“No need. This is your home now. Your friend can stay as long as she wants.”
“And your friend?”
“I’ll kick him out if he makes you or Dillon uncomfortable,” he promises.
“I don’t want to make you choose between Jensen and me. I know how important he is to you.”
“You’re more important. You’re my family, my everything. And since Dillon is your family, that means she’s mine, too.”
“Thank you.”
“Anything for you, Mabel. Anything.”
“There’s something I have to tell you,” I say, stepping toward him.
“Are you okay? Your head?”
I smile. “It’s fine. It’s not about my head. It’s about my heart.”
His eyes drop to my chest.
“I love you, Miles. My mate.”
“Fuck, Mabel. I love you, too. So much. More than anything. More than I even thought was possible.”
I smile, and he leans down, pressing his lips to mine.
The world fades.
His mouth is warm and familiar, but this kiss—it’s something new. Something deeper. Something that wraps around my heart and squeezes until I can’t tell where he ends and I begin. He cups my cheek, thumb brushing over my skin like he’s memorizing my shape all over again.
I slide my hands up his chest, gripping his shirt, needing to anchor myself to him as he kisses me like I’m the only thing that matters. Like this moment is everything.
He groans softly, the sound vibrating against my lips, and I melt into him, opening for him as his tongue sweeps against mine—slow and sure and claiming.
It’s not frantic. It’s not rushed.
It’s reverent.
Like he’s worshipping me with every brush of his lips, every breath between us.
When we finally pull apart, I’m breathless, heart pounding, eyes locked on his like he’s gravity and I’m still falling.
And maybe I am.
Maybe I’ll always be falling for him.
“Now we just need our friends to figure out their shit,” he murmurs.
I laugh. “Yeah. They might need some help with that.”
“Maybe a little,” I agree as we return to the third floor.
“It’ll work out,” he promises.
I have a feeling it will, too. This is the new plan. But I’m not about to tell Dillon that. I just hope she agrees to it, too.
TWELVE