Ready or Not (Ready #4)(63)

She giggled, pulling my face toward hers.

God, I loved her.

Since the night, so many weeks ago that I had put everything on the line and fought to keep her, fought to stay in her life, I’d watched her blossom into the woman I knew I couldn’t live without.

It wasn’t that she’d changed really. By revealing her feelings for me, she was finally able to relax and be completely herself around me without any more walls or hesitation.

It was just her, me, and whatever came next.

“He’s still your kid, Jackson, regardless of what school he’s starting. So, let’s put on our brave faces and go see how our little middle-schooler is fairing the eve before his big day.”

“Yeah, okay,” I grumbled.

She pulled me off the couch, and we climbed up the stairs to Noah’s room. I gently knocked on the open door, giving him a heads-up of our arrival, and found him shoving a few pencils into his backpack.

“Almost ready?” I asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” he answered quietly.

Liv took a seat on the bed next to him. “Did I ever tell you about my first day of middle school?” she asked.

He shook his head, placing the backpack on the floor beside his feet.

“My dad was up for re-election for state senate, and there was talk of him running for the US Senator seat. My parents decided it was no longer safe for me to continue attending the public school where I’d been going.”

“You went to a private school, too?”

“I did,” she answered. “Not the same one as you but very similar.”

“Was it horrible—your first day?” he asked hesitantly.

“I thought it would be. I begged my mother to reconsider. I even told her I’d be okay with a bodyguard if she’d just let me go back to the public school. For the record, we were not cool enough to have bodyguards. I was just being melodramatic.”

“Girls are like that,” he added.

“Tell me about it.” I laughed.

I got the evil eye for that remark, but she threw a wink in my direction as well.

“When I arrived, I got snide looks, and people were shy to come up to me. I was new and mysterious, and of course, I was the Senator’s daughter. Eventually, as the day went on, people started to warm up to me, and I began to find my niche.”

“I hope I can,” he said quietly.

“You will. Just take it one day at a time. Besides, you always have Fridays to fall back on.”

Both Noah and I looked at her in confusion.

“Dress-down days! Come on, do you guys not remember all those dope clothes we got you? When you’re finally able to bust out of that uniform at the end of the week, those kids will be hanging on your every word. And you’ll be thanking me because of it!”

“Ah, yes, because that’s exactly how to make friends.” I chuckled.

“Hey, whatever works. They’re eleven.” She shrugged.

We said good night, and I took one last look at my little boy before walking toward the door. Liv and I stepped over the threshold.

“Liv?” Noah said.

“Yeah?” she answered, swiveling back around.

“Do you think…you could maybe—”

“I’ll be here in the morning. Don’t worry.” She smiled, reaching out for my hand.

“Thanks,” he answered, a touch of obvious relief coming out in his slow exhale.

I followed her as she moved toward the stairs, our hands still tightly joined together. As she took the first step, I stopped. She turned around, grinning, and met my gaze.

“Stay,” I said.

“Are you sure?” She looked over at Noah’s room with unease.

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” I reminded her.

“Yes, but that was before—”

“Before what, Liv?”

“Before the sex,” she said, whispering the last word so softly that it was barely audible.

I pulled her hand to my lips and slowly kissed each of her knuckles with care.

“Stay,” I said again.

“Okay,” she relented.

She trailed behind me as I led us to the bedroom. It wasn’t late, but if she was going to sleep in my bed, I would take advantage of that situation right away.

Letting the door click in place behind us, she looked around and grinned. “You know your son is still very much awake down the hall, right?”

“I’m aware,” I said, walking toward her.

“And you know these old houses have super thin walls, right?”

“Yep.” My hands slipped around her waist, and I picked her up.

Like clockwork, her slender legs wrapped around my torso, and I felt her melt into me.

“What are we doing?” she whispered in my ear.

“We’re going to read a book,” I said in my most seductive voice possible.

Her head lifted, and her eyes met mine. “Come again?”

“Oh, I plan to, but give me an hour or so.” I grinned. “For now, I wanted to show you one of the many perks of a relationship.”

Over the last week or so, I’d been doing this quite frequently, constantly reminding her of the joys and certain extras one received when committed to another. Last week, I’d dropped off lunch for her at her office. Her secretary had been out for the day, so we’d also locked the door, and I’d shown her how much fun a desk could really be. On Monday, when she hadn’t felt well and refused to go to a quack doctor, Noah and I had spent the evening taking care of her even though she wouldn’t touch half the stuff I recommended. Instead, she’d stunk up the house with some crazy scented oils.