Her questions hit me right between the eyes. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I hadn’t thought coming here for her would result in planning an entire future. A family.

I look down, needing to be released from her intent gaze while I gather my thoughts, and my eyes fall on her stomach. It’s covered up by the blankets, hidden from view, but knowing what’s under there is enough to give me the answer I’m looking for. I’ve never been the kind of man anyone would venture to call father material, but now, with Vista lying beside me and my baby growing inside her, I feel like I could be. At the very least, I want the chance to try.

“I don’t know what comes next,” I admit. “But I can promise you that whatever happens, I’m all-in. I’ll make this work, whether it’s here or Chicago or someplace else. Just don’t write me off yet. Promise me that you’ll give me a chance to figure this out.”

Rubbing her forehead, Vista huffs. “Why should I? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t draw the line right now and end this once and for all.”

Meeting her eyes, I feel my heart climb into my throat. It’s time to come clean. To lay everything straight so there will be no misunderstanding. “Because, princess. I risked everything when I came here for you.”

Her sharp inhale and the way she holds my gaze steady in hers leaves me feeling stripped bare. There is no hiding what I feel for this woman. Not anymore.

Drawing in a steady breath, I take the leap that could break me worse than any bone ever has. “I’m in love with you.”

22

This would be the time where I say I love him, too, but I can’t form any words. I’m in shock. That has to be it. Levi Black is in love? With me? But…he’s never even had a steady girlfriend. I can’t wrap my brain around it.

“Run that by me again,” I say, my voice nothing but a whisper.

Flipping onto his side, Levi faces me, his blue eyes focused on mine with an intensity that is flat-out scary. Especially on him. I’ve never known Levi to be serious about anything. Except soccer. And women. And having sex with women.

Reaching out, he takes my hand. Drawing patterns on the back of my fingers with one of his, he says, “I love you, Vista. That’s what I came here to tell you. Since the day you walked out that door, I’ve been working my way back to you.”

I...don’t know what to say. I can’t think. I can’t... Withdrawing my hand, I flip onto my back, and then toss back the blankets, setting my feet on the floor and reaching for my robe that hangs on one of the bedposts.

“Too much?”

Standing, I turn back to look at him. “Yeah, too much.” Way too much, too fast. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of hearing from the man I love, but…Of all the women he’s been with, why me? Who am I but a girl whose mom married his dad? How the hell have I possibly tamed this man when no one else has ever come close? It doesn’t make sense to me.

Levi’s frown runs deep, but it’s clear that it’s not going to deter him. Sitting up, he tells me, “It’s a lot to take in. I’m still getting used to it myself, but, Vista—princess—I swear it’s true. I know I’m the last person in the world you’d ever expect to fall in love with someone, but I love you. I do, and if you need me to take out an ad on a billboard or something to prove it, I will. I’ll call Vincent right now and he’ll get on it.”

I feel my own frown fall into place in response. “Who’s Vincent?”

“You met him once. The first day you came to stay with me.”

Who..? Oh, that guy. I feel my eyes widen at the memory. “The guy with the beard?”

“Yeah, that’s him,” Levi says, a smirk playing on his face as he scratches his nails over his own chin hair.

“I don’t think I like Vincent,” I tell him. Granted, it turned out to be an all-around bad evening and I could be projecting my anger toward Levi and his audacity to bring women back to the apartment against him, but anyone who runs with Levi is bound to fall under the same scrutiny.

Damn, does that mean that I fall under the same axe of judgment?

“You don’t know Vincent. He’s wild, but he’s a good guy, once you get to know him,” Levi defends.

Do I hear a story in there somewhere? I shake my head. This conversation is getting way off track, fast. “Levi, I don’t even know what to say to you right now.” Wait, yes I do. “Is this about the baby? Is that why you’re saying this? Professing your love? Because if you’re worried about making an honest woman of me or dodging the press coverage or something, I don’t want any part of it.”

“That’s not even close to the reason,” Levi insists as he shoves back the rest of the blankets and scoots toward me.

I can’t help it. He’s completely naked and now he’s completely exposed, too. A girl can only take so much. My gaze drops to his crotch. Damn, he’s seriously well-endowed. Like, seriously. I feel my cheeks begin to redden as his cock stiffens right before my eyes.

Placing his feet on the floor, Levi reaches out for me. I go to him, powerless to say no. With his arms locked loosely around my hips, he presses his lips to my stomach first before peering up at me through his thick black lashes. “I’d love you even if you weren’t having my baby,” he says sincerely. “I was already coming to tell you that before I even knew you were pregnant.”

Thinking back, I know he’s telling me the truth. He was shocked, seriously upset, and even went through a brief period of denial, and all before my eyes. There’s no faking that kind of reaction, so I have to believe him. Which makes this seem all the more unreal. Levi, the famous soccer player and infamous Lothario, is in love with me?

Sighing, I lean a little deeper into him, feeling his arms fasten tighter around me. “Assuming I’m in agreement here...how is this going to work, Levi?” I ask him as doubts begin creeping in. “You’re off traveling the country and I live here. Even when you do happen to be home, that’s still a hell of a commute. Not to mention the fallout when word gets out about us. Your dad is going to be crazy pissed.”

“Fuck my dad and fuck the media,” he replies fiercely. “I don’t give a shit about any of that. I told you before, this is our life. They don’t have any part of it except being voyeurs. So they can make all the judgments in the world, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to live by them. And neither should you.”

Standing, he rubs his palms down my arms, looking me straight in the eyes. “I’ve loved you for forever, Vista. Since the moment you walked into my life. There isn’t anything that anyone can say or do that would ever make that change. Can you say the same?”

Holding his gaze, I fumble for words. “I don’t know, Levi,” I answer honestly. “I’ve never dealt with anything like this before. I don’t know what I would do.”

“Then we’ll figure it out together.” Taking my hand, he begins leading me toward the bathroom. “Just know this,” he says as he cranks the water on. When his blue eyes meet mine, they’re swimming with laughter. “You can run, you can hide, but I’ll always follow. Always.”

“Well, that’s not creepy at all,” I joke. But in all seriousness, I hear what he’s telling me. Levi is willing to fight for what he wants. He’s willing to fight for me. It’s actually pretty romantic, and I can’t not be touched by that. I’ve never had a man care enough to follow me across the states to be with me. Even my own father ditched out on me before I was born.

Levi’s smile steals my breath as sure as if he’d kissed it out of me. That’s what this man does to me. Even if I wanted to deny the feelings I have for him, I’d never be able to deny how badly I want him. How badly I’ve always wanted him. It’s taken four years to come to terms with it, but now I know that, this time, I won’t be the one who walks away.