He didn’t say anything, he just rolled over, taking her in his arms and wrapping them around her so that she was encased in his strength. “Well, when you put it that way, I want the same thing.”

She grinned against his chest, moving her nose along his collarbone as her eyes drifted shut. She was overwhelmed with the love she had for this man, this sweet, funny man who made her heart soar. How was it possible to love someone so much when you fought so hard not to? Fate was a funny, funny gal, but Mekena didn’t want her to change anything about herself. “Plug your nose.”

Her brows came together. “Huh?”

But before he could answer, he farted so loud she swore the bed shook, and even Mr. Right cried out in distress. “You’re so nasty!” she yelled, smacking him and trying to get away, but he held her tight, his body shaking with laughter.

“Let me go!”

“No way. We want to hold each other, spend every waking moment together. We don’t want to sleep, Mekena! We want to be together,” he teased, holding her close as she gagged from the god-awful smell.

“I take it back,” she yelled as he laughed hard.

“Bask in it, baby, it’s the smell of your lover.”

“Oh, my God,” she cried out, gagging as she smacked him, but then she couldn’t help it, she started to laugh too. He was such a dork. “I hate you.”

“You do not.”

“I know.”

“You love me and my smelly ass.”

“That’s debatable.”

“Eh, I don’t think so,” he teased, kissing her jaw and then her cheek.

She glared at him, but he grinned back as she said, “You ruined the sweet, sleepy-morning moment.”

“Who, me? With my fart?” he asked innocently, and she rolled her eyes.

“Yes.”

“Oh, my bad. Want me to do it again so I can ruin the funny, lazy fart moment?”

“No!” she cried and he grinned, cuddling her tighter into his chest. She didn’t understand it, he should disgust her, but she didn’t want anything else but these smelly moments. As long as they were with him. It was about him. About the love she had for only him. “Markus.”

“Yeah,” he said, his eyes closed as she tipped her head back to look at him.

“I’ve loved you for a really long time.”

“I know,” he said, still not looking at her.

“You did not.”

“I did too,” he said, finally opening his eyes as his lips curved knowingly. “You may think you can hide how you feel, but, woman, I can read you like a play.”

“Whatever,” she said, glaring. “You’re ruining my moment again. You were supposed to say something all sweet and innocent, like, ‘Oh, really?’”

He scoffed. “Hey, at least I didn’t fart.”

Shaking her head, she leaned her forehead to his chin. “So all the romance is gone now, I guess?”

“Hey, I don’t fart for anyone.”

“I really hate you.”

“You do not.”

“I know.”

Kissing her temple, he moved his lips along her forehead as he breathed her in. For a second, she was conscious that she might not smell all fresh. But then, the room smelled like fart, so why she cared, she didn’t know. When she felt him grin against her, she smiled too. It was nice not to care, to just be comfortable with another person completely. “Hey, Mekena.”

“Yeah?”

“I know you’ve loved me for a while, and that’s amazing and perfect and something I’ll hold in my heart forever, I will. But with me, it isn’t what I feel for you—that’s a given, I love you—it’s what I don’t feel for anyone else. I don’t want to make anyone else smile. I don’t want to make anyone else laugh. I don’t even want to cook for anyone else. Or lie in a bed and fart. Only you. I love only you, and that will never change.”

“Wow,” she breathed, and she felt him grin against her temple.

“How’s that for a romantic moment?”

“Really damn good.” Tipping her head back, she curved her lips as their gazes met. “I love you too.

He grinned. “Good. Now can I fart again? That damn chicken last night got my gut twisted.”

“I swear to God, Markus, I’ll cut you.”

He moaned. “Fine.”

“Thank you,” she said, nuzzling her nose into his neck as he rested his chin on her head. “We should just stay here all day.”

“We can’t. We have breakfast with everyone before they fly back home. Baylor asked if I was moving back in. Told her my sugar momma was taking me in.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re insane.”

“Been called worse…by you, actually,” he teased, and she laughed.

“Fine, we go to breakfast and then we go to the hotel, veg out, and watch Netflix.”

He nodded. “Sounds amazing. Did you finish Gilmore Girls?”

She giggled; she had forgotten she got him hooked on that show when they were dating. “Nope, Lorelei pissed me off. It broke me, I quit her.”

He mocked a gasp. “Mekena, give her a chance. She was lost and confused! We’re finishing it before…” He trailed off as he looked down at her. “Before we find out if we are doing this together or apart.”

She swallowed hard as she nodded. “Sounds good.”

“I’m excited, though.”

She smiled because she knew what he was speaking of. Everything. He was excited for everything. “I am too.”

“We’re gonna be happy.”

“Yeah, we are,” she agreed, closing her eyes as she held him, her fingers moving along the back of his neck. He smelled divine and all kinds of yummy. Thankfully, all the death gas was gone.

“It’s going to work out, you and me. We’ll figure it all out.”

“We will. As long as we’re together.”

“Yeah, even apart, we’ll be okay. We can FaceTime and Netflix.”

“That sounds nice.”

“Yeah, and we’ll get together on my weekends off, and it will work.” She loved how confident he was, how he was certain it was all going to work. She felt the same way.

Completely.

Moving his lips along her hair, he whispered, “Can you believe it?”