Page 116 of The Hearts We Fumble
Shrugging, I slip my fingers under her shirt, my palm finding the warm curve of her waist. The heat of her skin grounds me, tethering me to this moment, to her.
“I keep thinking about what Luca said,” I murmur, my voice low. “About how I had my dad around, and he had no one. No one but his mom.”
Wyatt leans back just enough to look at me, her brows pinched with concern. “Thinking about it how?”
I exhale through my nose, dragging my thumb in slow circles over her skin. “For years, I’ve carried the weight of being James Kinnick’s son. Every move I made was under a microscope. If it wasn’t up to his impossible standard, it wasn’t good enough. That’s why I chose football. I didn’t want to follow in his footsteps like Miles and Myla. It was already hard enough having him as a father, but playing the same sport? Spending my entire career being compared to him?” I shake my head. “I couldn’t do it.”
Wyatt presses a hand to my chest, right over my heart. “You don’t have to prove anything to him or anyone else. The outside noise—the critics, the opinions—don’t define you. You know who you are. You know what you’re capable of. You don’t need your dad’s name to make it. You’re great all on your own.”
Her words settle inside me, steadying something that’s been off balance for too long. I nod, dragging my hands up her arms before cradling her face between my palms. Then I lean down and kiss her—deep, consuming, like I can breathe through her, as if she’s the only thing keeping me standing.
Wyatt moans softly, her fingers clutching the waistband of my pants like she’s afraid to let go. And maybe I need her to hold on, to anchor me, to remind me of the one thing in my life that isn’t tangled in expectations or regret.
I pull back just enough to whisper, “I love you.”
Her breath hitches, her entire body stilling against mine. Her wide eyes search mine like she needs to hear it again to believe it. “What?”
A slow smile tugs at my lips. “I love you, Wyatt Lynn.”
Tears brim in her eyes, shimmering in the dim light. She presses her lips together like she’s trying to keep herself from falling apart.
“I love you too,” she whispers, and I kiss her again, hard and deep. It’s like nothing else in this world exists except her and me.
Because that’s the truth. As long as I have Wyatt, I can face anything. I’ve always known it. Now it’s time for her to know it too.
“Come with me,” I murmur against her lips.
She pulls back slightly, blinking up at me. “Come with you where?”
I run my hands down her back, holding her close. “After the season ends, I’ll be leaving Braysen. I don’t know where I’ll end up, what team I’ll play for, but I know one thing for sure—I want you with me. You can finish school remotely or transfer, whatever you want to do. But I need you, Wyatt. Promise me you’ll come with me.”
Her lips part on a sharp inhale like she’s trying to process my words. “Are you asking me to move in with you… or just to follow you wherever you go?”
I brush my thumb over her bottom lip. “I’m asking for all of it. Living together, waking up next to you every morning. And one day soon, I want to put a ring on your finger. I want the whole damn world to know you’re mine.”
Wyatt’s breath shudders, her smile breaking through the tears spilling down her cheeks. She nods slowly, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt.
“Say it again,” she whispers.
I chuckle softly, pressing my forehead to hers. “Which part?”
“All of it. Say it again,” she whispers, her voice thick with emotion.
I brush my lips over her knuckles, pressing a lingering kiss to her ring finger. “I love you, Wyatt Lynn Vaughn. And I’m going to put a ring on this finger. Then I’m going to marry the fuck out of you.” My eyes flick to hers, holding her gaze. “I don’t care where I go or what team I play for. As long as you’re by my side, I have everything I need.”
Her breath stutters, a soft hiccup escaping as she nods. I wipe away the tears spilling over her cheeks, cupping her face.
“I love you too,” she whispers, voice shaking but sure. “I’d follow you anywhere.”
A slow smile tugs at my lips as I kiss her again, walking her backward until the backs of her knees hit the bed. My voice drops to a gravelly murmur, thick with need.
“Sit down, baby.”
She shivers but obeys, lowering onto the mattress, her eyes locked on mine. I shrug off my jacket, draping it over her desk chair before slowly unbuttoning my dress shirt. Wyatt watches my every move, her breath shallow, her chest rising and falling in sync with mine.
I let the shirt slip from my shoulders and reach for my belt, unhooking it with measured precision. The leather whispers through the loops before I shove my pants to the floor, toeing off my dress shoes in the process.
The second I step out of my clothes, I see the way her pupils dilate, how her lips part just slightly. I’m already hard, my cock pressing against the thin barrier of my briefs. I grip myself through the fabric, rolling my head back with a groan.
