Page 23 of Easy To Lose

“With all due respect, I believe I owe you and your husband the truth.” So, I sit at their kitchen table and explain everything. From my feelings for Morgan, to Kelly using them as a way to separate us, and everything in between. By the end, Diana is in tears.

“Oh, my sweet boy. The fact that you did all of that to protect my daughter from someone willing to do her harm shows exactly the kind of man you are.” She gets up out of her chair and opens her arms. “Come here,” she says. I smile, getting up and hugging her the best I can since she’s half my size. “I don’t agree with what you did. I still think you should have talked to her instead of ignoring her, but I understand you were in a bad position.” I nod my head as we break apart.

“I’ve loved your daughter for so long, and I’ve carried the guilt from that day with me all these years—until she forgave me just a few weeks ago. I need you to know that I will never do anything like that to her again. I promise.” She shakes her head, a small smile playing at the edges of her lips.

“As much as I appreciate you saying that, you shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep, Owen.” Her eyes are stern, but I know it’s not with ill intent.

“But I can keep this one. Hurting Morgan, it hurts me. And in the end, she is everything. I want to protect that.” She gives me a slight nod and a smile, shooing me out of the kitchen and back into the living room.

“Where did you go?” Morgan asks from the couch, her eyes still glued to the television. I take my hand and cup the side of her face, bringing her eyes to meet mine. When they do, I can’t help but lean in and kiss her lightly.

“I just had a talk with your mom.” She goes to say something, but I shake my head. “Baby, it’s fine. We talked. I explained everything, and it’s all good.” She quirks an eyebrow, and I smile. “Promise.” I kiss her one last time, this time breaking apart only when her dad yells something at the TV and I remember where we are.

“Thank you,” she whispers as I pull her against my chest and hold her close.

“Anything for you,” I say, kissing the top of her head. From the corner of my eye, I see her father look my way. When our eyes meet, he gives me a slight nod of his head.

For the first time all day, I breathe a sigh of relief.

Chapter 19

Morgan

“So, am I invited to this birthday bash of yours?” Owen murmurs against my neck as we hide in the storage room. Becca is watching the store, and since I’ve managed to hire a few part-time workers that have been great, I know everything’s fine. It gives me more time to spend with my family, and I’ve gotten into a routine of working out with Owen in the morning and then going home for breakfast and a shower before heading in to close. There are a few days here and there where I hate everything about the routine, especially when Owen decides I’ve become too complacent and switches up our workouts. I’m always exhausted the next day.

“I could be persuaded to invite you. For a price…” I whisper against the shell of his ear, wanting nothing more than to strip him down and have my way with him right here. But no matter how much I beg, he always stops me before we go too far. Honestly, I’m still a little pissed.

“And what would that be?” he asks, kissing my neck, making me weak in the knees. I pull his face back to mine, his hands gripping my hips so hard I know I’ll see finger marks there later.

“You know what I want,” I whisper, my lips tracing the edges of his, knowing what we both want. But he’s still holding back, and I need to understand why.

“Baby, you have no idea how much I want to give that to you…” He groans, his forehead leaning against mine as he takes a deep breath. Frustration boils out of me as I push him away, running my fingers through my hair. “Morgan…” He groans again, his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

“Don’t you dare say whatever was about to come out of your mouth. I never thought that I would have to beg my boyfriend to sleep with me. Do you know how embarrassing that is? Do you know how it makes me feel?” Emotions start to well up, and I silently curse the tears that threaten to surface.

“M, you have to know how much I want you…” he says, wrapping his arms around me from behind and resting his chin on my shoulder. “You are the sexiest, hottest woman I have ever seen. Period. I get hard just watching you. Just thinking about you. I go to bed at night dreaming of what it would be like to have you wrapped around me, to feel your warmth surrounding me.” I moan at the images he projects as his hands roam over my stomach. The second I realize where his hands are, I lock up. Being naked in front of a man isn’t something that is new to me—it’s not even something that scares me most of the time—but with Owen, the idea of him seeing what I see as my flaws scares the crap out of me. No matter how much I want him, there is always that small voice in the back of my head telling me that he might be disgusted once he sees all of me.

“Morgan, I’m not waiting for your benefit. I’m doing it for mine.” I shake my head because that seems like a lie. “It’s true. I’ve waited for you for over ten years. I don’t want to rush this… I want you to fully understand how I feel about you before we take that next step.”

“I do understand.” He shakes his head.

“No, you don’t. And the fact that you still lock up when I touch you here,”—his fingers flex against my stomach—“tells me I’m right.” I eye him suspiciously, and when I go to say something, he kisses me softly. “M, you’re my girlfriend, hell you’re more than that, okay? I don’t think there are words big enough to describe how much you mean to me.” I nod my head, turning so I can see his eyes. When they meet mine, I can’t help but melt. No matter how frustrated I get with his plan, the man knows how to use his words.

“Fine, but just know that if we don’t have sex before my birthday, I will make your life a living hell.” He chuckles, taking my face in his hands and kissing me.

“Deal.” He winks but steps forward, backing me up against the wall. “So, am I invited to your birthday party?” he whispers against the shell of my ear.

“Do you want to come?” I can’t help the nervousness that comes with the invitation. He knows what happened with Aaron. He knows what my ex did and how much it hurt. And the idea of exposing myself in that way again creates this pit in my stomach that I thought I filled a long time ago.

It takes Owen a second, but his eyes soften, his hand coming up to cup my cheek once more in a way that makes me weak in the knees. His lips brush mine ever so gently before he whispers, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

* * *

“How was your flight?” I ask Simon as Charly looks around the store, checking out all the new inventory.

“Long. We came from visiting my family in London. We haven’t really slept since we left for the airport, and that was,”—he looks at his watch—“forty-eight hours ago.” My eyes bulge, knowing how Charly gets when she doesn’t get enough sleep.

“Shit. Well, what the hell are you guys doing here, then? Shouldn’t you be crashing at the hotel I told you not to stay at?” Simon gives that smile he’s known for, and for the thousandth time since I first met him, I thank God that Charly found him—his accent doesn’t hurt either.

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