“We’ll call it even since you’ve seen me drunk, too,” I teased. I pressed a kiss to his chest before I eased out of his arms. “Go on to bed. I’ll be there in a minute.”
He nodded and left the bathroom. I grabbed him a couple of bottles of water and a bottle of pain pills. He was already asleep when I stepped into the bedroom. I just set them on the nightstand before turning off the light and crawling into bed with him.
He curled his arms around me and pulled me tighter against him. “Love you,” he mumbled, his words extremely slurred from being both drunk and mostly asleep.
My entire body relaxed at those words. “I love you, too,” I whispered.
13
Slater
My head was pounding something fierce when I woke up. It felt like the seven little dwarves had multiplied in my skull by a hundred, and all of them were pounding away at my brain.
I was never drinking again. This wasexactlywhy I never did. The morning aftersucked, and I had to work on top of it all.
With a low groan, I rolled over, spotting the bottle of water and Tylenol on the nightstand. Muttering a thank you to Tawney, wherever she was, I sat up and grabbed the Tylenol, shaking two tablets out into my hand. I swallowed them dry and stumbled out of bed to the bathroom.
“Good morning,” Tawney softly called when I stepped out of the bathroom.
I looked over toward the kitchen. She was sitting on the countertop in a pair of little black shorts and a tank top that left her ample chest mostly on display for me. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she was eating a bowl of cereal.
“Hey,” I roughly greeted, walking toward her. Thankfully, I’d found a spare toothbrush in her bathroom, so my breath wouldn’t reek. I lightly pressed my lips to hers, sliding my hands over her smooth, bare thighs. “I stole your spare toothbrush.”
She smiled. “I would hope you did,” she teased. She pressed her lips more firmly to mine, and I groaned low in my throat, my hands tightening their grip on her thick thighs. “There’s coffee in the pot over there. Alex will be up soon.”
I pecked her lips one more time. “You’re a blessing.”
She laughed a little. “I try to be.”
I turned and made myself a steaming cup of scalding hot black coffee and leaned against the counter beside her, enjoying the strong aroma. She had her windows open, letting in the breeze coming off the ocean. Waking up to her and the smell of the ocean was the best thing ever.
“I could do this every morning with you,” I quietly told her. “Minus the hangover, that is.”
She smiled up at me and reached over to grab my free hand in hers, linking our fingers together. Her ring was cool against my hand, and I rubbed one of my fingers against it, loving the look of it on her finger.
“Mom, I’m hungry,” Alex complained as soon as he was walking out of his room. His hair was sticking up every way it could, and his pajamas were twisted around his body.
“Well, good morning to you, too,” Tawney teased. She hopped off the counter. “Go sit at the table, and I’ll bring you a bowl of cereal.”
Alex waved at me. “Hi, Slater.”
“Hey, kiddo.”
He sat in a chair at the table, and Tawney set his bowl of cereal in front of him before turning cartoons on. She came back into the kitchen with me. I leaned over and pressed my lips to her temple. “You’re a good mom, you know that, right?”
She turned her head and smiled at me. “He’s been my reason for living for so long.”
I tucked her hair behind her ears. “I love you.”
Her smile warmed my soul. “I love you, too.”
God, I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with this woman.
14
Slater
Itucked Alex into his bed. Tawney had gone out with Amber for dinner and a couple of drinks and had asked if I was okay watching Alex until she got back—which was a crazy question because I loved being around this kid.