Page 107 of Stick With Me
Her lips tug into a small, hesitant smile. “I’m right here. Not thrilled about it, but I’m here.”
Quickly, I press my lips to hers. “I want you to be mine, and I want to be yours. Hell, I’ve been yours since the moment I laid eyes on you six years ago.”
Her mouth falls open, but she stays silent, so I continue, “I know we started this by faking it, but it was never anything other than real for me. I’ve tried to play it cool, though you know I’m terrible at going with the flow. I want more. I want everything with you. Will you be my girlfriend, Sunshine? Because that’s all I want… well, actually, that’s not true. I’d love for you to be my wife one day, but I don’t want to freak you out… which I probably just did. Forget that last part, okay?” I laugh nervously.
She looks up at me with a tiny smirk. “I kind of thought we were already together.”
“Damnit. Fox was right about that, too.” She raises a brow, prompting me to continue, “We are together, for all intents and purposes, but I never officially asked you. And if I don’t, how will we have an anniversary date?”
She bites her cheek. “That’s a good point, we need an anniversary.”
“So, is that a yes?”
She can’t hold in her laugh any longer. “Yes, Ry.” She tips her head up for a kiss, only for our headsets to get in the way. We push them aside, and when our lips finally meet, the tension melts away.
“Thank fuck,” I murmur against her mouth.
Reaching under my seat, I pull out a single rose and hand it to her. She looks at me like I’m a little insane—but the kind of crazy she likes.
I bring my lips back to hers, but this time it’s not gentle. It’s claiming, with teeth and tongue. It makes me regret this date idea even more, aware we’re just feet away from the pilot. I groan, leaving one last kiss on her lips before pulling away.
I still hate Fox, but technically, his plan worked.
Hannah Clarke is my girlfriend.
After landing safely outside of Chicago and driving back into the city, we ditch the fancy dinner plans in favor of burgers at a bar in our neighborhood, followed by a walk around the block with Fred.
Back home, the chaos of the day drains away. Hannah grabs my hand, a playful grin on her face. “Take me to bed, boyfriend. Just to sleep, though,” she adds quickly. “With how high my heart rate was in that deathtrap, I feel like I’ve run a 5k.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “All right, let's go.”
Lying in bed with Hannah resting in my arms feels just as right as I imagined. Nothing has changed, but knowing she's mine now—and will be for the foreseeable future—finally settles something in me.
“Do you think we should have a coming-out party?” I ask, the words slipping out without much thought.
“Excuse me?” Her voice goes high as she looks up at me, wide-eyed.
“You know, like a party to celebrate our new relationship.”
“Was this Dom’s idea?” she asks, already knowing full well who would be behind such a ridiculous idea.
“Maybe,” I admit.
She laughs, burying her head in my chest. “You two, together, are too much and should not be trusted.”
“Is that a no… or…”
“Yeah, that’s a no. People have engagement parties, or maybe a party to celebrate an anniversary… We’ve been officially dating for like two hours.”
“Fair enough. I guess that is a bit much,” I concede, only to have another idea pop into my head. “But what about a housewarming party?”
“You really wanna have a party, don’t you?” she says, her voice dripping with amusement.
“Yeah. But a housewarming would be perfect, because you’re staying, right? It’s always been ours in my mind, but I hope it feels that way to you, too, now.” I hate that emotion sneaks into my voice with the question.
The amusement fades from her expression, replaced by softness. “Yeah, Ry. It does. I’m not going anywhere.”
I squeeze her tighter, pulling her in as she kisses my neck, her lips lingering. “We’ll plan it for the summer, in the offseason, after your rescue’s launch.”
