“What?” Stacy asks catching my grin.
“Nothing,” I say. But really . . . it’s everything.
By the time we get back to the penthouse suite, Ryan’s sugar high is a sugar crash. He was barely conscious while Stacy and I got him to brush his teeth and put on his PJs. We finally managed to get him into bed, but as Stacy started to the couch to wait for me to finish tucking Ryan in, he’d begged her to stay and read him a story with me.
Just before dozing off, Ryan had reached up, requesting one last hug from the two of us, and then we escaped out into the living room after closing his door.
Being with Stacy makes everything seem so clear. I never thought I’d want to settle down and have this domestic kind of life, but with her it all feels right. I can imagine rushing home to them after football. I can picture us all together every weekend playing board games in the living room or strolling through the park together. She makes my heart feel whole, patching up the wound left by my sister’s sudden death.
I can see that she helps Ryan as well.
Being with Stacy is like being a whole family again.
“Did you have fun tonight?” I ask as we ease onto the couch.
She curls up against me, one arm draped around my waist, her head on my shoulder. We’re facing Ryan’s room so we can see the door crack open if he needs us. His comfort is still my highest priority.
“Oh, Jake . . . I had the most amazing time.” Stacy sits up suddenly to look me in the eye. “I am so proud of you. I loved seeing you and Ryan together at the event and you handled yourself so well. I knew my friends would love you but you totally swept them off their feet. But most impressive was the way you handled Ryan. You’re like a pro parent!”
I laugh, basking in her praise. Approval means the most when it comes from her. “You mean the dog thing? I was worried I was handling that wrong by saying we could make it a future goal.”
She shakes her head with earnest. “No. That was perfect. I think you two would be great with a dog if you keep continuing as you have been lately.”
“I really thought for a minute I screwed up by promising him something like that. It just kind of spilled out of me. I mean, did you see those eyes of his? They lit up!”
She laughs and nods in agreement. “I definitely saw those eyes and you did great. When you made that decision, you were speaking from the heart. You can’t screw up if you're using that as your compass. It won’t lead you wrong. Not as a parent.”
I bite my lip, my heart suddenly thudding against my ribs. “I'm glad you feel that way, Stacy, because my heart has been guiding me in a certain direction for a while.”
“Oh?” she asks with a quizzical tilt of her head that makes her brown curls tumble over her shoulder.
I nod and brush a stray curl from her cheek. “Being near you just makes me feel so alive. I feel like I can be my best self when you’re close to me. I want to spend as much time as I can with you. Always. Will you stay the night with me, Stacy?”
She sucks in a quiet breath, her eyes rounding.
“Jake . . .” she pauses, averting her eyes, and then shyly looking back at me. “I want that. I really do. But things are going so well between us and with Ryan. I don’t want to mess that up. If I'm here one morning and not the next, Ryan may get confused. How would we explain that to him?”
I edge closer, cupping her chin. “Then be here every morning, Stacy.” I let the words hang between us, desperate for them to sink in. “You don’t ever have to leave. I want this to be your home as much as it’s mine and Ryan’s . . . if that’s what you want, too.”
She gazes at me, then slides her arms around my neck and closes the distance between us. Our lips crash together, gentle at first and then growing in intensity. I feel the same yearning for me that I have for her in the way she kisses me now.
We part only to come up for air. Stacy breathlessly smiles at me before pressing her forehead to mine. We hold one another, memorizing the wonderful feeling of being in each other’s arms.
“Not yet,” she finally says, pressing a kiss against my forehead. “But we can make that our future goal.”
I smirk as she uses my own words against me. I fall back against the couch with a groan, though not before stealing another tender kiss.
She can take as much time as she needs to be ready for our relationship, but I’ve suddenly begun to realize just how I can prove to Stacy that she’s the only girl in the world for me. All I need to do is pull the trigger and get this plan in motion.
Even as I walk her to the door and give her one last kiss goodbye, my veins simmer with excitement. Watching her leave is difficult but hopefully I won’t have to do it for long.
I'm excited, not just at seeing her again, but for the future. I'm more excited than I’ve been in a long, long time.
Chapter 20
Stacy
Ryan’s hand is small but warm in mine as he pulls me in every other direction like an untrained puppy on a leash. I laugh, dragging him back to me so I can fix his Hartbreaker cap.
“He is so adorable, Stacy!” Morgan gushes as we wind our way through the crowd of football fans. She takes Ryan’s other hand and we swing the six-year-old between us until he’s laughing breathlessly.
After a few minutes she shoots a look toward Eric, a sly grin on her beautiful face. “When are we going to make one of these cuties?” she teases.
Eric smirks and grabs her, planting a deep kiss on her lips. “You just say the word, babe. Let’s both hope it gets your looks though.”
Morgan giggles in delight and playfully swats at him.
She and Eric walk on one side of Ryan and me, while Chloe and Donovan amble along nearby. The throngs of people waiting to get into the game are thick and impatient, but we’ve got special passes into the stadium so we’re in no hurry. We take our time inspecting the vendors and merchandise, though Jake has already purchased us all the fan gear we could ever need.
A few weeks have passed since the night of the charity event and things between Jake and me have been going great.
He’s gotten us special tickets for his home games, and though Eric’s band isn’t performing this time around, they’ve already set a date for that later on in the season. Eric is ecstatic! Even though he’s been on tours across the world, playing for his favorite home team is Eric’s dream come true.
I can relate . . . Jake Eckhart is pretty dreamy.
Though I’m still not spending the night at Jake’s place, I’m spending more and more time there.
Ryan, the smart little guy he is, didn't take long to figure out that there were sparks flying between me and his uncle. He eventually asked if we were dating, and Jake and I shared one of those sweet little glances I’d always envied before nodding simultaneously. Ryan had been thrilled. He’d thrown his arms around the both of us and held on tight, saying that he’d been wishing on every star in the night sky for me to join their family.
I bawled like a baby.
Ever since, we’d all been inseparable. I don’t know if it was fate or Ryan’s starlight wishes, but whatever brought us together had been nothing short of magic.