Life after You

Sure?

Joe POV

I wake up in the guesthouse, completely alone and full of regret after last night. A lot of that was because I didn't really say anything after finding out the truth, but mostly, I was scared that I'd say the wrong thing and you'd think I didn't want this anymore.

You have a daughter, a beautiful little girl and I'd murdered the man that had caused you the heartbreak of having to give her up. The consequences of ridding the world of a predator like Paul Leahy stretched further than I thought.

Would you run away from me, despise me, or want me jailed for the rest of my life if you ever discovered what I'd done to him? I thought I did the right thing, but what if I was wrong?

It's almost sunrise now and I find you outside, sitting alone by the pool with a glass of water in one hand and a book in the other. Not once looking up at me even after I take a seat in the chair next to you.

"You must've been up early?"

"Sorry. I didn't exactly sleep well last night".

There was a question I had to ask even if I feared the answer you might give me.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"I think the real question here is do you wanna stay?"

"Peyton, how many different ways do I need to tell you I love you before you believe me?"

Finally you look at me, but you don't say anything. You're scared that I'm going to reject you now that I know everything and that's understandable.

"Is this the real reason why you barely ever dated? Because you think that as soon as you let any man close enough to love you and you finally open up to them, they'll run?"

A lot of men probably would, but I'm not like those men.

"Are you gonna pretend that it doesn't bother you, what he did?"

"Of course it does, I'd be lying if I said it didn't. He hurt you, Peyton, and all I want is for you to believe me when I tell you that I'm not leaving".

"What about kids?"

"What about them?"

"Won't it hurt, knowing that one day if we decided to have a baby together that it'll be your first child, not mine?"

"I'm not going to sit here and bullshit you into believing that every aspect of our relationship will always run smoothly. Perfect doesn't work, remember? And if one day we do have a baby it will be special for both of us because he or she will be 'our' first child".

"You don't mean that" you sigh.

"Yes I do and you can fight me on that all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that you're the love of my life and that I'm going to marry you one day".

"Oh yeah?" a slight smile appears on your face as you carefully place the book down.

"Yes. And if you have any lingering doubts about us then I can't wait to spend every day of the rest of our lives proving it to you".

"You're sure about this?"

"I'm more than sure".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peyton POV

Was he serious? He really wants to marry me someday? I hope he isn't just saying it or that I don't manage to sabotage this somewhere along the way.

He'd already taken his time to slowly undress me, making sure I felt every ounce of love he has before screwing me senseless.

"Fuck, Joe! Don't stop!" I scream during our morning shower.

My leg was wrapped around his waist by this point and he was showing me absolutely no mercy after being abstinent for the past two days.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?"

"Tell me" I moan between thrusts.

"You're a fucking goddess" he breathes against my neck seconds before I finish.

There's one thing I can never deny about Joe Goldberg, and that's the undeniable talent he has for making me feel like the most beautiful woman in the entire world.

"Say it, Peyton".

Of course I know what he likes to hear. Those four words that I've learned tip him over the edge and make him finish every time.

"I love you, Joe".

And just like that, he exhaustedly buries his head into my chest after he comes and finally lets my leg down. That was incredible.

"You're amazing" I tell him.

"I meant what I said before, by the way".

"Which part?"

"All of it, but especially the part where I'm going to marry you".

"Are you asking me, Mr Goldberg?" I ask nervously.

It's way too soon for that, right? Our entire relationship had been crazy and stressful at times, but marriage definitely doesn't seem like a good idea.

"No, I'm just promising you that it's going to happen for us one day. The beautiful wedding, the house with the white picket fence, kids, all of it".

It's a nice idea. I can already picture Joe being the doting husband and father. One that would be at every school play, every soccer game, arrive early for every PTA meeting.

"How many kids did you have in mind?" I ask curiously.

"Two. A boy and a girl".

"And what would we call them?"

"Parker for a boy, and Grace for a girl".

He didn't even hesitate to answer, meaning that he's already put a lot of thought into our potential future together. It was a sweet as it was crazy.

Of course I didn't have to worry about getting pregnant anytime soon because I was already back on birth control, just as an extra precaution.

Plus, I wouldn't want to start trying for a baby until after we got married. Not only that, but I'd want us to live together for at least a year before I'd even consider getting engaged.

Oh God, look at me. I'm practically turning into Joe.