“I love you too, Kitten.” I kissed the edge of his jaw. “Open your eyes.”
His lashes twitched, and it took several deep breaths but eventually, his eyes opened.
Christ.
My heart slammed against my ribcage, andI swore, I was seeing him for the first time all over again.
“I am so unbelievably, irrevocably, andmadlyin love with you, sweetheart.” I cupped his face, my palms slipping against his tears. “Thank fuck your heart knew the truth, and thank fuck, it waited so patiently for mine to catch up. You changed my life, Kitten, and half the time when I look at you, I don’t know if I’m speechless or if what I feel for you is just so goddamn profound words can’t touch it.”
“Daddy—”
“Hush.” I tapped his lips. “My husband got married without me, and now I’m saying my vows.”
He smiled, andfuck, it was glorious.
It flickered across his face like a ray of sun, doing what it’s always done and illuminating the darkest corners of my soul.
“There are only two things I care about. You and us. Nothing else even comes close. You are as necessary as air, inhabiting me in a way you likely don’t even notice, and eighty years from now, when our hearts stop beating and we leave this life, I promise you, Silas, I’ll find you in the next one.”
Our foreheads met, I felt his tears slipping down the bridge of my nose. His lips parted, and they moved against mine when he whispered, “you can kiss the bride now, Daddy.”
An adorable sound tunneled up his throat, and I caught it with my lips, tasting his happiness on my tongue.
His kiss was a pocket of light amongst his darkness, and he offered it to me the same way he did everything else: wholly, painfully, and with everything he had.
“I have to tell you one more thing, Daddy, and then I’m going to take my pants off so we can have wedding-night sex.”
“Sweetheart, as much as I’d love that, that door doesn’t look like it has a lock.”
“I could put a chair in front of it.” His pupils were melting, and when he stared at me like that, like I held stars in my hands and the world on my shoulders, I couldn’t help but give him everything he asked for.
“Alright, Kitten, but you'll have to be quiet, yeah?” I slipped my thumb over the seam of his lips. “You can suck on this or my nipple. Which do you choose?”
“Nipple, please, Daddy.”
“Such a sweet mouth.” I leaned forward and kissed it. “Wasn’t there one more thing you needed to tell me?”
“Right, yes.” He grinned. “I changed my last name to Kingston.”
Fucking. Christ.
The merethoughtof him carrying around my name made me feral.
I knew my boy would wear those letters like a brand across his heart, tearing his skin open every chance he got, showing anyone who asked.
“Is that okay, Daddy?”
“That’s perfect, baby.Fuck.”
The obsession I felt for my husband was painful at that moment, squeezing my chest in warning, almost as if to saydo not let him go.
“I want a ring on your finger.” I demanded.
“Will you wear one too? I want to pick out. Okay, Ialreadypicked it out but I haven't ordered it yet, I swear.”
I laughed. “Of course you can, baby, but I’m going to pick yours out.”
I was going to pick something flashy as fuck, a goddamn neon sign on his finger that screamedI belong to Daddy.