Chapter Twenty | Jamal

After dealing with my toileting and a quick clean up, we arranged ourselves in bed as neatly as we could. I'd asked Meera to bring dinner for two downstairs for us. It wouldn't be the first time she had brought my dinner down to me. She'd grumbled but she was soon knocking on my door.

"Is it safe to come in?"

"Not a dick in sight," I called back.

"Thank god." Meera pushed the door open then crouched to pick up one of the dishes she had set on the floor so she could manage the door. She wrinkled her nose as she entered.

"Fuck, guys … open a window or something." She handed us our plates and cutlery and did just that, allowing a cool draft to circulate around the room. "Smells like sex in here."

"You've met my boyfriend." I grinned at her. "How could I not."

"Yeah, yeah," she replied. "You snagged a hot one."

Liam chuckled beside me. He had his plate on his lap, and he was separating the food differently than Meera had done. She'd noticed he was like me. It warmed my heart.

We both thanked her.

"You going to hole up in your love nest for a while?" Meera asked.

"We'll come up for breakfast tomorrow."

"Marathon?"

Liam took my hand in his. "More cuddling than anything. "

"You're sweet together. I'll give you that."

I looked over at Liam. "He's the love of my life." Liam released my hand and cupped my face instead. The intensity of our gaze could have heated the cooling room.

"And you're mine," Liam replied.

"Gag me," Meera said and headed for the door. "I'll leave you to it." When she shut the door behind her, Liam lay the gentlest kiss on the side of my lips.

He pulled away and looked at his plate. "What are we having?"

"Matar Paneer. The protein is the paneer which is a type of Indian cottage cheese. Then there's onions, tomatoes, peas, and cashews." Liam had moved the cashews to be beside the paneer alongside where Meera had pushed the peas to one side. Not much could be done about the rest.

"Looks good."

My lips turned up into a slight smile as Liam began eating, chewing, and humming his appreciation for the flavours. I rearranged my plate and joined him. It was fortuitous that Liam liked spicy food. Mamma and Dadi didn't go for scorching but there was always some heat.

When we were finished, Liam flicked on the television, and we picked out a movie to watch. One movie led to another and another until we were falling asleep sitting up.

"I think that's enough for one night," I said and turned off the screen.

"Yeah, let's get ready for bed."

Liam lifted me into my chair, and we headed to the bathroom together. There was no reason to be shy around one another anymore. We finished up our routines and climbed back into bed.

I was immediately in Liam's arms. It felt so good. Knowing he loved me made the embrace more comforting and heartwarming. I'd never felt as at peace as I did with Liam .

"I thought I was going to be alone for the rest of my life," Liam confessed. "I tried to fill the void with a parade of men and sex. I think that decision made me feel more alone."

"You're not alone anymore."

Liam hummed and kissed my head. "Not with the size of your family."

I laughed softly. "I'd resigned myself to a life without a partner too."

"Then we found each other."

I squeezed Liam's bicep. "Yes, we did. I can't believe two years went by where we could have met one another. Noah talked about you a lot but never thought to introduce us."

"Maybe the timing wouldn't have been right."

I nodded. "I met Noah a year after my accident. I was still with Richard." Liam was right. The timing would have been all wrong. The stars had aligned exactly when they should have for Liam and me. I was in a good place to meet someone. It seemed like he had been too.

"We met when we were meant to." Liam hugged me closer.

"We did." I stroked his smooth muscular chest and then wandered down his body, over his sternum and along to his tight abs. I brushed my fingers back and forth over the ripples, making Liam clench his stomach muscles. I gave my attention to the groomed hair above his cock.

Liam groaned and shifted his hips up into my touch. On his next exhalation, his hardening shaft came to rest on my knuckles. I slipped my hand around it and ran my palm up and down.

"Fuck, Jamal … you drive me crazy." He cupped my head and lifted his and gave me a needy kiss. Part love. Part animal desire. I loved both parts. I tightened my grip on his dick .

