Page 49 of Big Bad Single Wolf Dad

There it is, the root of everything. Everything that comes after this hinges on my thoughts and emotions. Leave it to the billionaire to ask the million-dollar question, but I understand what he’s doing.

Greg is giving me the freedom and agency to make the decision for myself. He’s not trying to influence me or control me, but instead, give me a choice.

Now it’s up to me whether I want this relationship to go forward, or not. I can keep on living the way I have, small and sure. Or I can take a risk again and put it all on the line for love. For once in my life, I think I’ve finally started to figure out what I really want.

26

GREG

“I want you,” Sarah tells me. Her eyes are bright, dotted with neon light and shining like sapphires. Her cheeks are starting to glow bright pink, and I can see a swelling of emotion rising from her chest and melting into the words she says.

Now I see how Eric was manipulating me. He pinpointed my worst anxieties and used them to drive a wedge between me and Sarah for his own gain. I feel just as much of a fool as Sarah says she does. How could I have believed such a slimeball would have any chance with this magnificent woman? Of course, it was all a bunch of lies.

I admit, though, that I feel a little hurt that Sarah would believe I was cheating on her behind her back. But I also understand.

Eric manipulated her just as much as me, if not more. Hunter must have left her heartbroken and vulnerable, and Eric took advantage of that vulnerability. It stings, but I don’t hold it against her one bit.

“There isn’t anyone else. There never was. Since the day we met, I’ve only had my eyes for you, Sarah.”

For some reason, she seems surprised. I must not have done a good job of making her feel like the center of the universe if that’s how she feels. I intend to remedy that.

Sarah shakes her head as a single tear escapes the corner of her left eye. She takes a deep breath, finding the ground below our feet to be quite interesting.

I simply stand back and let her take her time. After a moment, she looks back up at me and smiles.

“I don’t care about that,” she admits. “Let them say whatever they want, I don’t care. Not if I can be with you. And I only want you, Greg. I want this life, this family. I want us to be together. All seven of us. And, you know, maybe more. One day.”

I laugh gently at her insinuation. It’s a hopeful bridge we can cross when we come to it. But the rest of her confession fills me with an assurance I hadn’t truly felt in a long time.

“I love you, Greg,” Sarah says gently. I’ve heard her say it a few times now, but this time holds so much more weight. I can practically feel it, gripping my heart and hitching my breath in my chest. I put my hands on her shoulders and pull her to me, holding her close where I intend to keep her for as long as she’ll have me.

“I love you so much, Sarah,” I tell her. Then, I lean down and kiss her. Gently at first, an innocent meeting of our lips like in a child’s storybook romance. I slide my hand up the back of her head, weaving her blonde hair through my fingers and deepening the kiss. Sarah lifts herself onto her toes and throws her arms around my neck.

We stand there like this for some time. I’m sure it’s only a few minutes but it feels like hours. I kiss and lick and gently nip at her lips and she does the same to me until we’re both left panting.

I pull back slightly. Not here. Not yet. My hands cup her face and she leans into the embrace, eyes closed and mouth smiling. Her swollen lips are red from passion. She sighs, feeling the security and stability I’m offering in my own two hands. I want her to know she can always trust them to protect her, hold her, and support her no matter what.

Just when I feel like I’ve been completely absorbed into this moment between us, the sound of pins crashing to the floor and a cheesy jingle wrenches me back into reality. Sarah laughs as she watches an old woman attempting to do a dance move popular with kids today. Her grandkids cover their faces in embarrassment.

“I, uh, I forgot we were at a bowling alley,” Sarah says.

“Do you want to stay? Or was our display a little too…” I gesture vaguely, unsure how to end that statement.

“Oh, I want to stay. The last time we played, we were distracted. This time, I’m prepared to prove I’m a better bowler than you,” she teases. “Plus you already paid, may as well use it!” Sarah sits down at the tiny computer and enters our names into the scoreboard, finally beginning the game we came here to play. “You’re up first!”

I nod, still feeling my head swimming from the flurry of heartfelt confessions and physical affection. I pick up a sixteen-pound ball, the heaviest it gets in regulation, but I wish it could have a little more weight. I line up, exhale, and let the well-tuned routine of it all take me away. Not that well, I suppose, since my first attempt ends in a split.

“Oof,” Sarah says from her seat.

“Hey, I’d like to see you do better!” I laugh. My ball returns and I try again, hitting the pin on the far left, but leaving the right one standing.

“I’ll show you how it’s done,” Sarah teases. “You’re about to see what a good teacher my uncle really was.” She grabs a bright pink ball and lines up. Her form is terrible but I bite my tongue. She walks to the line awkwardly, twisting her hips, but the shot isn’t too bad. Still, she leaves three pins standing.

I nod. “Yeah, you sure showed me.”

Sarah laughs hard and rushes to me, slapping her palms on my chest.

“Alright, Mr. Bowling Champ, you show me then.”

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