Page 10 of You Are My Every Reason

I nod. “The soup was wonderful. Thank you. The cake too.” Her face lights up at my compliments.

“Good, and no need to thank me. I love cooking.”

“And me,” West adds.

“I suppose,” she teases him. I tense when he smacks her ass, but Teddy only laughs.

“Are you okay, dollface?” Rich whispers into my ear.

“Yes.” It's nice to watch all of them interact. This is so different from my home. I have never experienced anything like this. It's surreal and dreamlike. I wonder if they know how special this all is. That most people would do anything to share what all of them do.

It’s not long before everyone is sitting around a dining room table together. Teddy’s mom, Eden, ends up joining us with Jack. With how he touches her, I think they might be together, but I don’t want to ask.

Rich pulls my chair into him and turns to sit sideways, my chair between his thighs. “You eat too,” I whisper to him.

“Yes, ma’am.” He takes a bite of his food. I do the same. I clear my plate faster than I should. “You want more, babe?” Rich asks.

“No.” I shake my head. I’m stuffed at this point, but I don’t want this to end. I’m not even participating in the conversation, but it’s so nice to just listen. I especially love how Teddy and Willa interact.

They may not be related, but you would without a doubt think they were sisters. They share a closeness with each other that I’ve never known. It’s refreshing, and it makes me long to have those types of relationships. I find myself leaning into Rich, my eyes growing heavy.

They flutter open when I feel my body moving. Rich is lifting me into his arms. Without a second thought, I wrap mine around his neck, resting my head on his chest like it’s the most natural thing for us.

“Time to go back to bed.” I only nod.

When Rich puts me down on the bed, I’m disappointed. I don’t want to let him go, but I release my arms from around his neck, knowing I can’t cling to the man. “I’m going to shower and then get some sleep too,” he tells me.

“Okay.” I cuddle down into the bed and watch him go to his closet and come out with clothes before disappearing into the bathroom.

Where will he sleep? I’m in his bed. The thing is massive, so we could easily share it.

I want to share it. I think I’d sleep better next to him. He was so good with me when I woke up from my nightmare. I only hope he’s on the same page as me when it comes to the sleeping arrangements.

“You’re still awake,” Rich says when he steps out of the bathroom. His hair is wet, but my eyes go straight to his bare chest.

Holy crap. He looks like a work of art. As though his body was hand sculpted by Michelangelo himself. My eyes eat up every detail, loving every inch of him I take in. I’m disappointed when I get to the towel that’s wrapped around his waist, covering the rest of him.

“Ahem.” Rich clears his throat, breaking me out of my lust-filled daze. My cheeks immediately pinken with embarrassment.

I try to remember what it was he was saying so I can answer him, but I’m too frazzled. I close my eyes, hoping the floor will open and swallow me. I wait a few seconds and peek one eye open. I’m greeted with not only that perfect body of his but now he’s wearing a sexy as hell smirk.

“What?”

His lips curl in a knowing smile. “You’re still awake.”

“Oh.” Right, that’s what he said.

“I forgot my boxers. Give me a second.” He slips back into his closet. When he comes back out, he’s in sweatpants, his chest still bare.

“Are you sleeping in the bed?” I blurt out my question.

“Do you want me to sleep in the bed?” I nod my head, thankful that’s all I need to do. I was sure we’d get into a back and forth about how he’d take the couch. I would pretend that I would, but he made it simple for me. “Good.” Rich walks over to the side of the bed, leaning down, he kisses the top of my head.

The gesture is so sweet. Then he goes around to the other side, slipping under the blanket. “I left the closet light on,” he tells me when he flips off the lights in the room. It illuminates part of the bedroom so that you can still see.

“Thank you.” I wiggle back down into the bed, rolling to face him. Rich doesn’t do the same.

“Night, dollface.”

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