“And men?”
“Men leave.” I raise my head and look him right in the eyes. “Men leave. I don’t trust that any man is going to stick around for any significant length of time, Rhys. Because they don’t.”
His eyes narrow.
“And you know what? I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
“What?”
“I call bullshit,” he says and walks toward me. Slowly. Menacingly, and yet so fucking sexy I can hardly stand it. He’s tall, his light brown hair is messy from his fingers, and his green eyes are on fire.
I step back, just as slowly.
“You can call bullshit all you want, but it doesn’t make it false. I was fine before you got here, and I’ll be fine after you leave.”
“I’m not leaving.”
I stop and blink rapidly. “What?”
“I never left for good, Gabrielle. I had a charity thing that I totally spaced because I’ve been so wrapped up in you. I told you, you’ve pushed everything else out of focus for me. I had to rush out of here, and it absolutely fucking frustrated the hell out of me that I couldn’t reach you before I left. And then your phone was off, all fucking weekend.”
Oh. So, pregnancy hormones make me a tad bit dramatic.
Fuck.
He keeps advancing on me, and I continue to back away until my back hits the railing on the far end of the porch, and I have nowhere else to go.
Rhys props his hands on either side of me and leans down until he’s nose-to-nose with me. “I’m so fucking in love with you, Gabrielle.”
“You weren’t leaving?” I whisper, still processing the words that just came out of his mouth.
“That’s all you got out of that?” he asks softly, his eyes searching my face. He’s not touching me yet, and I so want him to touch me. “I’m not leaving you. Ever.”
“Say the other part again, please.” My voice is rough with unshed tears.
“I’m in love with you.”
I bite my lip as one tear falls down my cheek.
“Are you going to say anything?” he whispers and catches the tear with his thumb. All I can do is shake my head. He loves me.“Good, because I have more to say.”
He takes my hand in his and leads me to my swing, gestures for me to sit, then sits beside me. “I’ve done a lot of thinking this weekend. Hell, I’ve been thinking since I got here.”
He smiles tenderly and pushes his fingers into my hair behind my neck, then begins to comb it. God, I’ve missed his touch.
“I really hope you want to stay,” I whisper, so softly I can barely hear it myself. Why am I so scared to tell him what I want?
“I think stay is the most beautiful word there is,” he replies and kisses my forehead.
“But I feel so selfish too,” I admit.
He cocks his head to the side. “Why?”
“Because you’d be changing where your home is, just for me. You’d be changing your life.”
“Gabby, home is wherever you and Sam are.”
I blink at him, stunned. Has anyone ever loved us so fiercely? And how did I miss this over the past few weeks?
“What about baseball?”
“What about it?”
“You’ll be gone a lot of the year for it.”
He nods thoughtfully. “Yes, but the majority of the season is in the summer when Sam is out of school. We are fortunate in that we can afford for you to go with me a lot of the time.” He drags his finger down my temple, then hooks my hair behind my ear. “All you have to do is tell me what you want, and it’s yours,” he continues.
“I want—”
“What?”
I shake my head and look away, but he tugs my chin back, so I have to look him in the eyes. “What do you want, baby?”
“I just want you. And I don’t want you to get mad when I tell you this next thing.”
He exhales slowly, still looking me in the eyes. “I’m not going to be mad.”
I nod and take a long, deep breath. This so didn’t go well the first time. I’m scared to hope that it’ll go better this time, so I clench my eyes closed, terrified to look him in the eyes.
“I’m pregnant.”
“Look at me.”
I simply bite my lip.
“Look at me, Gabrielle.”
I comply and feel the breath leave my body. His green eyes are soft. Tender. And if I’m not mistaken, a little misty.
And his voice is so damn soothing.
“Why in the world would that make me angry?”
“This conversation hasn’t gone well for me in the past,” I reply. “It scares me.”
He pulls me into his strong arms, holding me close, and kisses my forehead, then my lips. “No one wants this baby more than me,” he says. “You’re the best mom I’ve ever seen.”
“But it ties you to me forever,” I reply. “And I don’t know if you want that.”
“Well, that leads us to the next thing.” He clears his throat, then smiles widely, almost the way Sam does when he’s giddy. “I’m gonna be a daddy.”
“Yes, you are.”
“So fucking amazing.” He clears his throat again, and then his face sobers. “I love you, Gabby. You’re every hope, every dream I’ve ever had, and I didn’t even know it until I met you. No matter what happens in our life, every day I get to be with you is the greatest day of my life.”
Tears are now rolling unchecked down my cheeks. I can’t take my eyes off of him.