Page 73 of Love Bank
“Bain, I have to tell you something.”
His lips nipped at my neck and a breathy sigh came out, interrupting myself.
“I’m being serious. I want you to know…”
His rough hand trailed up my leg and under the hem of my shirt, his thumb swiping back and forth on the sensitive skin of my stomach. His touch made me melt even as the butterflies took flight. I hoped to never lose the feeling I had right then and there.
“What were you saying?” he mumbled, his lips exploring my neck and collarbone.
I tilted my head back to give him better access. “You’re making this hard,” I groaned.
“That’s what he said.”
I snorted and the moment was broken. Laughter rumbled in his chest. I pushed him back, getting enough space to look him in the eye.
“Save that for later, Romeo. I want to apologize for walking out on you the way I did yesterday.” He tried to interrupt me, but I shushed him with a finger to his warm lips.
“No, I’m serious. It was quite the shock to hear Addi say she’s pregnant with your baby. Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen, but it brought some fears I have to the surface.”
I bit my lip and hesitated. Shortcomings you’ve held inside, hidden with a veil of shame, were hard to rip from your chest and air publicly, no matter the audience.
“Talk to me, sweetheart.” Bain squeezed my waist, his eyes softening at my obvious distress.
I smiled. “Always barking orders…”
This time he tickled me, and when he stopped and I settled down, I dove in, heart pounding. “Listen, growing up, I’ve always felt like a wallflower. By circumstance and then by choice. When I’m with you, I don’t feel that way anymore and I’ve found I love it. I love that you make me the center of your attention. I crave it. I think that’s why I blackmailed you. I wanted you to notice me.” I rushed on. “And while I know that wasn’t the right way to do it, it worked, so I’m not sorry for that. Iamsorry for walking out on you, though. All my old insecurities about being brushed aside raised their ugly heads and I couldn’t see past them.”
Bain nodded. “I get it. I really do. Believe me, that news was a lot to take in. Still is. I can’t really make any decisions until I have time to sort through the validity of her statements. If that baby is mine, I’m going to be there for the kid, no matter what.”
I nodded, glad he took things seriously and would step up to be a good dad. But I wouldn’t lie, the thought of that, of him raising a child that wasn’t mine, still made my heart clench and twist. The burn in the back of my eyes was manageable today, but just barely.
“I’m glad to hear that simply because it means you’re a good man. But I have to say, thinking of you raising that child with some other woman makes me crazy.”
Bain pulled me in and kissed my forehead, his voice the softest I’d ever heard it. “If you’ll still have me, it’ll be you and me raising that baby. I want a life with you, Lucy, no matter what it looks like or how messy. I’ve given up trying to order people around in my personal life. I tried that already and everything’s a mess. I might as well try the other way around.”
I nodded, too choked up to speak for a few moments. “I’d like that too. I’ve always wanted kids. I even have my eggs frozen here to make sure that can happen. But whether I birth the child or not really makes no difference. That conclusion took some time and some ill-advised tequila to get to, but there it is. I want a life with you too.”
Bain kissed me then, his hands cupping my face like I was the most precious thing in the world to him. His tongue explored me lazily and I found myself on the same page. We didn’t need to rush because we were committed to a lifetime together, come what may. He pulled back, his eyelids half-mast, the desire clear in the way his eyes dilated.
“I’ve always seen you, Lucy. I promise to always see you. You’ll never be a wallflower when I’m in the room. You’re front and center in my life and always will be. No women from the past or distractions in the future or children we may have by whatever means can make me change that. I love every part of you, from the wool skirts and prissy attitude to the hussy begging me for more bizarre sexual positions.”
My heart pounded in my chest. That had to be the sweetest—and also most accurate—thing anyone had ever said to me. If I doubted before, in that moment I knew he loved me wholeheartedly. I knew he saw the real me.
“I love you,” I whispered from between his big hands.
“And I love you. You’re like a third arm. A part of me. How could I ever not see you?”
A watery laugh escaped. “A third arm? Are we talking about your cock again?”
He laughed with me, his smile reconfiguring everything inside my chest. I couldn’t wait to grow old with him, laughing until our dentures fell out.
That reminded me.
No, not the dentures. The Cock.
“Um, so…I may have one more confession to apologize for.” I winced.
“Already forgiven,” Bain said at once.
