“And not one of them is about being happy. Don’t you have a right to be happy? Don’t we all?”

“Yeah, we do. I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. And that’s all thanks to you.” He raised his hands to her face and compelled her to look at him. “That’s what I was trying to tell you last night when I said I want this to be more than just the best sex of my life.”

“I thought about what you said. That’s all I thought about today.”

“Yeah?” His heart fluttered with hope. He was so gone over her and was looking for something, anything other than screaming orgasms to indicate the feeling was mutual.

She nodded. “I don’t want you to think…”

“What, hon?”

“That I don’t want the same thing you do. I do. More than I expected when we started this. I’m just wary, that’s all. You’re going through a huge life change, and as great as this has been—and it’s been amazing—I don’t want to get ahead of myself when you’re not divorced yet.”

“I understand that, and I thought a lot about what you said last night, too. I get it. In a few months, the divorce will be final, and we’ll see where we are. Until then, no pressure, just fun. Okay?”

“Okay, but I still want to know if something’s bugging you. Just because we aren’t making declarations of forever together doesn’t mean I want you to feel like you can’t talk to me.”

“I love talking to you. You’ve become my favorite person to talk to.”

“About stuff that matters, Kevin. Not just surface things.”

“I hear you, and I want that, too. I want it all with you, Chelsea Rose, and I’m going to keep telling you that until you believe me. In fact, I want you to join the boys and me for Christmas dinner, and I want you to come with me to my nephew’s wedding in Anguilla.”

She eyed him skeptically. “Seriously?”

“Dead seriously.”

“Would your sons… They’d be okay with that?”

“Sure.” As he said that, he hoped he was right, but he had a few days to smooth things with them before Christmas and weeks before the trip to Anguilla.

“You have no idea if they’d be okay with it, do you?”

“I don’t care if they are or they aren’t. Like you said, they’re grown men, and I have to stop treating them like kids. You’ll be there as my guest, and they’ll be polite, or I’ll ask them to leave. Okay?”

“If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure I want to spend Christmas with you, and I’d love to have you with me in Anguilla.”