It really wasn’t fair, how ridiculously easy it was when it came to him. She should have been mad. She should have wanted to yell and curse at him and say mean things and hold out and be stubborn and make him work for it. Except she could see by the dark smudges under his eyes that he hadn’t slept properly in a few days. He looked tired. Tired straight down to the soul. It was the same way she felt. She didn’t like feeling that way and she didn’t want to inflict it on Ross either.
“Ever?” she whispered. “That’s a pretty big statement.”
“I mean it.” Ross eased away from the door. He stepped towards her, covering ground pretty fast, but right at the last minute, he stopped, giving her the space she needed. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met. I’ve never felt this way before, and it turns me into a complete brainless idiot who makes bad decisions and gets hurt too quickly and- and it kind of sucks. I mean, feeling that way. It’s amazing, but it’s also… just-”
“Hard?”
“Extremely. I’m scared. I don’t like being scared. No one does.”
“It’s probably harder as a dude because you’re supposed to be all macho and hold it together.”
“I don’t know. It’s probably equally as hard for you.”
“Maybe it’s worth it though. I actually never truly thought that before. Even when I was with people, trying to make it work, I just thought, half the time, that it was pointless. I don’t feel that way with you.”
“Give it time,” Ross deadpanned.
Teela fought a smile and lost. “Well, this baby is coming. We’re both going to be parents. We have time to decide whether we want that to be together or apart.”
Ross shook his head and the look on his face stopped Teela’s heart in its tracks. “Not apart. I don’t want to be apart. I want to give this all we’ve got and see if it works, because I think it could. I’m going to go crazy if I don’t have you in my life. I don’t want you to be just a friend or just the mother of my child. I like waking up next to you. I like going to sleep beside you. I like all the stuff that comes in between that even more.”
Teela rolled her eyes. “I bet you do.”
“I seriously filled up my entire SUV with flowers. One bouquet for every single day we’ve been apart. Every single day that I screwed this up.”
“You didn’t,” Teela breathed.
“Oh, I did. Come see. It’s full. I’ll bring them all in here, if you want. There’s enough to fill up the living room, or the bedroom, or maybe the bed. Or the bath. A rose petal bath could be pretty romantic.”
“Have you seen me?” Teela blurted. She knew she was a hot mess. Her kitchen was full of dirty dishes because she hadn’t found the energy to actually clean. Her living room didn’t look much better. She hadn’t showered in a while. She probably looked far worse than the house did.
“I see you,” Ross breathed. He looked at her like he really did. Like he saw straight down to her soul. No one had ever looked at her that way before. “I see you and you’re absolutely beautiful.”
“But I haven’t showered-”
“I can help you with that. Trust me.”
When he held out his arms, Teela wished she could have flipped him off. She wished she could have told him to take a hike or that she could have stayed mad for just a little bit longer, just to hear how much more romantic, mushy stuff he was willing to spout off.
But she didn’t.
Because she couldn’t.
Instead she stepped into the only set of arms that had ever felt right. The only set of arms she wanted wrapped around her for the rest of her life. At least, like Ross said, she was willing to give it a real good shot. Forever might be a long time, but they had to start somewhere. One day at a time. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months and months turned into years.
Teela let Ross slip his hand under her chin and tilt her face up. “I promise that even if you get old and wrinkly and by some miracle we make it, which I’m going to try my damn best at, I’m never going to hate you. We’re not going to be one of those couples. I’m always going to drive you crazy. In bed and out.”
Teela giggled. “Then kiss me already and take me to the shower like you promised. Start driving me crazy in bed instead of out of it.”
Ross swept her up in his arms and she let out a squeal of surprise. Her hands flew to the back of his neck so that she could steady herself and hang on.