“I don’t want to go through any of this alone. I want you in my life, Bishop.”
I closed my eyes and swayed, her words so powerful that I couldn’t have stopped myself.
We stared at each other for a few moments, and I could see from her expression she was trying to hold in her emotions. I wanted to let her know that she didn't have to be strong all the time, that she could break down in front of me if she wanted. I wanted Korrie to know I could be strong for both of us if need be.
“I love you too,” she whispered.
I felt my body jerk from her words.
“But do you want this with me… all my chaos?” she asked.
I couldn't help but give her a small smile.
“Say something, Bishop.”
I realized I hadn’t responded, and I leaned in to kiss her, to show her without words that I’d never wanted anything else in this world more than to be the man by her side.
“I only want one thing, one thing,” I murmured against her lips. “And that’s you. Any way you’ll have me, I’m not leaving.” I pulled back and brushed a fallen tear that slipped down her cheek. “Don’t cry, baby. If you’re up against the world, if you're dealing with chocolate cravings, hell, if you need me to go out and buy you supplies for that time of the month, I want to be that man.”
She smiled, then laughed softly. There’s my girl. That’s the reaction I was going for.
“So don’t ever question that you are not what I want in this life. I want to be there for not only you, but to be there to help with your dad. You’re my family now, whether you fully understand what that means or not, and I’m in for the long haul.” I kissed her softly again. “And I’ve never looked forward to anything more.”
I couldn’t stop myself from running my thumb over her cheek, moving it down and following the path of her jawline, then moving the pad along her bottom lip. She parted her lips for me, her breath leaving her softly.
“I love you.” Maybe those words were spoken far too soon for where Korrie and I were at. But it’s how I felt, and I didn't want to hold it in. I couldn’t. I didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought about how “fast” this was. “I fell in love with you the moment I saw you standing in Lyrics for that job interview.” And the longer she stared up at me, the more I felt like I’d once again put my foot in my mouth. I smoothed her thick black curls away from her face, feeling pure happiness settle deep within me.
“I think that's when I fell in love with you too.”
And just like that, the sound of her voice and her words made my body feel calm and centered.
“It’s you and me, Korrie. Together. Forever. And God, I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
“No,” she said and rested her head on my chest. “We’re both lucky, because we have each other.”
So fucking true, baby.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but not having you in my life isn’t even an option.”
And it wasn’t. She was mine as much as I was hers now. Forever.
18
Korrie
Several months later
“Pyper, you know where Bishop went?” I called out to where she was behind the bar.
“Ran in the back real quick.” She came over and handed me the Bloody Mary, gin and tonic, and vodka twist. I set them on my tray and went to the table to deposit them. I wove my way through the bar, cleaning up, taking orders, and went back to the bar.
Over the last few months, a lot of things had changed. Some for the better, some that were just part of struggling through life.
Things hadn’t been the best all the time, not with my father recovering, not with the crazy hours of work and the bills we still had, but overall, things were better than they had been. And I knew it was because I had Bishop in my corner.
“Hey there,” came a deep voice from beside me as I waited for Pyper to make my new batch of drinks.
I glanced to my left and gave a polite smile but promptly faced forward.
“Can I buy you a drink?” His voice was thick and slurred, and I looked at him again.
“No thank you.” I focused ahead again. It wasn’t unusual to have drunk men hitting on me at Lyrics, not that I was tooting my own horn, but for some reason they thought a female at a bar was free game. What they didn’t know was I had tough skin and had experienced enough unwanted attention in my life that I paid no mind to people like him.
The guy stared at me with glossy eyes, the smell of the scotch he’d been drinking surrounding him. But he wasn’t a young asshole who thought he was God’s gift to women, at least not the inexperienced, cocky kind. It was clear whatever tactic he was using right now had gotten him enough positive results that he kept pushing.
“Come on. Let me buy you a drink.” He reached out to touch my hand, but I moved out of the way just as I felt someone step up behind me.
“Pretty sure the lady isn’t interested. So for your well-being, might I suggest fucking off.”
It wasn’t phrased like a question, and I couldn’t help but feel that ever-present warmth bloom in me at the sound of Bishop’s baritone voice.
When the guy took the not so subtle hint and left, that's when I turned around and faced Bishop. I craned my head back to look into his face, a very feminine sigh leaving me at all the male perfection standing before me.
“Hey,” he said in an already aroused voice.
“Hey back.”
He took a step closer, not touching me but definitely caging me in. Then he glanced at where the guy had moved off to—thankfully the other end of the bar, but for how territorial and possessive Bishop was over me, the drunk should have just left. Bishop ground his jaw, the aggression toward the guy pretty loud and clear.
“Hey,” I said softly and reached up to cup his cheek. He glanced at me, and all that male-fueled hostility left as his expression softened. “Let’s not worry about him or anyone else.”
“Oh yeah?” He took another step closer, not even caring about me being his employee and showing some serious PDA in the next couple of seconds. “And why’s that? Seems like I should put his ass in its place for not taking the hint when a woman says she’s not interested.”
I couldn't help the little smile of appreciation that covered my lips. “You shouldn't worry about him or anyone else because you’re the one I love. You’re the one I’ll always be with.”
He growled low and placed his hands on the bar on either side of my arms, fully caging me in then, leaning his massive upper body forward and running the tip of his nose along the side of my neck. It took everything in me not to sigh and just let him have his way with me right here—screw who watched.
“Good. Because I would have gone all gladiator on his ass to prove the point that you're mine.” Bishop wrapped his hand around my waist, pulled me toward his tall, muscular body, and used his other hand to cup the back of my head.
And everything else faded away. The sound of the bar, the fact that there were bodies packed all around us… that we were in public.
Nothing else mattered but letting this man do whatever he wanted to me.