Page 86 of Love Is Ale You Need

“I love you, Rylee and I’m ready to take this next step in our lives. I’ve loved you since that night at Porter’s and then I loved you more every time you turned me down. But I loved you the hardest when you told me we were having a baby. And I will love you every single day from here on out.”

Tears prick my eyes. “I can’t compete with that speech.” I reach up and cup his cheek. The short stubble tickles my fingertips as I haul him down to me, pressing my lips to his. It’s soft and gentle and I pray he doesn’t hate me for what I’m about to say. “I care about you. A lot. So don’t take my lack of saying those three words to mean otherwise, but I just can’t. Not right now.”

A hint of disappointment flashes over his face, but he quickly recovers, giving me a half-smile. “I understand. Are we still doing the exclusive friends thing?”

“It’s better that way.”

“Maybe friends who live together?”

“How about one thing at a time? This baby being the first one.”

“Okay. Baby steps.” A smile flirts on his lips. “Get it. Baby. Steps.” He rests his large palm on my belly.

I shake my head but can’t help but share in his playfulness with a smile of my own.

“I can wait. You’re worth waiting for.” He presses his lips to mine. “Honestly, I’m glad you turned me down so many times.”

I peer up at him, head tilted. “Why’s that?”

“It made me work for it and then it made the reward that much sweeter. Not to say you’re a trophy to be won.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I’m fucking this up, aren’t I?”

I cup his cheek, forcing his gaze to meet mine. “Not at all.”

Love and adoration shine behind his steely gray irises. “Not to sound like an asshole, but if you didn’t keep your distance, it would have been a one and done situation. That’s what I always did. You gave me a challenge. It made me a better man. You make me a better man.”

A tear rolls down my cheek and he wipes it away with his thumb.

“Shit. I didn’t want to make you cry.”

I laugh through my blurry vision. “Happy tears.” It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell this amazing man that I love him. The words are right there, but I can’t spit them out. Three words. It shouldn’t be this hard. All I can do is pray that he’ll be patient enough to wait until I’m ready.

I caress his cheek. “You’re an amazing man, Trey Alexander Wilson. And you’re going to make an even more amazing father. You’re my favorite.” I rise and press my lips to his in a soft, lingering kiss, hoping he feels everything that I want to tell him but can’t.

He pulls away. Lips centimeters away from mine. “Is that your version of the three word phrase?”

I contemplate his words. It is three words and to me the meaning is the same. A smile flirts on my lips. “I guess it is.”

“I can live with that.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “What do you say, want to go to bed?”

I nod. Trey stands and holds out his hand to help me to my feet. While I push the sliding door open, he collects the blankets. Once inside, he deposits them on the couch. I climb the stairs to the loft and Trey’s right behind me. As I change into my pajamas, I notice Trey stripping out of his. I can’t help but drool over the way his muscles move and flex as he removes his shirt. After brushing my teeth and splashing some cold water on my face, I fold the corner of the blanket down and crawl under the covers. Shortly after, Trey joins me and turns off the lamp. He rolls away from me and wiggles his butt against my hip. I roll my eyes but can’t help but laugh. That’s my cue. I throw my arm over his waist and snuggle into his back.

* * *

The next morning, I wake up to Trey snuggling me, his semi-hard cock poking me in the ass. This is what always happens. Sometime during the night, we swap positions. He stirs awake and nuzzles my neck with his nose.

“This is my favorite part of the day. Waking up next to you. Especially lazy mornings like this.” His hand runs over the swell of my belly. “I figured out why we are meant to be together.”

I wiggle my ass against his cock, and he groans. “Do tell.”

“My favorite beer is a Rye IPA. Your name is Rylee or Rye. Two of my favorite things.”

“That’s very serendipitous.”

His hand skates down to the apex of my thighs and my breath hitches. “You know what else is serendipitous? How wet I bet you are right now.”

“That’s not how it works.”

“It will be a happy discovery.” His fingers slip under the elastic waistband of my sleep shorts. “Bend your knee,” he whispers against the shell of my ear. When I do as I’m told, the pad of his finger runs along my slit.

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