It didn't take long for him to spill his cum all over my fist, dampening my skin. I raised my coated hand to my lips and fulfilled my absolute ravenous hunger as Liam watched me.

When my hand was clean, Liam launched himself at me, rolling me onto my back so he could straddle me and kiss me, partaking in the incredible taste of his intoxicating essence.

Sated for the time being, Liam straightened and looked down on me. His fingers danced over my cock. I placed my hands on his chest. "I don't need to orgasm every time we're intimate."

"I like to make you feel good."

I grinned up at him. "I felt plenty good getting you off … believe me."

"You're sure."

"Yes. What I want is for you to hold me again."

Liam climbed off me. "I can do that." He lay down beside me and I squirmed into his embrace. Oddly, I was finding it more comfortable to lie on my injured arm. The pressure eased the pain.

While kissing my temple, Liam lifted my leg, slung it over his thigh, and caressed my skin from behind my knee along to my ass and back again. It was a glorious faint sensation.

He nuzzled the side of my face and whispered, "My heart is entirely yours."

"Sweet man. I'll guard it with my life in exchange for you protecting mine."

Liam laughed softly against my skin. "We're so soppy."

I smiled. "I love soppy."

"Me too." Liam hauled on the blankets until we were burrowed beneath them. "Sleep, beautiful man." His hand came to rest on my waist and his breathing slowed and evened out.

Overwhelming bliss eventually coaxed me under .

We stirred early the next morning. I started with my water, supplements, and stretches. I peered over my shoulder at Liam as I removed a suppository from my drawer.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked.

I was aware my brow furrowed. I felt so comfortable with Liam that the idea of him staying didn't make me feel uneasy or embarrassed. "I don't mind if you stay. Thankfully, I didn't injure my right arm, or this might be awkward. I'd be relying on you to do this for me." I slipped on a glove and unwrapped the nub of hardened oils.

"It wouldn't have bothered me."

A slight flush of heat washed over my cheeks and ears. "I know." Liam would have done it without a moment of hesitation. Not thought any worse of me for the fact I needed to do this every morning. He accepted me as I was. He loved everything about me.

I don't think he realized how precious that was.

I lay on my left side, facing Liam, lifted my right leg with my hand and placed it on the mattress between us, then inserted the suppository. The whole time, Liam kept his gaze glued to mine. It was almost sensual, the visual exchange. The thought of him doing it for me, inserting his finger deep into my ass, gave me little shivers.

"Now we wait?" he asked.

I removed the glove. "I'll get you to wheel me into the bathroom when it's time. Help me transfer onto the toilet. Then I will need some privacy. We can have a shower after that."

Liam nodded as he lifted his hand and played with my hair.

"You're so beautiful—inside and out."

More blushing.

"That's what you see when you look at me?" I stroked his skin from shoulder to elbow. I hadn't felt attractive in years— inside or out. It was only now, with Liam, that I was reemerging.

"How could I not," he said. "You're stunning. I'm in awe of you."

I cupped his face. "Sweet man. You make me feel good about myself. For those first two years after my accident, I hated myself. I hated what the universe had done to me. There were so many moments I just wanted to die. By year three, I was starting to accept myself. But I didn't start loving myself again until you came along. You saw things I thought no one ever would."

"Your courage, determination, and perseverance."

I smiled at him. "I felt like you didn't even see my chair or my disability." I exhaled long and slow. "No one has ever made me feel that way before. I love you for that gift."

Liam's chest rocked up and down as he studied my face.

"I was more interested in the man. My desire to know you transcended any disability you might have. I was thrilled to be let in. To connect the way we did."

"What we've formed is strong, isn't it?"

Liam eyebrows dipped as he blinked at me. "So strong I can see a life with you."

The sensation of tears forming swept me up. "Do you honestly mean that?"

"We're in love, we've bonded, and I think we want the same thing. I want to spend every day of my life making you happy. Doing that will fulfill me in a way I've never known before."

