by A. T Brennan
“That’s what happened when you came out of the bathroom,” she admitted as he pulled her off the couch and settled her on his lap as he hugged her closer. He pressed his cheek against her chest, and she imagined her heart was racing in his ear now.
“What do you mean?”
“I was about to run out of here. I was so sure you were going to ask me to leave.”
“And that made you want to run?”
“I thought the same thing you did. I thought I was your backup. In my hysteria I almost had myself convinced you were seeing someone and were about to get ready for a date.”
“Not even close.” He laughed as he kissed her collarbone. “I haven’t been on a date in six months.”
“Same.”
“I definitely haven’t had sex in the past six months either.”
“Me either. Unless it’s with myself.”
He laughed heartily as he looked up at her. “I’m somewhat of an expert at that.”
“I’m getting there.” She grinned.
“So, if I gathered right. Both of us were wondering how we were going to deal with being the hookup while we were in love with each other.”
“Pretty much.” She nodded.
“We really have to work on our communication.”
“We really do.” She grinned. “From now on, no secrets?”
“None.” He shook his head and leaned up for a kiss.
The kiss was soft and sweet, but it was the emotions behind it that rocked her to her core. It was the first kiss they’d shared that had come from complete and honest love. They might have felt it, but it hadn’t been real between them until that moment.
“So, you promise not to be a psycho?” he asked teasingly when he pulled away.
“As long as you promise not to be a jerk.”
“Not sure I can promise that.” He grinned wickedly.
“How about you promise not to be an asshole.”
“I can do that.”
She grinned and hugged him close.
“So, would this be our anniversary? Or do we count back?” he teased.
“I really don’t want to tell people how it took us ten years to get together.” She grinned. “How about we consider this our anniversary, and the past ten years as a courtship?”
“Do people still court?”
“I don’t know, but they should. It sounds better than being fuck buddies for a decade.”
He laughed. “Or hooking up for ten years.”
“Yeah, courting is better.”
“Agreed. I do actually have somewhere to be in about an hour,” he said regretfully as he looked at her.
“Oh okay.” She tried to hide her disappointment, and she stopped herself from asking where he was going, or who he was seeing.
“So, are we dating now?” he asked as he grinned.
“I’d hope so.”
“Good, then you can come with me.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I promised Nan I’d come see her tonight, and I want her to meet my girlfriend.”
She smiled as a flush of happiness went through her.
“Then you have to come to Sunday dinner tomorrow. I need to introduce my boyfriend.”
“With your whole family?”
“Twins included.” She nodded.
“I can do that.” He grinned wickedly. “But I think we should spend the night here.”
“You think so?” She laughed.
“Oh yeah. Nan’s in bed by nine, so we’ll be in bed by nine-thirty.”
“And what, pray tell, are we going to do all night? I’m usually up until at least one or two.”
“Trust me, you’ll be up plenty late.” He ran his hand up her body and cupped the back of her neck. “And up really early.”
“Please tell me you have a lot of condoms.” She grinned.
“A brand-new box.”
“Good.” She sighed as he pulled her down for a kiss.
She almost couldn’t believe it. That night at the party had changed her life, and not in the way she’d always thought. After ten years of trying to figure her life out she was now with the only man she’d ever loved.
Her life was still a mess. She had no immediate plans beyond moving home, but she was okay with that. She had a partner by her side, and she felt ready to take on the world. He might have saved her from falling down the stairs that night at the party when they’d been eighteen, but he’d been saving her ever since.
The End
Publisher’s Note
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About A.T. Brennan
A.T. Brennan, a native of Ottawa, Canada, enjoys picking up and moving every few years. A former member of the Canadian Armed Forces and current entrepreneur and author, she enjoys spending her days working on her many projects and her nights writing and not getting enough sleep. She currently lives on Canada’s East Coast with her family, enjoys collecting books and exploring the different aspects of romance in her works. A.T. publishes in other genres under a different name.
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