All I Ever Wanted

Chapter 22

I lift my head up and open my eyes to find his watery ones staring back at me.

"...then I promise you that I'll never make you regret it."

Silence.

For once, there isn't anything or anyone to interrupt us. Finally, I will know once and for all what our fate is.

He's been quiet for so long that I can only assume the worst. I just know that he is thinking of some gentle way to let me down. If he does that, then... I think I may just literally crumble right in front of his eyes.

When his lips land on top of mine, my heart skips a beat.

They're slightly chapped, but they're also warm and fit perfecfly against mine, just like they always have.

When he pulls away, I'm left heaving for air. He hasn't kissed me like that since-

"Logan, you don't listen to a damn thing I tell you to do."

My mouth drops open and tears silently trail down my cheeks as my body trembles with shock. "Klay-..."

He glares at me. "Let me finish. You are the most stubborn woman I know. You slept with Nick, which still pisses me off-..."

My eyes roam over his the bruises on his arms and face, and I swallow hard. Yes, that much is definitely obvious.

"-and you always fight with me. And you know what?"

My eyes shut to keep myself from having to look into his eyes and see the disappointment and anger that I know is lying there. "What?"

"I don't give a damn."

My eyes flash open in an instant, my mouth open like a fish out of water.

What???

Klay strokes my cheek gently as he gives me a small smile. "Being stubborn and not listening to me, that's just who you are, Logan. It's one of the reasons why I love you so damn much. Yeah, sometimes it pisses me off more than I let on, but it also makes me want to kiss you and show you just how crazy you make me. And as for Nick..."

I wince at the mention of his teammate. That is my biggest regret, and sadly I can't do anything about it.

"That's in the past. Yeah, I fought with him tonight, but only because he hurt you. I'm never going to be friends with him because he knew how much you meant to me but he didn't care, he still had to have you. I'm not going to hold it against you, babygirl. I want to be with you too damn much."

Oh Klay...

My silent tears turn into loud sobs as I become so overwhelmed with emotion. He is too good for me, he truly is.

He cups my cheek with his hand and kisses away my tears. "Leaving you, those broken promises, Nick, Desiree, all of our fights...I'm not saying that we have to forget about it all, but I think we should leave all of that in the past. Right now, I'm focused on being here with you in this moment. All I care about is the present and the future..."

He pulls away from me and gets down onto the floor, and I gasp and cry harder when he pulls out the ring that he was going to propose to me with the first time. It's still just as beautiful as it was before...

"And in my future, all I can see is you and Hope. Between the two of you, my heart is full. I've never wanted to be a father so bad, but every time I see that sweet little girl, I want to give her the world, and when I see your beautiful face... I lose my breath. No one is perfect, Logan, but I truly believe that you're perfect for me. It's been rough without you all of these years, and now that I finally have you back, I refuse to live life with anyone else. So, Logan...babygirl, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

"Yes," I say quietly as I lean down to kiss him before I pull him up to me and cry into his chest.

If someone had told me that this is how my night was going to end a few hours ago, I would have admitted them into the looney bin. It's been an emotional rollercoastser up until now, but finally I feel like things are looking up for us.

Soft kisses on my neck break me out of my reverie, and I gasp as Klay lays me down onto the bed and begins suckling on my neck. "Klay..."

He growls protectively as his hands drift up underneath the skirt of my dress. "Logan, I haven't had you in so long. Tonight, I'm not letting you get any sleep. Tonight is all about showing you what you have to look forward to for the resr of your life."

Well, in that case...

Just as his hands reach my thong, the sound of loud hurling and crying fills the air. Both of our eyes meet, and I watch as Klay groans and drops his head onto my stomach. I shut my eyes and take a few deep breaths to keep from screaming out in frustration.

Ava!

With a sad sigh, I run my hand over his hair as I move to sit up. "I'm sorry."

Klay shakes his head as he moves off of me and gets up from the bed. "Don't be. I'll go grab some pain meds and water."

With a nod of my head, I stand and begin to make my way to the door, but a strong arm around my waist stops me.

His warm breath tickles my ear as he whispers, "This isn't over, Logan. Tomorrow, you're mine."

My only response is a long slow kiss, and when I slide my tongue along his bottom lip, Klay groans and holds onto me tighter.

A few seconds later I pull away and smile at him, something I haven't done in awhile. "Always, Klay, always."