His gaze turns intense. “After thinking about the whole situation, I’m glad we got to know each other without that barrier between us. And I’m sorry we didn’t get to hash this out before I had to leave. We should have talked about it right away, but you were so shaken, and I felt blindsided and wasn’t sure what that said about us. Or if there were other things you kept a secret.”
I shake my head almost violently. “No, I swear. That was the only thing. Nothing else.”
He squeezes my hand gently. “Okay.”
We stare at each other, and I’m lost in his gaze. This moment might not be anything special, but it feels momentous. This man is the father of my child. My baby. He’s kind, supportive, and considerate. He’s been nothing but good to me. The fact that he’s sexy as hell doesn’t hurt either. But mostly, he’s the man I’ve fallen head over heels in love with.
I want him. All of him. I want to spend the rest of my life with him. Be a family with him and our child.
“Ryan, I . . . I don’t know if this is the right moment, and you don’t have to say it back, but, I—”
“I love you too.”
I barely have enough time to open my mouth in a gasp because he kisses me. It’s slow and gentle, but I recognize the underlying urgency.
When he releases me, my breathing is erratic.
He stole my breath once more, just like he has from the very first time I laid eyes on him.
I smirk at him. “How did you know what I was going to say? Maybe I wanted to tell you that . . . I don’t know, that I’m getting a parrot?”
He raises his eyebrows. “Are you?”
I chuckle. “No. That would drive me insane.”
My heart speeds up at the way he looks at me. With love in his eyes. He loves me. He really loves me.
I wind my arms around his neck as I pull him close. “I love you so much. You were the best way to start a new year, and I want to start and end every single one of them with you.”
“You better.” He grabs me by the waist and lifts me on his lap, his hands firmly pressed into my butt cheeks. “I know this has been a wild ride for us so far, but I want this. I want you, and I want our baby. I want it all. We do whatever you want, however fast or slow you want to go, although I want to be honest. I’m not the biggest fan of us living on opposite coasts. I want to be close to you, to both of you.”
Leaning my forehead against his, I nod. “I didn’t get a chance earlier, but I was going to ask my dad and Sharon if I could stay with them for a while. I wasn’t sure how things would go with us today, but I want to give this a real shot. I also talked to my mom briefly this morning and filled her in on everything. She isn’t happy that I’ll be so far away from her, but she understands why I have to do this. And she can’t wait to meet you.”
“You’ll be living here?”
I nod, smiling. It was all very spontaneous, but I know it’s the right thing to do. The feeling resonated throughout my body and settled as a peaceful sensation over me when I made that decision.
His answering smile is breathtaking, and my heart speeds up in response.
Even though I was married before and thought I’d be with Ben for the rest of my life, being here now with Ryan, at this moment, knowing we love each other and that we have a baby on the way, it feels different. Almost like it’s more authentic, like I haven’t done this before, or rather, like this is the real deal.
Sometimes we have to choose the wrong partner first to be able to tell who the right one is. To find our soul’s true mate. Even if it’s painful in the process, and lined with tears and sorrow along the way, the journey makes us stronger. Ready.
Ryan is definitely the right one. I know deep in my soul that our paths were meant to cross, and I’m ready to give him my heart, and to love him with my everything.
We stare at each other until Ryan leans in to place a soft kiss on my temple.
“Does that mean you have to go back to New York to get your things?”
I sigh. “Yeah. I also need to look for good doctors out here.”
Ryan rubs my back. “We’ll figure it out together. I can fly out with you to help you pack, and we can research doctors together if you want.”
“You’d do that?”
He frowns. “Absolutely. I want you. All of you. If it was up to me, you’d move in tonight and I’d never let you go.”
I swallow, unable to contain my tears. “Thank you for being so understanding about everything. I felt terrible and I was ready to do some serious groveling.”