A tear rolled across the bridge of my nose and collected a stream of others that streaked down my cheek and into my ear. "I want that too. To make you happy. I want all of it."

Liam looked down at my lips, avoiding my gaze. "You and Richard wanted kids."

"We did, but I shelved the idea after my accident. "

He looked up at me. "Is that something you want to revisit someday?"

My heart skipped a few beats. "With the right person."

Liam blinked a few times as he watched me. "Am I the right person?" His voice was low, quiet, and shaky. He had spoken words that were extremely meaningful to him.

I pressed my forehead to his and then kissed him, soft and brief.

"You're the perfect person."

"How would we …?"

"Meera offered to surrogate for us. So did Richard's sister."

"I don't have a sister I'm close to."

"Then we would only have one child who we'd love and spoil to bits."

Liam brushed his fingers across my lips. "Are we really talking about this?"

"Something to put on the back burner. We're still so new. I'm glad we talked about it, though. Now we know we're on the same page. That we want the same thing when it comes to kids."

"I love my noodles. Never thought I'd feel so comfortable caring for a family. The week I spent at Noah and Brody's brought out an unexpected paternal side in me. I enjoyed the routine with the kids. The time we spent together. Even caring for all the damned animals."

"You'd make a great dad."

Liam's smile was faint and shy. "You think so?"

"I know so. You have so much love to give."

"Noah always tells me that."

"Then I'm spot on. He knows you best."

"I want to explore that … I'd love to go away with you for a few days."

I smiled. "You sick of my room? "

"No, there's somewhere special I want to show you."

"I'd love to spend a few days somewhere special to you." I sighed. Enough time had passed, waiting. Any longer and I was risking an accident. "I need to get to the bathroom."

Liam leapt off the bed, came around to my side, and lifted me into my chair. Once in the bathroom, he transferred me onto the toilet and then left me alone.

I was there for a while. I was always there for a long time, but it felt longer because I knew Liam was in the bedroom waiting for me to finish. After what was probably twenty minutes, I was able to flush, spray a bit of air freshener, and call out for Liam. "Let's have a shower!"

Liam poked his head around the door. "You done?"

"Ready to get cleaned up for breakfast." I pointed at my shower bench. "Put a washcloth on the bit in the centre of the shower and then you can carry me over there and set me on it."

"How's your arm? You seem to be using it."

"Better. I was able to use the catheter you left out on my own."

"Progress." Liam lay a washcloth on my bench then retrieved me and deposited me on it. I adjusted the temperature of the water and he stepped in behind me in the shower.

I handed him the showerhead. "Can you soak me down? I don't want to overuse my arm."

"Absolutely." Liam took it and sprayed me everywhere, ending with my head. He handed me back the showerhead and then pumped some shampoo into his hand. I closed my eyes and moaned as his fingers caressed my scalp and he washed my hair. I hadn't felt this cared for in a long time.

I scowled and tried to clear the memory. Richard had been the last person to wash my hair for me. After the accident, he'd doted on me. Become almost smothering. I knew it was because he loved me, but he had made me feel like an invalid when I was trying to escape that designation .

Liam took the showerhead from me and rinsed my hair, ensuring he cleared the shampoo off my face and out of my ears. Richard and I had managed to mend our separation many months after he moved out. I'd apologized. Poured my heart, sorrow, and sincerity out at his feet.

He'd forgiven me.

I smiled as Liam squatted behind me and nibbled on my shoulder. He handed back the showerhead and I placed it in the holder on the wall. He grabbed my bar of soap and lathered up his hands, then placed it back on the ledge.

I nearly swooned right off my bench when he hit me with a combo of sucking on my neck and soaping up my chest, paying special attention to my nipples. He caressed circles all over my skin and pinched my hardening nubs; my flesh reacting despite the warm steamy air.

