I bounce Zack on my hip as I crane my neck, lifting up on my toes to look for Nate. My pulse pounds violently as I wait in anticipation for him to finally show up in my line of vision. This whole weekend I've been replaying the words he said to me on Friday night.

Love you both.

Nate told me he loves me.

Well, technically me and Zack but still. I was left gaping at the blank screen, wondering if he even realized he said it because he ended the call before he was done saying the words. I don't think he knew what he said because it was so abrupt. I thought for sure us FaceTiming the rest of the weekend would be awkward but it turns out I didn't have to worry about that because we both got too busy and had to stick to texting. Neither of us mentioned his "slip up" and now I'm a nervous wreck about seeing him face to face and probably talk about what he said. Should I wait for him to bring it up? Should I bring it up?

Either way, I have plans to say the three words back. I spent so long waiting for the right moment until I realized there is no right moment. Saying the words in the heat of the moment itself is what will make it perfect. I know the way Nate told me was unconventional but I loved it. So much, that I have a surprise for him to show him how much I love him too. I think he's going to like it but I'm still nervous about his reaction.

"Mama is such a mess right now." I tell Zack with a groan. "Why can't love be easy? I hope it's easy for you when you find it, sweetness."

He babbles back at me and I smile, kissing his head. I can't believe he's already four-months-old. I've barely felt the time pass since he was born. He's such a good baby and I can't believe how blissful motherhood has been for me. I still talk to my psychiatrist Debra and she told me it's important for me to understand I deserve good things instead of questioning them and so I'm savouring every blessing in my life right now.

I startle when two large arms come around from behind me and my back meets a rock hard chest. I suck in a breath, Nate's familiar scent enveloping me, and my grin is immediate. I turn around in his embrace, carefully maneuvering Zack so he's not sandwiched between us.

"You're back!" I go up on my tiptoes to meet his lips in a searing kiss. He uses one hand to cup my face and angle my head while his other hands sits low on my back, his long fingers brushing the swell of my backside. I melt into him and feel so at home that my earlier worries completely disappear. Why am I so worried about telling him I love him? It's the absolute truth and I'm tired of holding it inside of me.

"I missed you both so much." He says gruffly when he pulls away. He takes Zack from my arms who's squealing happily and kicking his legs in excitement from finally seeing Nate. "Did you get bigger while I was gone, little man?"

Zack burrows his head into Nate's neck, cooing sweetly and using his little fingers to grip the collar of Nate's shirt.

"Aw, he's hugging you." I laugh, my heart bursting at the image of enormous Nate snuggling tiny Zack against his chest.

"Glad to see you too, dude." He whispers, kissing Zack's head and closing his eyes.

The moment is so pure and sweet, the love my son has for Nate so painfully obvious, that I can't help but feel ridiculously lucky to have such an amazing man be part of our lives. I can't believe I ever pushed him away but I'm glad things happened the way they did and brought us to this perfect moment.

"Hey, Nate?"

He opens his eyes, smiling softly at me. "Yeah, Angel?"

I hug his torso, tipping my head back and holding his gaze. "I love you. So, so much."

Time seems to freeze when I feel his heart skip a beat and hear the way he holds his breath. He blinks slowly like he's trying to process what I just said. Using one hand to keep Zack against his chest, he brings the other one up to catch my chin. "You...what?"

I smile, not doubting my words for a second. "I love you, Nate."

"Angel." He murmurs in a sort of awe after a brief pause. He draws in a breath and slowly exhales, his lips curling into a smile of his own. "I kind of fucked up when I said it the first time on Friday but in case it isn't clear to you yet, I am so ridiculously in love with you. You and Zack are my fucking world."

"You're ours." I whisper back, emotion making my voice thick and my throat tight.

He leans his down to kiss me again and it's so slow, so gentle and full of promise, that I can feel tears pricking the back of my lids. I kiss him back with every bit of me and hope he can feel how much I love him because just saying the words doesn't feel like enough. I could have kissed him for hours but Zack's sounds of protests force us to break apart and he burrows back into Nate, obviously wanting him to himself. I raise an amused brow while Nate throws his head back in laughter. Zack clearly has a favourite between the two of us but I don't mind — Nate is my favourite, too.

