Page 96 of Rescued
Honestly, I moved out at eighteen, per my mother’s instructions, and I’ve never had another person under the same roof as me since, and especially not during sex.
That alone is gonna be an adjustment.
“Are you regretting this?”
Arlo’s question drags me out of my thoughts, and I glance at him, finding him staring at me in concern.
“Of course not, baby boy.”
Eyeing me warily, he takes my hand and leads me out of the bathroom.
“Are you sure? I know it’s a big change, and I know you didn’t really sign up for this.” Jesus, is that what he thinks? “And I also know that we wouldn’t even be in this position if the house hadn’t burned down, but Idohave the fundraiser money, and I can find something else—”
I cut him off by pressing my mouth to his. He gasps, and I take the opportunity to sweep my tongue past his parted lips.
Breaking away quickly, I rub my nose against his. “I don’t regret you, Arlo. I keep telling you, I’m going to marry you. And Ilove you. And I already love Salem and Nora. I didn’t know it was possible to love someone that quickly. I’m not regretting a single fucking thing. Never. And I want you to use that money to spoil the fuck out of those kids. I want all of you to have anything your hearts desire. And I want to give it all to you.”
Arlo inhales sharply. “Okay. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, baby boy.” I brush my nose along his again. “I know it’s a lot. I know it’s a big change. But we’ll make it through. I have nothing but faith. In us. In the kids. In our little cobbled-together family.”
“You really think so?”
I softly press my lips to Arlo’s. “I know so. Now let’s go put on clothes in case the kids need us and take a nap. I could use it.”
As soon as we’re clothed and in bed, Arlo slides right into his place in my arms. I’m not sure what life is going to bring us now or how things will play out, but it doesn’t even matter. I have Arlo snuggled against my chest, and Salem and Nora tucked away in their rooms, safe and sound.
We’re all together now.
I’maloneinbedwhen I wake up.
Waking up alone after weeks of waking up with Arlo sucks; I can’t lie. But when I roll over to check the time and hear the muffled sounds of Arlo and the kids talking in the living room, a smile spreads across my face.
We didn’t get in bed until around 10:00 a.m., and it’s a little after 2:00 p.m. now, so at least I didn’t sleep the entire day. That would have sucked.
Kicking the blankets off, I climb out of bed, stretching my arms above my head.
I could really use more sleep, but I’m not about to spend the kids’ entire first day in bed.
When I open the door of the bedroom and walk into the kitchen, Arlo’s eyes find mine, and he smiles at me across the room.
On a real level, I’m gonna need to ask him to marry me sooner rather than later. I’m not sure how much patience I have. If I’m being honest with myself, not a lot. I want Arlo to be mine in every conceivable way. And once he’s mine, we can make the kidsours.
Sure, we could do it all beforehand. But something about tying Arlo and the kids to me permanently just… hits me right in the heart. In the best possible way.
When the kids notice me, their rambling dies off. Not that I’m offended. I’m a stranger, and I know that. It’s easy to see how much they’ve missed their big brother, and even though Arlo still looks half exhausted, his eyes are fuckingshiningwith happiness.
“Hey, everyone. Did we all have good naps?”
Salem nods, glancing down at the table.
Nora is much more excited, her blue eyes lighting up at the question. “My bed is super comfy, and I like my blanket. Arlo said I could unpack my clothes later, and tomorrow he’s gonna take me to the store to buy some dolls. I want Barbies. Real Barbies. He said I could get them.”
Arlo nods along while she’s talking, his lips quirked up into a smile.
“That sounds really great. What about you, Salem? Is there anything you want? Maybe a gaming system or something?”
His head shoots up to me, his eyes widening. “What?”
