Page 21 of Steadfast

“Forever,” he muttered.

I let out a noise halfway between a scoff and a laugh, but his expression didn’t change.

“This isn’t a teenage rom-com,” I joked uncomfortably. “Are you reading from a script?”

“Shut it,” he ordered calmly.

I swallowed thickly.

“You and me,” he said quietly, his hand moving higher. “You know that, right?”

I nodded.

“I’m serious.”

“Okay.”

“Aoife.”

“Richard.”

His hand cupped me over my underwear firmly, and I jolted.

“It’s you and me. Not just long term. I’m talking forever. Buying a house. Having babies—if you want. Getting a fucking dog. All of it.”

“Richie,” I murmured, the lump in my throat so huge that I wasn’t sure I could even speak. “You know I have the kids.”

“So?”

“I can’t leave them.”

His free hand tangled in my hair. “And?”

“Aisling won’t even be an adult for ten more years,” I whispered. I didn’t want to say it out loud. I didn’t want to break the spell. But he was looking at me with all of these plans in his eyes, and I couldn’t let him keep dreaming when I knew that eventually I’d have to bring him back to earth.

Richie leaned down until we were nose to nose, and I couldn’t see anything but him. “So, we bring them with us,” he whispered. “I’ve known since you were sixteen that you were a package deal, E.”

I was trying really hard to keep it together, but as the tight ball of anxiety in my gut unraveled piece by piece, a tear dripped down the side of my face.

“Were you really worried about this?” he asked in disbelief, his thumb wiping away the tear. “Where the hell do you think I’ve been for the last three years?”

My mind was racing. Things couldn’t be this easy. Things wereneverthis easy.

“You want babies?” I asked, blurting out the first thought I could actually grasp.

“If you do,” he replied instantly.

“That’s not what I asked.”

“Aoife, I’d love your babies,” Richie said gently. “But you’ve been raising kids since you were fourteen years old. You wanna be done, I’m good with that.”

“Are you serious?”

He nodded. “In five years, Aisling will only be thirteen. It’s not like we won’t still raise kids together. I just won’t have to wipe anyone’s ass, which isn’t a bad thing.”

“What happens in five years?” I breathed, staring at him. Did he have any idea that he was handing me the only dream I’d ever had, like it was no big deal?

“I put a ring on your finger,” he replied simply.

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