Page 48 of Pucking Tangled

FORTY-SEVEN

Waylon

Mia was lying with her head against his chest, one leg thrown loosely over his hip, while they basked in the afterglow.

He needed to get some sleep, but his mind was still racing.

She shifted just enough to look up at him, her voice barely audible. “You okay?”

He faked a smile. “Yeah. You?”

“Still trying to remember how to breathe.”

Waylon chuckled softly, his hand trailing up and down her back. She was tucked perfectly against him like she belonged there. Like he’d never have to sleep alone again.

God, he wanted that.

But the world outside his door wasn’t as soft as this moment .

His parents were far less supportive than hers and Casey’s had been.

Mia’s mom spent the entire evening peppering him with questions out of sheer curiosity. There was no judgment. No embarrassment or shame.

Her father, though worried about his daughter’s heart, welcomed him with open arms.

Casey’s parents did, too.

Waylon let out a slow breath. “I wish my parents could be as supportive as the two sets sleeping under our roof tonight.”

Mia didn’t say anything—just waited. That was one of the things he loved about her. She didn’t push. She just let him get where he needed to at his own pace.

“They kept texting after I hung up earlier,” he finally admitted.

Mia’s hand found his under the blanket, and she laced their fingers together. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What difference would it make? I didn’t want to ruin the good that was happening here.”

He paused, weighing his words.

“They think what we have is perverse. Like I’ve lost my damn mind.”

He heard Mia swallow.

“And what do you think?” she asked softly.

Waylon turned his head and kissed her temple. “Mia, I’ve never been more certain of anything in my entire life.”

Her fingers squeezed his.

“They want me to be someone I’m not. They always have. Always expected I’d marry some sweet girl with a church background, a trust fund, and a real quiet mouth. Someone they could brag about to their friends.”

“Instead, you chose me,” she whispered .

He smiled against her skin. “Yeah. You. The smart, sharp-mouthed law student who makes my whole damn chest ache when she walks into a room.”

“And a woman who comes with three other guys, too,” Mia snorted. “Do you regret it?”

He rolled toward her, nudging her onto her back so he could look her full in the face. Her hair was a mess, cheeks flushed, lips pink and swollen from his kisses—and still, even now, she looked scared of his answer.

Waylon bent down, kissed her slowly and softly.

“I’d lose them a hundred times before I’d ever choose them over you.”

Her eyes shimmered in the low light.

“And over the guys?” she asked.

Waylon shook his head. “You and the guys are a package deal. It’s not one or the other. It’s us .”

She wrapped her arms around him.

Waylon closed his eyes and held her tighter.

There was so much they still had to figure out. Conversations to be had. Fights to weather. But here, in this dark room, in this stolen sliver of night, none of that mattered.

He’d chosen her.

And he’d do it again tomorrow.

And the day after that.

“Do you think they’ll ever come around?” Mia asked.

He sighed. “If I’m being honest, no. Not really.”

“But I don’t need them to, Mia. Not anymore.” He held her closer. “I’ve got all I need, right here.”

Mia looked at him like she was desperate to believe him, but wasn’t quite sure she could. “You say that now,” she said, brushing her thumb along his jaw. “But what happens when this stops being easy? ”

Waylon kissed the inside of her wrist. “You think this is easy ?”

There wasn’t a damn thing easy about the world watching and judging their love story.

She smiled, her expression wry. “Okay. Fun , then.”

“It’ll still be us,” he said, voice steady. “Whatever shape that takes. If it gets hard, we work harder. If the world gets loud, we shut the door. We’ll all take care of each other. That’s the beauty in all of this.”

Mia stayed quiet, but he felt her relax and blow out a breath. Then she reached down, pulled the sheet up over both of them, and tucked herself in against his chest, ready to fall asleep.

He felt her smile against his skin.

And just before she drifted off, her voice was barely audible as she whispered, “Thank you… for choosing me.”

The next morning, Waylon was pulled from sleep by a knock on his bedroom door.

“Hey, Way, we’re getting ready to leave. You coming?” Luca called out from the other side.

Mia was still tucked against his side, sleeping.

He glanced at the clock.

Shit.

“Baby,” he murmured, brushing her hair off her cheek. “Wake up.”

Mia groaned and buried her face in his chest. “No.”

“I’m gonna be late.”

“For what?”

“Mandatory PR training. Remember? ”

She pulled back just far enough to glare at him. Her hair was a mess, her eyes barely open, and she was still the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “You’re the one who kept me up,” she muttered.

Waylon smirked. “I don’t recall you complaining.”

Mia tried to shove him, failed, and just let her arm flop across his chest again. “Five more minutes.”

A sharp knock hit the door.

“Come on, man. Seriously. Put some clothes on and let’s roll. Casey’s mom made us breakfast to go. If you’re not out in five, I’m eating yours,” Luca threatened from the other side of the door.

“Hannah made breakfast?” Mia perked up as Waylon untangled himself from her.

Waylon grinned, leaned down, and kissed her quickly.

He barely had his pants zipped and was pulling a shirt over his head when someone knocked again.

“Hey,” Casey called through the door. “Food’s ready. Mia’s dad is trying to figure out if ‘breakfast tacos’ are really a thing. Also, the moms are asking where Mia is. So…like…sooner would be better than later.”

Mia scrambled upright, wide-eyed. “Breakfast tacos?! My mom’s in the kitchen?! Like right now ?”

Waylon grabbed a clean pair of shorts and tossed them to her with a cocky grin on his face.

Mia pointed at him. “You’re so smug for someone who’s about to walk downstairs with sex hair and two moms who notice everything .”

Waylon shrugged. “You’re assuming I’m embarrassed or ashamed.”

“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes as she pulled her hair up into a messy bun .

“I told your mom last night that we had a custody schedule. I’ll just tell her it was my night with you.”

“You will not!” Mia poked his chest, then gave him a playful shove.

Downstairs, the kitchen was chaotic—as usual.

Luca was arguing with Mia’s dad about the definition of a breakfast taco.

Owen was filling travel mugs with coffee, while the moms wrapped tacos in foil for the guys to take with them.

Waylon grabbed two from Mia’s mom and gave her a hug. “Thank you.” His voice cracked and his chest ached. Why couldn’t his own mother be more like this?

Lainey paused and looked up at him. “You’re family now, in case that wasn’t clear. And we take care of our family.”

Emotion grew thick in Waylon’s throat. He didn’t trust himself to reply to that, so he just nodded instead.

“Okay, we really need to go,” Owen said, passing a cup to Waylon.

“We’ll all be here when you get back,” Hannah said with a wave.

Waylon caught Mia letting out a groan.

“Yay!” She said, feigning enthusiasm.

He was tempted to kiss her goodbye, but his teammates didn’t, so he didn’t either. Her parents were cool with what was going on, but that didn’t mean they wanted to see their PDA.