"I want to show you my tattoo now." Nate tucks my hair behind my ear and his smile looks almost nervous. I tilt my head in curiosity and wonder why. "I hope it doesn't freak you out."

"Freak me out?" I repeat, a little alarmed. "You didn't get my face tattooed on you, right?"

"No, baby." He chuckles. "See for yourself."

He holds his arm out to me and tips his chin toward the white cloth still taped on his bicep. I take cue and carefully peel it off, peeking up at him to make sure it doesn't hurt. The beginnings of the black ink begin to reveal from under the gauze and I feel my brows come together as I try to make out exactly what the tattoo is. When the entire thing shows, I take a moment to scrutinize but I can't figure out what the two intertwined symbols represent.

"You're going to have to explain this." I tell him, running a finger over the skin and tracing the outlines of the ink. It's a large circle that has a glowing hue and I wonder how on earth Lenny managed to create that with just black ink. Across the circle is what seems to be a heartbeat, the line zigzagging up and down. It starts and ends outside of the circle, making it look even more mystic.

"The circle is a halo. You can figure that one out." He smiles and my eyes snap to his in surprise.

"A halo?" I repeat dumbly. Instinctively, my hand goes around my neck to clutch the halo pendant that I always wear ever since he gave it to me.

"A halo, Angel." He says quietly and I swallow, biting the inside of my cheek so I don't cry. Holy crap. The halo represents me. He has me tattooed on him for life.

"And the heartbeat?" I whisper, not trusting my voice right now.

"The first five seconds of Zack's heartbeat from the ECG they took of him after he was born. It took me five seconds to fall in love with the little man when I first saw him. It took me five seconds to fall in love with you, too. You two are the most important people in my life and I wouldn't be who I am without you. This piece is a reminder of how lucky I am."

"Nate." My trembling hands cover my mouth in shock. I can't believe he did this. I can't believe he loves us enough to permanently tattoo us on his body.

"Are you freaking out?" He sounds nervous again.

I nod behind my hands but quickly add, "In a good way."

"Really?" I nod again and he blows out a breath. "Thank fuck."

"I...I don't know what to say." I shake my head and drop my hands so I can hold on to his hips. I feel like I might fall over. "Thank you for this. I've never felt so important to anyone before and you know how much that means to me. How rare that is for me."

He kisses my temple and I sigh, letting my forehead fall against his chest. I can feel it thumping wildly underneath my skin. "I love you, Angel."

"I love you, babe." I kiss the spot where his heart is and tip my head back to meet his gaze. "Your tattoo probably means you won't freak out over mine."

His eyes flash. "You got a tattoo?"

"Surprise." I shrug and he sucks in an audible breath, his stare darkening as it pierces into me.

"Fuck, that's hot."

"You haven't even seen it yet."

"What's your point?"

I laugh under my breath, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the exit. "You can see it when we get home."

"Why not now?"

"Because of where I got it." I look at him from over my shoulder. "It's not exactly a place you'll want everyone's eyes on."

"Angel." He growls and I smile, turning back around. "Don't tease me like that. Where'd you get it?"

"Home." I insist and he makes a noise of impatience.

"Fine, but I'm driving. If I don't have something to do with my hands they're going to be all over you instead."

My breath hitches, his words lighting a fire inside my stomach and I feel it quiver in anticipation. All I can manage is a breathless, "Okay."

His smirk is way too pleased but I can't find it in me to care because I know he's going to maul me once we're home. Yum.

Once Zack is strapped in his car seat and we start driving, Nate takes hold of my thigh and winks at my amused expression. I place my hand above his and link our fingers together and it feels so right to just hold onto him like that. I catch him up on everything that happened over the weekend, the extent of it being what Zack was up to, and he told me about his time spent with Aria. Already I can tell how much he misses her and my heart hurts for him. I'm really hoping she'll be able to move within a year like she said.

When we get to our apartment building and park in the garage, Zack is already fast asleep from the drive. Nate carries him all the way home, holding on to him tightly and constantly kissing his head. I can tell he really missed him and I'm glad Zack is getting a nap in right now so the two can play together before his bedtime.

I open the door to my apartment since Nate's hands are full and he tells me he'll put Zack to bed. In the meantime, I take the opportunity to take his suitcase next door and unpack it for him since I'm sure he's tired as hell from the travelling. I put everything in its place and lock the door behind me when I'm done, heading back to my place. I don't see him in the living room so I peak into my bedroom and smile when I catch him lying down beside Zack on the bed, just looking down at him. I lean against the doorway and take a moment to watch my boys. How the hell did I get so lucky?

