Page 95 of Anything for You
“Ugh, gross. Can you guys kiss later? I’m starving!”
We break apart, both of us laughing.
“I’ll show you gross, Little Red.”
I scoop her up and smack kisses all over her cheek until she’s shrieking with glee, then put her down and walk over to the coffee table, handing plates to Emma and Maddy.
“Let’s get down to business. It’s time to go to Hogwarts.”
I wink at Maddy, and she giggles, going straight for the guacamole. Emma picks out her chicken tacos with intense concentration, and it’s comforting to know both of them well enough to predict their choices.
It feels like home.
It feels like family.
It’s everything I ever wanted, and everything I never thought I could have.
It’s right here in front of me, and all I want to do is keep it.
So, with a plate full of tacos and flanked by my red-haired girls, we settle into the pillow fort for movie night.
And it’s perfect.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Emma
“She’s out,” I whisper as the credits roll.
I lean across Jeremy with an arm around his chest and look down at Maddy. She’s sprawled out in a nest of blankets and pillows, one arm around her beloved stuffed dog and the other hand clutching a magic wand that Jeremy brought over so she could “practice her spells” while we watched the movie. Apparently, he bought it weeks ago after the first night they readHarry Pottertogether and has been saving it for the movie. When he told me that, my heart jumped out of my body and landed right at his feet.
All the single mom romances I’ve read suddenly make so much sense to me. Not that I’m a single mom exactly, but there is something mind-bendingly hot and also deeply soul settling about a man who loves the child you love.
Jeremy covers my hand with his and smiles down at Maddy, brushing her hair off her forehead in a gesture that has emotion clogging my throat.
“The sugar crash got her,” he says, sheepishly, as he looks around at the movie night detritus. Scattered popcorn kernels, wrappers from four different M&M’s flavors, and the remnantsof ice cream sundaes topped with different cereals litter the living room floor. I loved this night. Being with my favorite people, the fact that Jeremy remembered the story I told him about making blanket forts with my parents and recreated it for me, the care that he put into making this a special night for the three of us. The promise of more nights like this.
My mind replays his words from earlier over and over again.
Anything for you
Anything for both of you.
The two of you are my world.
He is my world too. Both of them. I want to love them and make them a home and keep them forever with a ferocity that I have never felt before—about anything.
Jeremy turns over on his side to face me, leaning on his elbow. Wrapping his other hand around my neck, he brings his mouth to mine, kissing me deeply, stroking his tongue against mine until my head spins from the taste of him and his scent surrounding me. When we break apart, he keeps our faces close, eyes locked, then brings his lips to my forehead, lingering there.
“I’ll carry her up to bed,” he whispers.
“Stay tonight?” I ask, my insides a tangle of emotion and need.
He leans in and kisses me again, smiling against my lips. “You couldn’t make me leave, Ems. I only want to be where you are. Both of you.”
I close my eyes for a second, letting Jeremy’s words wash over me, recognizing how far he has come now that he can give me his thoughts and trust me to treat them gently. With one final kiss, we break apart and he picks up Maddy, resting her head on his shoulder while he carries her up the stairs.
While he gets her settled, I clean up the worst of the mess. I’m at the sink washing out the ice cream bowls when Jeremycrowds up against my back, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my neck.
