25. Cassie

CHAPTER 25

CASSIE

“You go back to work tomorrow.”

He doesn’t have to remind me, though. For the last week, I’ve dreaded this day, knowing I’d have to go back to work and leave him. To cover up my worry and sadness, I joke with him. “Are you sick of me already?”

I’ve been with him for seven days straight, twenty-four hours a day. I probably could have left him long enough to go to the store or run errands, but I didn’t want to. Luckily, Ryan has been more than helpful. He packed up some of my clothes and bathroom items and brought them over. He’s gone to the store and stocked the fridge. And he’s brought over takeout. He’s come by every day, and I get more of a glance each time what I was missing having a dad growing up.

Baker gives me a penetrating look and grabs my hand. ‘You know I’m not sick of you.”

I grin, but it doesn’t quite meet my eyes. Even though we’ve been together for a week, we haven’t really talked about anything too personal, and it’s driving me crazy. There are so many things I want to get off my chest. “And you have probably another month before you get released for light duty.”

He shrugs because he doesn’t want to argue. He’s already tried to tell me that he’s going back to work next week. I ignore his shrug. “A month. I have talked to Ryan and Brook. They’re both coming at different times to check on you and make sure everything is okay. I’ll be here after school, but if you need anything, just call me and I’ll come.”

He’s sitting on the couch, watching me move around. I’m just trying to stay busy because I’m feeling antsy. “Stop,” he says and holds his hand out. “Come here and talk to me.”

But I don’t take it. I stack some magazines on the coffee table and act as if I have to clean up when almost every corner of his house is immaculate.

His hand drops. “Brook said that Walker has an apartment that opened up.”

I nod and avoid looking at him. “Yeah, I’m going to go look at it this week. It’s time for me to move out. After talking to your dad this week, I don’t think he and Mom are doing well. But I don’t blame him. I think the fact she didn’t come to the hospital was the breaking point for him.” I lift my eyes to Baker, embarrassed about how my mom is behaving. “I tried talking to her the other day and told her she was messing up. You can imagine how she took it. Anyway, I think your dad is better off. He deserves a woman that loves him more than anything.”

“Cassie,” he says.

I finally turn around and look at him. “Yeah? You need something?”

He nods. “Yeah, I need you to come over here and sit down and talk to me.”

I walk over and sit on the couch. “Have you liked staying here this week with me?”

I draw patterns into the seat cushion between us. “You know I have.”

He sighs in frustration. “I don’t know because any time I try to talk to you, you change the subject.”

Ashamed, I lower my head. I’ve tried to soak this whole week in. Every bit of it I’ve tried to commit to memory because I’m afraid at any point he’s going to tell me to leave. “Do you remember what happened between me and you before everything?”

“There’s nothing wrong with my memory. You mean the ‘pause’?”

I shudder, remembering the fight we had. The way he looked when he thought I was telling him he wasn’t worth it. And the whole time, I was scared. I need to come clean because I’ll regret it if I don’t. “I was scared, Baker. I thought you would leave me anyway. I didn’t want to hurt you or come between you and your dad.”

His gaze bores into me. “And so what? You’re taking care of me because I’m your stepbrother? Is that it?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Then why?” he challenges.

Looking at him, I know I need to be brave. I move closer to him, and he reaches for my hand. His touch gives me the confidence to say what I need to say. “I’m going to tell you something, and I want you to know that you don’t have to say anything. I just need to let you know.”

He tenses and looks at me apprehensively, but I continue. “I love you, Baker. I know I said that we shouldn’t do this and nothing could come of us, but I fell for you. Every day of these last few weeks you’ve shown me how it feels to be loved, cherished, and taken care of. I don’t want to lose what we have and—”

His voice is husky as he cuts me off. “You love me?”

I bring my hand up and cup his jaw. “How could I not, Baker? You’re the one that showed me what love is.”

He brings his forehead to mine, and I can hear the emotion in his voice. “Fuck, I love you. I love you so much.”

I gasp, and he pulls back to look at me with his soulful brown eyes. “How did you not know, Cass? From the moment I met you, I knew.”

He claims my lips and crushes me to him. I kiss him, putting every ounce of love I feel for him into it.

He groans, and I jerk back. “Your shoulder.”

His gaze is intense as he stares at me. “Not my shoulder. Woman, you’ve lain next to me in bed for a week, snuggled up to me, and I need you.”

I shake my head, looking at his injury with concern. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

He’s about to argue with me when I pull from his hold and stand up. “That means you’re just going to have to sit there and let me take care of you.”

I go to my knees on the floor in front of him and reach for the button of his pants. His hand goes to mine to stop me. “I want to be inside you.”

I smirk. “I can arrange that.”

“And…” he starts.

I slowly unbutton his jeans and lower the zipper. I motion for him to raise up so I can pull his pants down, but he’s not budging. “And you’re moving in here with me.”

My eyes fly to his. “You want me to move in here… with you?”

He laughs. “Yeah. I want you with me, Cass. I want to spend every day with you, showing you what real love feels like.”

My mind starts to whirl, and my past insecurities come to a head. “What if—”

He leans forward. “What if we live happily ever after?”

A soft gasp escapes me. “I want that so bad. I want you to be mine forever.”

He cups my cheeks. “I’m yours, Cass, and I always will be.”

“Yes,” I say with a startled gasp. For the first time in a long time, I’m going after what I want. “Yes, I’ll move in with you.”

I raise up so I can reach his lips, and we kiss again. When I pull back, the bulge of his manhood is standing erect between us. I cup him through his jeans, and he groans. “We can talk later about the ring and all the babies we’re going to have.”

“Ring! Babies!” I exclaim.

He laughs and finally raises up so I can pull his pants down. He wraps his hand around his length and pumps himself. It’s hard to concentrate with him doing that right in my face. “I want it all with you, Cass. I want everything.”

With love shining in my eyes, I have to agree. “Me too.”

I wrap my hand around his girth and look into his eyes. “This just feels right, Baker. Everything with you feels right.”

He threads his fingers through my hair, pushing it off my face. “Damn right it does, baby.”