Page 83 of I Wanna Be Your Lager

We finish packing the last of Eve’s stuff, haul everything to my truck, and head home.Ourhome. After we move the last of the boxes into the townhouse, we’re both exhausted. Eve sits up in bed, leaning against the headboard as she reads the book we’ve been reading together out loud. I’m only half listening, though. Something else is on my mind.

I reach over and grab the pen sitting on top of my short stack sketchbook on the nightstand. Grabbing Eve’s hand, I lay it flat on the bed, palm up.

She stops reading and peers down at me. “What are you doing?”

“I got an idea for a sketch.”

“So you’re using me as the canvas?”

“Seems like the perfect spot. Just keep reading.”

I twist my body to shield her eyes from what I’m drawing. She laughs but continues reading the book. I slide the ink pen over her skin, starting with the outside lines. The black ink is a stark contrast against her light skin. I draw small flourishes around the outside and lightly shade on the inside. Every now and then she twitches as the pen tickles her skin. When I’m satisfied, I pull the pen away, dropping it to the comforter.

“Are you finished?” she asks.

“Yeah, I think I am.” I sit up so she can get a full view.

Her gaze drops to her wrist, and she gasps. The book falls from her grasp and lands on the comforter. Tears prick the corner of her eyes. She lifts her wrist to get a closer look at the cursive lines of “I love you” surrounded by sunflowers. Her gaze drifts to meet mine, and her lips part.

“Do you mean it?”

I hate that she even has to ask the question. “With my whole fucking heart. I love you, Sunflower.”

A tear rolls down her cheek, and she wipes it away, making sure not to use her hand with the drawing so it doesn’t smear.

Rising up, I move to sit next to her. “I’ve been gasping for breath my entire life. And you’re the breath I didn’t know I was missing. I love your laughter, your quirkiness, your fierceness, and spontaneity.”

She rests a hand on my cheek. “I love you, Lach. I love your thoughtfulness, your protectiveness, and how sweet you are.”

Leaning in a few inches, I press my lips to hers. It’s soft and gentle and perfect for this moment. She gasps and pulls away. Her fingers splay over her growing baby bump. She freezes, and her eyes widen.

“Is everything okay?” I scan her face and down her body to her belly.

Her head bobs up and down. She grabs my hand and places it on her stomach.

“What are you?—”

“Do you feel that?” she whispers. “It’s not gas this time.”

My gaze drops to my hand. Against my palm, her skin twitches. My mouth drops open. I move down the bed to get closer to her stomach. Holy shit. As fast as it happened, it disappears. “That’s crazy.” I peer up at Eve.

“It is.” She smiles at me and leans against the headboard. “Tell me something real.”

I rub my chin, thinking of the perfect answer. Then it hits me. “Something real…I hate peas.”

“Really?” she whines. “Who hates—” she begins before abruptly stopping and widening her eyes. “Wait! Is that?—”

I roll my head back in laughter. “10 Things I Hate About You. Yes. You gave me Patrick’s name. I had to see for myself who I needed to live up to.”

“I promise there is no comparison between you and Patrick Verona. I’d say I got the better deal.”

I look down at the comforter and pick at an invisible thread. Eve knows me. The real me, but she doesn’t know all of me. I’m terrified if I tell her she’ll not want to be with me. My past is my past, and I prefer it stays there. I peer up at her. “You’re my first actual girlfriend.”

She sits forward, dropping her hands to the bed. “You’ve never had a girlfriend? I figured you had a trail of broken hearts following you around.”

I bark out a laugh. “If I broke their hearts, that was on them. I never got that involved. I never wanted to.” My gaze drifts to hers. Blue eyes meeting hazel. “Until you.” While it’s something real, I don’t know if it’s the real she was looking for. Right now, it’s all I got. It’s always hard handing over one hundred percent of yourself. I’ve never done it. I don’t know if I can. “So what about me? I know I’m not your only, but what about number two or three?”

She laughs and buries her head in her hands. “Is it sad to say, I don’t even know. I dated. A lot. I hated the idea of being alone. Some were more serious than others. But I do know you’re the one who means the most to me.” She leans back, resting against the headboard. “Looking back, I don’t even know if I liked Pax. He was there. It was convenient. I always like the comfort of knowing someone was there. Which always got me in trouble.” She waves a hand over her belly. “This being the most recent. But I wouldn’t change it for anything.” A laugh bursts out of her. “Look at us. You don’t do relationships, and I can’t seem to stay out of them.”

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