Down my chest to my hips then my thighs, his slick hands were broad and gentle. Back up my thighs, he cupped my balls in both hands and massaged them with soap.

Liam kissed the base of my neck. "Do you want me to …?"

I tipped my head back, causing him to move his lips to my shoulder. "Yes … please, yes." I reached back for his head with my good arm as he took my hardening cock into his hand.

The feel of his palm stroking my shaft was rapturous. I grunted as he used his thumb to play with my slit and the ridge of my cockhead. He hummed against my shoulder.

"I love you," he whispered and increased the pace of his fist. I couldn't speak, I was so caught up. Again, this sweet man was accepting my limitations, meeting me where I was capable. I had no way to stand up to receive his attention. He'd kneeled to my level to show his love for me.

Liam pumped faster, his soapy hand losing its lather. The resulting friction was glorious. I could feel the pinching tightening in my body behind my groin. My ass cheeks clenched as much as they were able, and my legs danced. I gripped the edge of the bench as flashes of light appeared behind the lids of my closed eyes. My core shuddered as I climaxed—hard.

My boyfriend, the man who loved me chuckled as he kissed the curve of my neck. "I felt that shockwave through my lips, but we should concentrate on getting clean. I got sidetracked."

"I appreciate your ability to veer off task."

He laughed then rose and used the soap to wash my back and my arms, then angled himself so he could wash my calves and feet. Not once did he hesitate as he touched my atrophied legs.

He even cleaned between my toes.

After he was done, he rinsed me and then washed himself. He stepped out first, dried my back, handed me the towel, then toweled himself off. I did my best to dry my skin with one arm.

"Throw my towel on my seat." I handed it to him.

Liam smoothed it out on my cushion, lifted me onto it, and took us back to the bedroom. I picked out the clothes I wanted to wear, then Liam knew what to do.

He transferred me to the bed so I could put on my clothes. I needed his assistance. He was sweet about it. Ten minutes later, we were upstairs in the kitchen, looking in the fridge.

"I only want a few scrambled eggs," Liam said.

"Let's make a panful of them. I'm all for a single-item meal."

Liam was pushing the eggs around the hot frying pan when Mamma entered the room.

"It's nice to see you here, Liam," she said then looked at me. "I was worried sick about you. I wish you'd let me go to the hospital. Meera said you were only slightly injured, but I would have liked to see it for myself. Instead, you come home in the middle of the night and then stay in your room for days." She tsked at me and then touched Liam's arm. "Thank you for taking care of my son."

Liam smiled at her. "I told him."

Mamma's eyebrows rose and she smiled wide and excitedly. She turned back to me and touched my face. "You two fit so well together. I can sense Liam is kind and loving with you."

"He really is. It's one of the many reasons I love him."

After the couple of days I'd spent with him, I never wanted Liam to leave my side again. I didn't want to scare him off, but I felt like our destiny had been fast-tracked. My urge was to ask him to move into my family's home with me, but doing so wasn't practical.

I'd been thinking about it for a while. It was time for me to move out into my own place. When Richard and I had lived here together, it had been overly crowded in my bedroom. We'd been on top of one another. Especially with my wheelchair. I didn't want to do that again. Besides, Zahir was positioned to become the patriarch of the family. He deserved a larger room, like my one downstairs, and I needed to live somewhere designed for someone in a wheelchair.

I loved living with family, but it wasn't sustainable. I needed to be somewhere I could age in place with wider doorframes, lower kitchen cabinets and appliances, and appropriate counters.

And after the conversation Liam and I had—I needed … we needed to live somewhere we could someday—maybe bring a child into. Somewhere we could grow old together.

We needed extra space.

My heart screamed ask him , but my mind knew to slow things down.

Right now, I wanted to simply enjoy being with him.

Nurturing what we'd begun to grow .

Our love had been planted deep in the soil. Our roots would be strong. Our stems tall. And the flower of our love would stay turned toward the sunlight.

I knew it in my soul.