Page 88 of Only Ever You

Faye moved towards the bed which was now theirs, first.

“I’m sorry I threw your phone,” she said, picking it up for him and thumbing the edges like the device was hurt. In truth, Bash didn’t care about the phone at all, and “thrown” was a bit of a stretch.

“It’s just a phone,” he said. “And you tossed it two feet to a bed, not the wall. I don’t think a duvet can do much damage.” Before the thing caused any more trouble, Bash turned it off and put it back on the nightstand to charge.

His body ached in various places as he curled down onto his half of the bed, watching over his shoulder as Faye did the same.

“I’m sorry,” he said tenderly, because he wasn’t sure if he’d said it at all. “I guess that with all of those thoughts of wanting a family in my head, I’d wanted to make the decision about America on my own. Ben’s been on my ass about it since the offer came in, but working for someone else’s company isn’t my thing anymore. That’s another reason not to go.”

One of many he had to stay.

Faye brought her knees up beside her and turned to him, leaning on one palm in a way that tested Bash’s willpower to not let his gaze drop down her neck.

“You’re really not leaving?”

He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. “No, Peanut. I’m not leaving you.”

Finally, she smiled – even if it was a watery one.

“And no more miscommunicating with each other?” One of her eyebrows arched in a look that made Bash think she’d been spending too much time around Saira and his mother. Now he knew why Matt gave in to his wife’s whims so easily.

He pouted in feigned thought. “Does keeping what I got you for Christmas a secret count?”

“That’s acceptable.”

Good. Because if it wasn’t then Faye was really going to spoil his surprise.

She folded down like a croissant curled around herself, and as soon as her head hit her pillow, her eyes closed. “I’m so tired.”

“I know. Come here.” Bash pulled the duvet up over her and then himself.

It might be too intrusive and he’d blame it in the morning on his tiredness, but he lowered himself and gently tucked Faye up against his chest. Her energy felt like it left her in one heavy go as she sighed. Her arm wrapped across his body around his waist and Bash’s heart doubled in size.

“Bash?” Faye mumbled.

“Yeah?”

“For the record, you have a really nice ass.”

So shehadcaught his little slip of the towel earlier when he’d paraded around to level the score.

Bash smiled to himself, and neither of them tried to pull away as they fell asleep.

27

BASH

Their alarm clockwas in the form of a little girl bouncing on their bed, screaming at the top of her lungs that it wasfinallyChristmas. Bash had been sleeping quite peacefully on his stomach before the rude awakening made his body flap like a flag in gale force wind.

Face squished in his pillow as the bed jostled, he peeled an eye open, finding Faye’s face on the other pillow smirking tiredly at him. How long had she been awake? Hopefully longer than Maya had been jumping on their bed.

The idea of procreating sounded less and less pleasant as Maya roared, "It's Christmaaaaas!" Then grabbed the duvet off of them with her one hand and flapped it up.

Bash’s face scrunched at the attack of cooler air wafting like a brick wall into his face. Faye’s hair fanned all over the place and—mon dieu?*, was she laughing?

“Are you sure you want kids?” she asked him.

He grunted a sound that even he didn’t know the meaning of. But if every morning he could wake like this, with a little happy voice and a sleepy-headed Faye beside him, then he’d wish for them with all his might.

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