does he stick out his hand to hook his pinkie with mine, he growls, “I pinkie promise.”

Ifeelthe vow inherent in those three words.

“I was watching you throughout the ceremony and I just felt like all these feelings inside me were going to explode and?—”

His lips gently press mine to still the torrent of words, and the instant calm that surges through me is both a relief and intoxicating.

---