Chapter 39

Two Months Later…

It's been two months since Theo brought me home from the hospital.

Two months of pain and sorrow, sleepless nights, and ugly crying. Yet also two months full of love, joy, laughter, and understanding.

He's been an angel through it all, always trying to make my life better and find ways to help me through this. Even though he doesn't have to put me back together, he always manages to find a way to do it. My jagged pieces were shattered and scattered on a rocky beach all those months ago, yet somehow, Theo has found some of those pieces and put the puzzle back together. I don't even know how he did it, but he has a way of achieving the impossible.

Theo is the most patient man I have ever met. He's been here for me through all the ups and downs and still has stayed strong, not expecting anything in return. He's taken care of me in every way possible. I haven't been able to work in months since the doctor said I couldn't, and my return to work date is in a week now. So, while I know that Theo is a millionaire, and it shouldn't bother me, I still hate the feeling of someone else financially supporting me. I'd rather let Cheyenne do it, but after everything he had already done for me, I couldn't deny him anything.

Now, here we are, at my tiny studio apartment, packing the things I need to vacate the space. Which is precisely—two bins full of clothes and shoes. Yeah, that's all I have to my name that actually matters. We don't need any of the kitchen stuff or my bed, and there's literally nothing else in here. Theo puts my bins in the back of his new F-150—one he got in case we do things together that require space, like camping, he said—and gets his friends to put everything else on the curb of the apartment complex for bulk trash pickup. I let them say their goodbyes as I walk back into the studio for one last look—a goodbye.

Although I came to this place under the worst circumstances imaginable, it was nothing compared to what awaited me. I'm grateful for the refuge this tiny home provided me when I had nowhere to go, and I'll never, ever forget about the strength I found here. On my own.

"Thank you," I whisper.

Footsteps alert me to Theo's arrival, and I wipe a stray tear from under my eye. "You ready, baby?"

I turn around and gaze into his bright blue orbs, "No." I shake my head. "This is goodbye."

"Yes, it is." Theo nods, stepping into me and pulling me into a tight hug. "But it doesn't have to be a bad thing."

"It's the end of a chapter," I reply, burying my face in the crook of his neck. I press my lips to his skin, instantly sending butterflies raging through my stomach. "And the start of a new one."

"An amazing one," he agrees.

"I know just the way to say goodbye, baby." I begin to unbutton his jeans, pushing them down along with his underwear, and fist his hardening dick in my hand. "You've been so patient." I beam, tugging his now hard dick up and down. "I'm grateful for it, really. However, I'm ready to take my life back. I'm ready for you."

Theo inhales sharply, "Bailey?—"

"No." I shake my head, needing to get this off my chest. "I'm not made of glass, Theo." I chuckle. "I died, and now I'm alive again. I want to live, damn it, and I want to do it with you."

"You want me to make you feel alive, then?" Theo whispers, his hand gently wrapping around my throat. His fingers dig in, flexing when I don't reply. "Because, baby, all you have to do is get on those pretty knees and ask nicely."

I drop to my knees so fast they crack on the hardwood floor, but it doesn't even matter because right now, I don't feel the pain. All I'm aware of is him. His scent—pine—and the feel of his skin as I trace his dick with my lips. "Please," I whisper, begging him just like he said to. "I want you,"

"Then take me, Bailey," Theo growls. "Make a mess of me."

I groan and take him in my mouth, wrapping my lips around his dick and taking him all the way to the back of my throat. Letting go of him with a pop, I say, "On your back, big boy."

Theo takes his pants off all the way, leaving them behind as he goes right to where my bed used to be and lies on his back. I strip too, at least from the waist down, and when I take off my shoes I almost feel bad for making him lie down on the freezing hardwood floor.

Almost.

My knees come to either side of his hips as I straddle him, and I can feel my wetness coating the inside of my thighs. I direct his dick to my entrance and sink down on it slowly. A gasp escapes him, and his blue eyes dilate as I stare right into them.

Grinding my pussy over his pelvis, I seek my own pleasure as I circle my hips for him. Theo's hands land on my hips, his fingers digging in, and he begins to direct my pace.

"Fuck, yes," Theo moans. "Just like our first time, baby. Ride my dick."

I grind against him faster, feeling that little tingling sensation begin, and keep up the pace. My hands move to his chest, squeezing as I ride him, and I chase the feeling of euphoria with every pulse of my clit. My pussy clenches the closer I get to my orgasm, and he begins to top from the bottom.

"Oh, God, B," he groans. "Just like that, baby. You're doing so good…give me more." I smirk, changing my position until I'm leaning back slightly, and spit on my fingers. "What are you—ohhh, fuck."

Two of my fingers circle his hole, and I put a little pressure behind my touch until I let one slip in. At first, there's resistance, and he sucks in a sharp breath like it hurts. However I keep going, rubbing up as I thrust my finger in and out, and he begins to shake.

"Baby," he groans, his legs trembling. "What the hell are you doing to me—" Theo lets out a loud moan as I keep thrusting my finger in and out, all the while rubbing my clit against his pelvis. "Oh—fuck, fuck, fuck."

