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“Mommy?” Luca asked, his voice barely audible now. “Yes, baby.” “Love you.” My chest gave a painful squeeze. “Love you more than bees love honey.”
“I may miss a lot of things, but one of those will never be how fucking gorgeous you are. Doesn’t matter if you’re covered in grease or flour or have dark
circles you’re drowning in. None of it will take away an ounce of your beauty.”
“Get your shit. Now. Luca’s, too,” Cope growled. My jaw went slack. “Excuse me?” Cope’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not staying in a place with no warm water. Not for one minute more. So, get your stuff. You’re moving in with me.”
“You deserve more than nice, Warrior.”
“Just because you let someone give you a place to rest for a while doesn’t mean you aren’t standing on your own two feet.”
She grinned up at me, and the action hit me right in the solar plexus, stealing the air from my lungs.
It wasn’t the things you surrounded yourself with that were important; it was the people. And if you got too caught up in chasing the next high, whatever the form, you could lose what mattered most.
“The color reminds me of your eyes. It felt like it was meant to be.” My gaze jerked to him. “My eyes?” “Turquoise. Like the Caribbean Sea. Could find a world of peace in those eyes.”
“Thank you, Warrior.” “I didn’t do anything.” Cope pulled back, his eyes shining. “You lent me your strength.”
Sutton had woven some sort of spell around me. One that held me captive. The only thing was, I didn’t want to escape.
Because Cope was a damn thief. Without me realizing it and without my permission, he’d stolen my heart.
She blinked up at me, shock evident in those hypnotic, turquoise eyes—eyes I could lose myself in for eternity and never get bored.
“You should have everything. Someone who isn’t broken or fucked up, whose head isn’t a nightmare on a good day. You need someone good. Someone
who will do everything to take care of you and Luca. Someone so much better than me.”
“I’ve worked so damn hard to stand on my own two feet. I’m in charge of my life, Cope. And if you would’ve stopped long enough to ask me what I wanted, you might’ve found out it was you.”
Fuck, Warrior. I think about you with every other breath. I dream about you.
“But it’s so much worse. Because your smell is everywhere. That cinnamon, sugar, and a hint of vanilla. I swear it’s burned into the walls. I haven’t changed my sheets since you slept in my bed because I don’t want to smell anything else. It’s hell. But I’ll gladly go down in those flames.”
“I want you, Cope. I want you to take me. I want to know what it’s like to lose myself in you and forget my own name. I want it all.”
Because Sutton would always be worth it. No matter the risk.
“You’re way better than noble, Cope. You’re the best man I’ve ever known.”
Because that’s who the Colsons were. They met you wherever you were and surrounded you with love and acceptance.
“Because you scare the hell out of me, Warrior. Because you make me feel more than I ever thought I could.”
But I’m greedy. I want all of you. Your mind, heart, and your fucking soul.”
“All I’m asking is that we try. No half measures. All in. It may not work, but if we’re going to play with fire, let’s not settle for matches. We deserve fireworks and infernos.”
“Thanks for letting me in.” I looked up at the slightly hazy vision of him. “Thief,” I muttered. His mouth curved. “Never afraid to play dirty when it comes to you.”
But if we don’t risk our hearts, then we miss out on life’s true beauty. There’s no reward without risk.
“I’ll always take care of you. Always.” Sutton just cried harder. “Don’t promise me that.” “Why not?” I asked, my voice dropping low. “Because if I lose that promise, I’ll break.” “Fuck,” I muttered. I cradled her against my chest. “I’m afraid it’s too late.” “Too late?” she croaked. My fingers sifted through Sutton’s hair, tangling in the strands. “I’m already in love with you.”
“Warrior, your eyes are so much more than blue. They’re like a sea in the tropics. They change shades and tones with your emotions. They’ll dip into a storm with your fierceness or spark with light when I take you. And they turn this soft teal when you look at Luca.”
“Sometimes, the people closest to us know the best ways to hide things,”
“You matter, and I’ll do whatever I need to do to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”
I’d walk through fire for you any day of the week.”
“But you shouldn’t have to,” Sutton whispered. “Life isn’t perfect. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows. It’s about finding people who will weather the storm with you. Who will find ways to dance in the rain.” One corner of her mouth kicked up. “You want to dance in the rain with me?” I leaned across the console, taking her mouth in a long, slow kiss. “Always.
“Why do you care?” That had me reeling back. “Because I love her and you. That means I always want people to treat her and you with respect and kindness. And I’m always going to step in when they don’t.”
“Family isn’t defined by blood,”
“I love you,”
“I love you, too,”
“More than you’ll ev...
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It wasn’t ownership that I was looking for; it was belonging. And Cope understood that. Understood that he was mine as much as I was his. That we belonged to each other. That we gave one another a home when we’d been missing exactly that.
“I love you. With everything in me. All I am is yours. Brokenness and all.”
“Sutton. You are the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. So strong…getting yourself out of the unimaginable. So damn smart, building a business from nothing. So dedicated to being the best mom imaginable. And one of the best people I’ve ever known.”
Sutton laughed, light catching in her eyes. God, she was beautiful. I could stare at her forever.
But sometimes it just takes the right person to change everything.”
“You’ve given me so much that the idea of losing it, losing you…it’s like I can’t breathe.”
“I’m not going anywhere. It’s you and me. Whatever comes our way, we’ll handle it together.”
“I love you. Now. Tomorrow. Twenty years from now. Fifty. It’s never going to end.”
