“You know,” I whispered and his silvery-gray eyes came to mine. “The first time we were together, after you made me come, I looked at you and my first thought was how beautiful you were.”

His fingers stopped moving, his eyes closed, and his forehead came to mine and when he groaned, “Tess,” I knew it came from his gut because I felt it in mine.

My fingers slid into his hair and my lips went to his cheek. I moved them across, lifting my head and, in his ear, I kept whispering.

“And the way you were looking at me, I knew in my blood you were mine.”

“You were right, sweetness,” he whispered back.

Then he kissed my neck, lifted his head again. I dropped mine and both my arms gave him a squeeze.

“Thanks for drinking champagne with me.”

“Thanks for makin’ me drink only a glass so I could move on to beer.”

I smiled at him and his eyes dropped to my mouth.

They came back to mine and I felt my body still at what I saw.

Then he spoke words that described the feeling I saw in his eyes.

“My dad was a dick. I grew up fast. I lost Bree the way I did and lost all our history with her. And I found Olivia and she made my life shit. Then I had a job where you wouldn’t believe the shit I saw, the shit I did, and I hope to God, baby, you never get to a place you do. But all that was worth it, all of it, since my reward is you.”

“Shut up,” I whispered. I didn’t know why, it just came out of my mouth but what he said meant so much, it filled me so full, it felt like I was going to burst.

A beautiful pain.

But he didn’t shut up.

Instead, he went on. “McManus said he started with a good one and I was lucky I was ending with one and he was not fuckin’ wrong.”

Both my hands moved to either side of his face and I begged, “Please, Brock, be quiet.”

“No fuckin’ way, baby,” he whispered. “Today, I been thinkin’ a lot about McManus and he lost his good one and there is no way I’m gonna find mine and not know right to my fuckin’ bones she doesn’t understand precisely what she means to me.”

I felt the tears well then slide out the sides of my eyes as my thumbs moved over his cheeks and I told him, “Well, I’m lucky too. I had it shit for a while and I found you.”

He shook his head and his hand captured mine. He turned his head and pressed my palm to his lips where he kissed me and then his fingers curled around mine and he held my hand to his shoulder.