“Touch me,” she says urgently.
I couldn’t say no, even if I wanted to.
We undress each other, hurried and hungry, but at the same time like we’re revealing something sacred. Our clothes fall away, and our hands roam each other with eager, tender caresses.
“I need you,” she whispers, or maybe the words are mine.
I can feel my heart beating everywhere she touches me. Her own heartbeat flutters in her neck against my lips, through her breast under my fingers, and the tender flesh between her legs trembles when I lave my tongue over it. I gorge myself on her until her body trembles and she’s moaning helplessly, and she suddenly pushes me away.
“I want to come with you. Please, Lex,” she says, gasping.
I rush to pull on a condom—my hands are shaking too, just as much as she was—but finally I manage and then I’m sinking into her. She welcomes me, draws me deep, and I mold my body against hers, wrapping my arms around her, needing every inch of us to be connected. Something inside me cracks, and everything I’ve been holding back for the past ten years comes flooding out.
“Oh God, Corrigan,” I say on a groan. “I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
A sob escapes her, but I can feel her wide grin against my neck as she murmurs, “I love you too, Lex.”
With those words, I’m hers forever. My heart feels as full as the day Grier was born.
Corrigan’s legs tighten around me, and her fingers tangle in my hair. “Ever since you came back, I’ve been telling myself I hated you, but that was bullshit. I was just scared. Scared to trust you, let you back in, and scared to admit how desperately I wanted to.”
“There’s nothing I regret more than leaving you behind. I promise I won’t make that mistake ever again. This time I’ll do right by you and never hurt you again. We’ll be together for real.”
“I know. I can’t wait.” She kisses me, gulping for breath between tears and giggles.
I kiss her back, deep and possessive, and too bursting with relief and elation for words. I’ve won back what I thought I’d lost forever. What I’ve always longed for, but dismissed as an impossible dream. Here, enfolded by Corrigan’s body and heart, time ceases to pass, and I suddenly know with crystal-clear certainty that my first love will be my last.
We move together like we were made for each other—and I’m certain we were. Together we ride the growing waves of ecstasy until they crest and overwhelm us, and we drown together in joy. And when they carry us to the warm, radiant shore and we’re basking in the afterglow, sweat cooling on our skin, I feel like I’m finally home.
She snuggles closer, nuzzling into my chest. I hold her with one hand and stroke her hair with the other, inhaling her scent. We stay like that for a long time until she says, muffled, “So, who wants to break the news to Dak?”
It startles a laugh out of me, and she laughs too, quaking against me, and we crack up together.
Corrigan lifts on one elbow and meets my eyes. “Gimme a couple of days. I’ll figure out how to bring him around to the idea.”
“He’ll get over it,” I say. “We’re all adults now—we can do whatever we want.”
And it feels absolutely true, like something I know deep in my soul—certain and unwavering.
Earlier, I said I wanted to have it all, yet I was still unsure of the details, anxious about just how we’d fit all the moving pieces together. But now, any difficulties seem so far away and easily conquered. Everything is possible so long as Corrigan and I can face it together. I have no worries anymore, only happy anticipation of what the future will bring us.
She rests our foreheads together. “When you talk like that, I can’t help but believe you.”
I sigh, smiling. “The real question is how to tell Mom she was right all along. She’ll never let me hear the end of it.”
“Why am I not surprised to hear Bonnie tried to pair us off?” she says with a chuckle.
We stay entwined for a little while longer, savoring the peace of her bed. But the moment can’t go on forever.
Telling myself we’ll have plenty more to come, I murmur, “I hate to cut this short, but I have to go pick up Grier soon. Do you want to come home with us? We can eat leftover lasagna for dinner, and have a real sleepover this time.”
Corrigan’s mouth lifts in a contented smile I want to see every day for the rest of my life. “I’d love to.”
20
* * *
CORRIGAN
It’s Friday night at the Dane household, and in many ways, things are business as usual. The dishwasher is humming, washing the dinner dishes while I wipe down the counters. Meanwhile, Lex and Grier are settled into their usual spot on the living room carpet, surrounded by her favorite selection of G.I. Joes. The same as every other Friday that’s come and gone this summer.
But there’s one little detail about tonight that’s not so ordinary—tonight, I’m not here as the nanny. I’m here as Lex’s girlfriend, and we have a date planned for this evening. Meaning, unlike every other Friday this summer, there’s a brand-new babysitter sitting on the floor across from Lexington, getting the full rundown on bedtime routines and house rules.
“Are you sure you can handle this?” Lex asks for what has to be the hundredth time. “Do you need me to run through emergency contacts again?”
Dak rolls his eyes, resituating Grier in his lap. “Which part don’t you think I can handle? The part where I’m put solely in charge of a two-year-old, or the part where my best friend is dating my sister?” There’s a smirk on his lips, and I have to suppress my own laugh.
He’s right, though. We snagged the best babysitter in the greater Wilmington area, second only to me, of course. My brother is no professional nanny, but any man who can swiftly handle a crowd of drunks at last call can certainly handle watching a toddler for an hour or two.
“Both, I guess,” Lex says, lifting a shoulder. “But I was referring to Grier.”
“She’ll be fine, honey,” I whisper, stepping carefully through the minefield of G.I. Joes to give Lex’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Besides, these two have a ton in common. They’re both stubborn, and they’re both experts at giving us a hard time.”
“Exactly!” Dak gives us a huge grin. “This babysitting thing is kid stuff. Literally. Play with some G.I. Joes, make sure she gets her teeth brushed. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.”
“Sure,” I say, trying to restrain my sarcasm. “We’ll see if you’re still saying that after your fourth read of Dragons Play Dodgeball.”
At the mention of her favorite story, Grier perks up, her wide eyes flickering with excitement. “Dwagons?”
Lex and I exchange a quick, knowing look and an equally knowing laugh. I think we both could recite that book forward and backward at this point.
“No dragons yet, love bug.” Lex scoops Grier up from Dak’s lap, planting a good-bye kiss on her plump cheek. “It’s not quite bedtime. You’ve got to drive Uncle Dak crazy for another hour first.”
He sets her back down on the carpet, and as if totally understanding the drive Dak crazy suggestion, she immediately grabs Flapflap and lobs him straight at Dak’s head.