I speed up the movement of my hips until I feel my release within reach. When he grabs my hips and rubs me on his pelvis again, I shatter. Biting the inside of my cheek, I taste blood as I ride through my orgasm, still fingering his hole. Theo's back arches off the floor with another thrust of my finger, and when I rub that sweet spot one last time, his dick jerks inside of me as he comes.

With a loud exhale, Theo closes his eyes like he's in pain. "Holy shit," he pants. "What a way to say goodbye."

"Yeah?" I grin, removing my finger from inside of him, then bending down to meet his lips with mine. "You like it?"

"Loved it," he groans.

"Let's go home now," I tell him, getting off him and going to the bathroom to clean up.

After a twenty-minute drive and unloading the two bins from the truck, we're back at the condo, making dinner. I don't know when I'll make the time to unpack, but it doesn't matter. Even though today is about starting a new chapter, and unpacking would signify that, I learned quickly that I'm going to be the one to decide how this chapter starts out, and I want to do it with all our favorite people.

There's a knock at the door, signifying the arrival of Jeremy and Cheyenne—together, for whatever reason—and Theo opens it.

"Hey, Bai!" Cheyenne calls out from the entryway. "You in the kitchen?"

"Yeah!" I call out, "Come here, you whore."

She laughs at that, and when she reaches me, she slaps my ass hard. "Pot meet kettle."

"Not to use my pity card on this, but what the hell is going on with you and Jer?" I ask her, abandoning the lasagna I'm preparing. Her eyes widen, and her lips tighten, which tells me she's not saying one word.

"Nothing, really," she replies quietly. "Don't make it a thing, Bai. He and I were just fucking—but now it's over."

"Is that why you arrived together?"

"Coincidence." Chey shrugs, "We didn't ride together."

Footsteps announce the arrival of someone else, and Cheyenne and I immediately pretend to be busy with preparing the lasagna. She hands me three different types of cheese, and I begin layering them with the meat.

"So," Theo clears his throat, seeing right through my bullshit and smirking, "I guess it's just us tonight. Oliver and his girl are going to her sister's house to meet the new baby, and Matthew and Noah can't make it for whatever other reason I didn't pay attention to."

"Hmm." I nod. "That's okay. We have each other." I smile and gaze at Cheyenne. "Right, Chey?"

"Yep." Cheyenne pops the ‘p'.

"Perfect," Theo replies, then walks right back out of the kitchen to join his friend on the couch.

Chey and I take a moment to stare at them, but when I turn my face to look at her, she has a pained expression. Jeremy and Chey make eye contact, and his face drops immediately, too. "Tell me, Chey," I whisper. What happened?"

"I set him up."

"Set him up, how?" I ask with confusion, my eyes narrowing to slits as I look at her. She doesn't look at me, though. Instead, she grabs the bags of cheese and puts them in the fridge for me.

I hadn't noticed just how unput together she is, which is unlike her. She's wearing baggy sweatpants and a sweatshirt that says ‘Hockey Mom' even though she doesn't have any kids, and her hair is piled up on top of her head in the messiest bun I have ever seen. She's wearing Nike tennis shoes, and her eyes aren't only bloodshot but also have purple bags underneath, which she's not even attempting to cover with makeup. Something is very wrong.

"How, Chey?" I repeat.

"I told him we should see other people, except I didn't mean it," she whispers, looking back at the living room. Jeremy and her make eye contact once more, but he breaks it first. "And he agreed."

"Okay? So? Did he go out on a date?"

Cheyenne sighs, "I don't know, Bai?—"

"Then stop fucking moping, and let's have a good night."

"Fine," she huffs, turning around to leave me in the kitchen all alone. Instead, I grab her wrist and tug her toward me until I've enveloped her in a tight hug. "Bai, what are you doing?"

My eyes sting from the sudden emotion clogging my throat. "I'm sorry, Cheyenne. I'm sorry for not listening to you every time you told me to leave Robert. I'm sorry I moved here and left you without telling you where my new home is. I'm sorry for being a bitch and taking you for granted. You're my best friend, and I never meant for this to happen. Please forgive me. I love you."

Cheyenne stiffens against me, pulling away from me with a stunned expression. Her eyebrows draw in as if confused, and then she smiles sadly at me. "I forgive you, Bai." She grabs my hand and squeezes it once. "All I heard was that you love me. How much?"

I roll my eyes. "So much."

"In that case, I'm gonna go sit down and wait for you to serve me my damn food." She grins, going to the living room while I pop the lasagna in the oven. "But I love you too!"

I take a moment to take in the scene before me: the love of my life sitting on the couch waiting for me, his eyes never straying from mine. My best friend, who has helped me through everything, continues to be here for me. Theo's best friend, who has supported him through the most challenging parts of his life, is also here for us. It can't get better than that. I know it can't.

Closing the oven, I take a deep breath and muster my brightest smile—except this time, it's not fake. This time, I don't have to force anything. It just happens naturally.

Because I'm really, truly happy now, and no one can take that away from me anymore.