First Crush, My Forever

Chapter 95

  We had a nice family time after lunch before we had to work on dinner. Now the kitchen smells like garlic and rosemary, the chicken roasting slowly in the oven. Dani's at the counter, knife moving a little too fast through the vegetables like she's trying to cut her way out of her own head. KK's laughter drifts from the playroom, loud and carefree, not a trace of what happened earlier hanging on her.

  I grab a mixing bowl and move in closer, brushing against Dani's side on purpose. "You okay?"

  She sets the knife down with a clink. "I'm fine." A pause, then softer. "I'm just... still chewing on it."

  "About Natalie?"

  Her mouth tightens. "Yeah. I hate that she can still get under my skin. I don't want to care what she thinks or what happened."

  I reach out and take her hand, my thumb tracing slow circles over her knuckles. "You don't have to. You've got me. You've always had me. You've got KK. That's real. That's solid."

  Her shoulders ease just a little, and she tips her head toward me, resting against my upper arm. "Sometimes I feel like you're carrying all the weight for both of us."

  I kiss the top of her hair, lingering. "That's because I'm taller and stronger," I tease.

  Dani lets out a laugh, swatting lightly at my side. "Cocky."

  "Confident," I shoot back, grinning.

  Dani shakes her head, but there's a smile tugging at her lips now. She picks the knife back up and starts chopping slower this time. "Well, if you're so strong, why don't you slice the veggies before I lose a finger."

  I slide the cutting board toward me. "Bossing me around while I'm already here to help? Bold move, baby."

  "Someone has to keep you in line," she says, hip-checking me gently.

  I chuckle, bumping her back just enough to make her laugh again. The tension in her voice from earlier is gone, replaced by something lighter, safer.

  From the playroom, KK's voice rises, singing some made-up tune at the top of her lungs. Dani glances down the hall, her eyes soft. "She bounces back like it's nothing. I wish I could."

  "You can," I say, sliding the peppers into the skillet. "You just forget you've got me now. Lean as much as you need. I'm not going anywhere."

  I stir the veggies in the skillet, the aroma filling the kitchen. Dani leans against the counter beside me, towel in hand, watching like she's pretending to focus but really just staring.

  "You know what I miss?" I playfully say, flicking her a sideways glance.

  Her head tilts. "What's that?"

  I grin, keeping my eyes on the pan. "Professor Howard."

  Dani snorts, shaking her head. "Oh, don't start."

  "I'm serious," I say, finally looking at her. "I miss sitting in your class, watching you tear into us about symbolism like it was life or death."

  Dani rolls her eyes, but her lips twitch. "You mean when I tortured you with long essays and deadlines?"

  "Exactly." I step closer, lowering my voice. "I'd sit there pretending to take notes, but I was really just staring at you. You didn't even notice."

  Her cheeks flush pink, and she tries to play it off. "You hated all that theory I made you read."

  "True," I admit. "But the way you lit up when you talked about a story? That made me fall for you even more. When you forgot about grading and just... loved what you were teaching."

  Her smirk softens, and she swallows hard. "You can't say things like that while we're supposed to be making dinner."

  "Why not?" I lean in a little.

  "Because it makes me want to forget about dinner completely."

  I press a kiss to her forehead, slow and lingering. "Tempting. But if we make my moms wait on an empty table, they'll never forgive us."

  She swats me with the towel, laughing. "You're impossible."

  "You love me anyway."

  Her hand finds mine, fingers sliding between mine like they always do. She squeezes gently, her voice dropping low. "Yeah. I do."

  The oven timer dings, and she reluctantly lets go to grab the roasting pan. I step beside Dani and press a kiss to her forehead, slow and lingering, my free hand sliding down to her hip before I give her ass a playful squeeze.

  "Taytum," she gasps, swatting at me with the towel, though her smile betrays her.

  "What?" I grin, all innocence. "Just appreciating my fiancée."

  Her cheeks flush, and she tries to hide it by turning back toward the oven. "You're lucky dinner's almost ready, or you'd be in trouble."

  "Trouble's my favorite place to be with you."

  She sets the pan down on the stovetop with a little roll of her eyes, but I can see her cheeks pink. "You're ridiculous."

  "And you love it," I fire back, leaning in to steal another kiss before she can dodge me.

  Her laugh spills out against my mouth, soft and warm. "I do. God help me, I really do."

  I squeeze her hip once more, smug and satisfied. "Good answer."

  The whole time, the ring on her finger feels like it's burning a hole between us. I want to blurt it out now, before the food even hits the table, but I hold back. I want my moms to see her glowing when they hear the words.

  Before she can say more, the doorbell rings. Dani glances toward the front door, wide-eyed. Her hand shoots up to smooth her shirt, then she tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

  "That's them."

  "Relax," I murmur, sliding my arm around her waist as we head toward the entryway. "They love you. And they're going to be over the moon when we tell them."

  She leans into me as we walk, her shoulder brushing my arm. "Yeah, but still... my nerves haven't caught up to the fact that I get to say you're forever mine now."

  I press a quick kiss to her hair, grinning as I reach for the door handle. "Better get used to it, baby. You're stuck with me."

  I pull the door open and there they are, Mama and Mom, smiling like they've been waiting all day for this. "Hey, baby," Mama says, pulling me into a hug before I can even get a word out. She smells like her favorite lavender lotion. Mom's right behind her, arms just as wide, and Dani slips in to hug them both too.

  Before anyone can say anything else, the sound of little feet pounding on the hardwood cuts through. "Nana L! Nana K!" KK comes flying around the corner, clutching a crayon drawing in one hand and barreling straight into Mom's legs.

  "Sweetheart!" Mom scoops her up with a laugh, spinning her once before setting her on her hip. "My goodness, you're getting so big."

  "I missed you!" KK beams, planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek. Then she twists to reach for Mama, and Mama takes her easily, nuzzling her cheek like she hasn't seen her in months.

  "I missed you too, my sweetheart," Mama says warmly.

  Dani slips her hand into mine while we watch them, her fingers curling tight like she's grounding herself. I squeeze back, pressing my thumb over her knuckles. Just that little touch has her glancing at me with a smile I can't not kiss.

  So I lean down and brush my lips against her lips. "See? Told you," I murmur low, just for her. She exhales, soft and steady, and it feels like we're exactly where we're supposed to be.

~ A/N ~ Sorry for the delayed updates, life has been extremely busy. Hopefully the multiple uploads today will make up for it. 😉 Happy reading!   ~ Eden Shay ~