Page 56 of Rockstar Baby Daddy

“I’m here for you.”

My knees wobbled at the admission. “Come in. You look dead on your feet. Want some lasagna?”

Gavin took a step inside and then another, invading my personal space with his size, his scent, and his overwhelming presence. “Exactly the words every man longs to hear.” He laughed and took a step back to retrieve a duffel bag from just outside the door.

“You just got to town?”

He nodded, flashed a seductive smile. “You are my first stop, Suzie Q. My only stop, really.”

Dammit, his words flattered me, touched me and made me feel special. “Any reason in particular?”

He shrugged and fell in step beside me. “I’ve been thinking about you nonstop. You’re in my dreams, Suzie.”

The confession shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. Not just his words, but the intensity and the rawness of them. And the look in his eyes. “Yeah?”

Gavin nodded. “Oh, yeah. Want the dirty details?”

Hell yes.My body pulsed with heat, throbbed with need that took a full minute to tamp down. I swallowed and shook my head. “Not while I’m eating.”

“Too bad.” He shrugged and dropped the bag. “Since you’re eating for three, I guess I’ll let you eat before we get into all the details.” He dropped down on the sofa and crossed his legs at the ankles.

“How generous—but not as generous as I am for sharing my delicious lasagna with you.” I nodded toward the kitchen and Gavin was on his feet in a flash.

“Okay, fine. You are more generous than I am.” He laughed and it echoed in the kitchen. “I’ve really missed you, Suzie Q.”

I couldn’t help the smile that tugged up the corners of my lips, or the warmth that stole over me at the sincerity in his voice. “You said that already.”

Gavin strolled back in the room with the casserole dish on an oven pad and a smile. “Because that’s how much I missed you. I took the jet, leaving my band stranded for the night because I couldn’t wait to see you again. Is that all right?”

I nodded, feeling myself becoming emotional, only this time I couldn’t blame the pregnancy hormones. It was all Gavin and his words. It was the man, not the rock star.

“Gavin.” His name came out on a whisper, thick with emotion.

“I’m done, Suzie.”

Of course. He’d already found someone else.

“I’m done playing games. I can’t stop thinking about you. I love you and I want to be with you, for real.” He turned to me and set the casserole dish down. “I’m in love with you, Suzie. For the first time in my life, I am in love with a woman, and I don’t know how she feels. And you know what? It’s scary as hell. But the thing is, I’ve sat on it, because I wanted to be sure. Because the last thing I ever want to do is cause you harm, but Iamsure, and I’m here now. For you. I want to be your man, your best friend, your lover, and your partner in crime on occasion. I want to rub your back in the delivery room and look over your shoulder while you breastfeed our children. I want it all, Suzie.”

“Gavin.” I choked on his name through my tears. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “I’ve never been in love before, never even thought I could be in love with a woman. Not until you, the girl with the glasses.” He smiled and chuckled at my checkerboard frames. “You make me want to be better as a human being. Smarter and funnier. Wittier. You make me laugh and you force me to look at things from a different perspective.” Gavin reached out to me and traced a line down my jaw. “You have completely changed my life, Suzie.”

Never been in love before.That was a stunning admission from a man who’d been seen in the company of starlets, royals, and CEOs. Suddenly, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I didn’t want to hold back.

I scooted to the edge of my seat and cupped his jaw in my hands. “You’ve changed my life, too, Gavin. More than once. You saved my life before I ever met you in the flesh. Then again when you helped me discover that I was more than smart and capable Suzie. You helped me discover the woman I was meant to be.”

I pressed my forehead to his and sighed because I didn’t know how to do this, how to bare my soul to one of the most famous men on the planet. But I wanted this man, this chance. Right here and now.

“You gave me the family I longed to have, Gavin. You gave me back myself, and now I’m giving you my heart. I love you, too. With everything I am, everything I have to give, I love you.”

“Suzie,” he growled and leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine.

It was like we were kissing for the first time. His lips felt new, his tongue against mine was like undiscovered territory, new and exciting. A revelation.

I leaned into his kiss, accepted the love he poured into me and gave it back ten-fold because I knew, deep in my heart, that this was what it was supposed to be. Love. It was supposed to be exciting and all-encompassing. It was meant to make your heart feel so full you thought it might burst. But I knew it wouldn’t, because it was in the very strong, incredibly capable hands of one Gavin Ross.

He pulled back with a slow smile that heated me from head to toe. “I have something for you.”

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