Page 89 of Mother Pucker

I giggle. “Well, I have a feeling there’s still one more good one out there. And I bet he’s going to show up at our doorstep one of these days and whisk you right off your feet.”

Delia snorts. “Right, and pigs will fly and unicorns will dance in our backyard.” She tilts her head toward a forlorn-looking Rowan. “Have you spoken to him yet?”

I shake my head. “I was just about to.”

She nods. “He looks like he needs a hug. I’ll go chat with the kids for a few; you carry on.”

I close the distance between me and Rowan, and he rises to his feet, his shoulders tense.

“Hey.” I reach out to grab his hand. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry you had to–”

“No, don’t apologize, Shay.” He waves a hand, his mouth tightening as if he’s trying to stop a quiver from passing over his lips. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I feel terrible.” He disentangles our hands, running his fingers through his hair. “I’m so sorry I let this happen. I failed you both.”

I take a step closer. “It happens, Row–”

“One moment we were laughing and skating, and the next . . .” He squeezes his eyes shut. “I should have anticipated this could happen. I should have given him more lessons before I took him out onto a public rink–”

“Rowan, listen to me.” I fist the lapels of his coat to get his attention. “You didnothingwrong. You couldn’t have anticipated this, and I am not blaming you for it in the least.”

He finally looks at me, his eyes glistening. “So . . . you’re not ending things with me?”

My mouth opens and shuts as I process his question.Ending things with him?Is that how feeble he thinks my love is for him? Is that what I’ve shown him? That one mistake, one event that wasn’t even his fault, could lead me to leaving him?

God, how shitty that he lives in that kind of fear, and it’s all my fault.

I swallow as tears prick my eyes. I feel like such an asshole for not doing a better job of showing him how much I believe in us. “No, Rowan, I’m not ending things with you. Yes, it’s unfortunate that Kai got hurt, but he’ll get better. And this little incident won’t be what he’ll remember from today. What he’ll remember is how much fun he had hanging out with his best friend Winnie, and his favorite person,” I press a finger into his chest,“you.”

I gaze into his eyes, hoping he sees how much he means to me. “I’m sorry I’ve made it so difficult for you–and everyone in my life–to not be able to have fun with him without all this worry looming over your head. I’m sorry I’ve made you feel like if he got hurt, it would all be on you.”

He cups my cheeks. “Don’t apologize.”

I shake my head. “I need to. Iwantto. You have been the best thing that’s happened to both me and Kai, Rowan. You’ve shown us how to have fun, how not to take life so seriously. In every moment I’ve spent with you, I’ve learned, I’ve laughed, and I’ve lived.Truly lived. And I can’t tell you how grateful I am for you. I was a hot mess only a few months ago–”

“Well, you’re definitely still hot,” he adds, making me laugh.

“I was an emotional wreck after everything Kai and I dealt with over the past few years, smoking to find a reprieve from my thoughts.” I slide my hands over his shoulders. “You changed all of that. You changed my life, Rowan Parker. You helped me finda new version of me, and I have no intentions of going backward, no intention of letting you go.”

He pulls me toward him, his eyes smoldering. “Well, that’s good to know, Doc, because I have no intention of letting you go, either. Though,” a sly grin plays on his lips. “I may have some intentions of tying you up to my bed tonight.”

I giggle, blinking away the mist in my eyes. “You better seal that promise with a kiss, then.”

He bends, skating his lips over mine, and pulling me into a heated kiss, as a succession ofeewsandgrossesis loud-whispered behind us, garnering the lifted brows of some others in the waiting area.

Both Rowan and I turn to see Winnie peeking at us through her fingers and Kai’s nose scrunched in disgust. Delia chuckles next to them, looking from the kids to us.

“Get a room, you guys!” Winnie chides and Kai repeats, though I can tell he’s feigning the revulsion. I know how much he loves this for me–for us.

Rowan chuckles, looking back at me, before placing another kiss on my lips. “Believe me, I intend to do just that.”

“Oh, yeah? How about we send the kids home with Delia? Then, I want to know all about that tying-up thing you were talking about.”

“Sounds like the best plan you’ve ever had, Doc. But fair warning, I’m not sharing you with any of your toys.”

I chuckle. “That’s okay, I like Keanu the best, anyway,” I tease, referring to the name I’ve given his cock.

“Shay, I swear to–”

But he doesn’t get a chance to finish, because my mouth is on his again.

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