“I don’t know how I forgot about it,” I frown to myself. “I guess it happened too often for me to notice, which isn’t good.”
“No,” she confirms. “But at least some good’s come of it.”
“Yes,” I smile at her. “You really had my back here.”
“I would always have your back,” she assures me, leaning closer to me. “You mean the world to me, more than I could ever explain in mere words.”
“Lilly,” I gaze into those deep, chocolate-colored eyes. “I know I’ve been sending mixed signals, telling you one thing and expecting another. That’s because I was afraid,” I admit.
“I was also afraid,” she tells me, her voice down to a whisper. “Because of what might happen, because of what we might do to Marley if she finds out or if we don’t– “
“No,” I shake my head, pressing my finger to her soft lips, preventing her from saying anything else. “Those are all just excuses we use when we are afraid. Of course, we can’t make any promises to either ourselves or to Marley, but we can try to keep each other and her happy. That is all we can do, and I’ve come to realize that it’s enough. Just loving someone is enough. Whatever happens as a result of that is something you will deal with when the time comes. In the meantime, just love… nothing else.”
She seems to like what I said. I don’t really know where it all came from, but it felt right.
“I know I haven’t always been the most… outgoing person,” I point out, adding to what I’ve already said.
“You think?” she laughs, and it sounds like the choir of angels themselves. Maybe I got lost in paradise. Maybe I’ve created a small paradise of my own, with Lilly and Marley by my side. I didn’t even know that this was exactly what I’ve been missing in life.
Sometimes, you have no idea what you’re missing, until you either receive it or lose it. Fortunately, I am able to keep what I need, who I need, by my side, and make her a solemn promise that my life will be dedicated to keeping her and Marley happy. Nothing else.
“You’re not usually like this,” she notices, with a satisfied grin. “I have to say I like it.”
“Well, you seem to bring out the best in me,” I reply, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her closer to me. “How about we celebrate my freedom?”
“Your freedom?” she chuckles. “You were never convicted.”
“I was close to it,” I murmur into her neck, kissing her softly, so tenderly that her skin breaks out in goosebumps.
“That’s true,” she whispers back, her eyes closed and her neck arching to the side, giving me more access to it. “What did you have in mind?”
“This…” I blow softly on the place which I just licked.
She chuckles. “What about letting the detectives know?”
“We’ll go tomorrow,” I murmur again, unable to get enough of tasting her with my lips, my tongue. “Besides… I want to go down to the station personally and tell them to their face, those fuckers…”
Once again, she chuckles, and it does something to me. Something naughty.
“Are you sure now is the right moment for this?” she wonders, her entire body surrendering to me.
“We are all alone,” I remind her, placing a kiss between each of those words. Her fingers rake through my hair, keeping me closer. “We have the whole house to ourselves. What better moment than now?”
With those words, my mouth crashes against hers, and she returns with equal passion. Lunch is completely forgotten. I crave for something other than food. I crave for her touch, her soft lips, her gentle moans… her love.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lilly
Hand in hand, we walk into the police station.
To be honest, I don’t know who took whose hand first. Not that it matters. Our fingers laced together instantly, and that is how we walk in. Although no one is paying an attention to us, we don’t care the least bit about that. We stop a nearby officer and tell him that we’re here to see Detective Puttner.
“He should be back shortly,” the officer tells us politely. “You could sit down on that bench over there and wait for him, if you want.”
“Thank you,” Dominic says, and we do exactly as he advises us.