Page 120 of Keep Me

“I really liked your mom and brother,” Matty said.

“Really? Didn’t Sam give you a grilling?”

“No, not really.” His words were soft, and I turned to him with a raised brow.

“You sure about that? I know Sam, he’s not exactly a shrinking violet.”

Matty chuckled. “He had a few questions, but nothing too hard to answer.”

“So he didn’t give you a grilling?” He shook his head. “My mom did.”

That confession alone made Matty’s green eyes twinkle. “Oh, yeah? What’d she ask?”

When my dorm room was in sight, I wrapped my arm around his waist and leaned my head against his chest. “Oh you know, normal things. When did I find out you liked me. How long had we been dating. Was it serious. You know, all the usual things a mom would ask.”

“And what did you tell her?” He might’ve thought he was good at hiding the crack in his voice, but I could hear it.

I shrugged. “I told her the truth. You’d been my best friend since I arrived here, I found out you liked me at Reign’s wedding and we’d become more than friends since then.”

“More than friends?” he huffed out a laugh as I unlocked myself from him to open my door. “I guess that’s one way to describe it. My wife would be better though.”

The door opened and I stared at the dark living room.

My wife.

There it was again. I was so close to telling my mom the truth, the only thing holding me back was the fact Sam was there. He hates surprises on a good day, and he’d been a grouchy asshole since he hurt his wrist. The only way I’d be able to tell him without a table being thrown would be with Max and Bryce present. They worked better as a team and would be able to calm the situation.

Before I could switch the light on, Matty pinned me against the door and kissed me, soft, yet demanding. “I’m still allowed to do this right?” he asked against my mouth.

I tipped on my toes, chasing his touch, and before he could back away completely, I cupped his jaw. “Yes,” I breathed.

“Thank, fuck. I’ve been thinking about kissing you since I kicked that field goal.”

His hands gripped my side, slinking around my waist as he pulled me flush against him. He tilted his head as his lips pressed against mine again. A shallow, soft kiss, full of future promises I couldn’t wait to live out.

I flicked the light on just as our kiss ended, thankful Lydia wasn’t home tonight. It was just us and it was time we finally talked about what that meant.

“Why don’t you have a seat?” I gestured to the couch as I took my jacket off and draped it over the kitchen counter. “Thank you for coming tonight,” I said, sitting next to Matty as he draped his arm around the back of the sofa. It was a long time coming for us to feel comfortable enough to sit in the quiet enjoying just being in each other’s company. Two weeks ago, he left me, determined to prove he was enough for me, but he didn’t need to do that. Tonight proved that. He was enough for me the day he tapped his marshmallow into mine, and he was enough for me now. “Sorry about my mom and her photos. I know she can be a lot.”

He chuckled, kissing my forehead as I leaned my head against his shoulder. “I like her. That Nick guy, though, not so much.”

“Nick?” My brows furrowed and it took me a minute to realize who he was referring to. “Oh, you mean the guy who took me to prom?”

“Mm-hm.”

I waved him off. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. He had some secret girlfriend overseas and only asked to take me to prom because no one else did.”

Getting more comfortable, I slipped my shoes off and leaned into Matty’s chest, resting my hand on his stomach. In this position, I could hear his heart beating, and I’d never felt more alive, knowing it was beating for me.

“You’re kidding, right?” He absentmindedly toyed with my hair.

“No. I technically wasn’t asked to prom. Guys didn’t like that I played football, and some hated that I played better than them. The ones on the team didn’t care, but we were all friends, so dating any of them felt weird, and frankly a little incestuous.”

“I don’t think that was your issue, Wifey.” I tipped my chin and looked up at him with curiosity. “I think it has more to do with your three mildly threatening athlete brothers. But I’m glad the guys at your school weren’t smart enough to take a chance on you, because it means I get to be the one to show you how incredible you are now.”

With that, he captured my lips, kissing me in this messy, frantic way. All his restraint gone. We’d waited long enough to be together, and I needed it. I needed him, and slowly, I melted into him, falling back onto the sofa and taking him down with me. His hand traveled down my body, slipping under the fabric of my jersey before resting on my stomach.

The coldness of his hand forced me to take in a sharp breath, and Matty swallowed, watching the reaction on my face. Even though he was on top of me, it didn’t feel like enough. There was a deep, needy throb aching between my legs at the merethought that we were finally going to cement our relationship, our marriage tonight. His hand traveled higher until it rested on my ribcage.

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