"Sorry." He whispers when he notices me few minutes later. "I just really missed him."

"That's okay." I shake my head, wondering why he would apologize for loving my son as much as he does. This is the love that Zack deserves and I can't think of a better man to give it to him.

Nate kisses his little hand and then sets it back down, putting pillows on his sides so he won't roll over during his sleep. I back up as he walks over to the door and shuts it, turning to face me.

Immediately he bends and wraps his hands around the backs of my thighs, lifting me up and walking us to the office. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull his head closer so I can kiss him. He moans into my mouth when I slide my tongue along his, exploring his taste that I missed so much. I hear him kick the door of the office shut and then he walks us over to the sofa bed, dropping me on it unceremoniously. I laugh at his obvious hurry as he reaches under to pull out the recliner and lay the sofa flat, turning it into a roomy bed that he climbs on top of. He reaches behind him and pulls out the baby monitor from his back pocket, setting it on the desk nearby and turning it on. I smile at the responsibility of his actions.

He yanks my legs straight and I yelp as I fall on my back, staring up at him. He sits above me and keeps his weight up with his knees on either side of my hips.

"Show me the ink, baby." He demands, eyes already darkening in anticipation.

I hold his gaze and shove my nerves aside as I grab the hem of my t-shirt and pull it off of me. I reach behind me and unclip my bra, dragging it down my arms and flinging it away. Nate's eyes zero in on the white cloth wrapping along the underside of my breasts and his chest expands with a deep breath.

"Can I take it off?" He asks in a gruff voice. I nod.

He carefully peels away the tape holding the cloth together and unwinds it from around my body. I know the exact moment he sees my tattoo because his eyes fall shut and he mutters a quiet "fuck" under his breath.

"What do you think?" I whisper, not quite sure what to make of his reaction.

"Why here?" He asks, tracing the words written along the curve underneath my left breast.

"Because it's closest to my heart." I explain a little shyly. I know it seems cheesy but it means a lot to me and I'm glad this is the first tattoo I've gotten.

"Angel." He chokes out. I'm surprised at the emotion in his voice. He reads the words again and a small smile curls his lips in realization. "Is this my handwriting?"

"Yeah. I used it from a note you left me after the night we had our first kiss. You wrote these words on the note and I kept it. I showed it to the lady that did my work and she mimicked it."

"Fuck." He whispers again. "It looks beautiful on you, Angel."

"They're your words." I tell him and he traces them again — the words that completely changed my life and brought him to me.

All I see is you.

"I love it." He bends his head and kisses the still-sensitive area softly. I suck in a breath, stroking the hair on his head as he kisses the same line over and over again. He traces each letter with lazy strokes of his tongue and I feel my body grow warm, wetness gathering between my thighs and causing my pulse to thunder.

"Nate." I moan quietly when he captures my nipple in his mouth. His large hands span the width of my waist and he presses my body down against the bed, teasing me with the way his tongue circles the bud. I gasp softly when he nips and releases me, kissing the five words tenderly again. His mouth travels down my stomach and stops when he reaches my jeans, unbuttoning them and dragging them down my legs along with my panties. I help him kick them off and then he's wrapping my legs around his neck right before his mouth settles on the part of my body that's throbbing for him.

"Oh!" I cry at the sensation of that first touch, my body humming with desire when his tongue slides into my entrance and causing my head to fall back against the bed. I love watching him go down on me but I don't have the strength to hold myself up to do it right now. What he's doing feels way to good and I close my eyes so I can savour it.

"Fucking missed this." He mumbles against me, sucking my clit into his mouth and drawing another gasp from me. I clutch his hair tightly between my fingers and spread my legs, inviting more of him. He hums in approval and slides the flat of his tongue up and down between my folds until I'm writhing and begging for release.

"Not yet." He tells me and pulls away.

"What?" I brush my mess of a hair out of my face and gape at him.

He laughs in obvious amusement and stands up, whipping his shirt off. He unbuckles his belt and I watch him unabashedly, my breath picking up when he takes his jeans and boxer off simultaneously. His cock springs against his stomach and I'm unable to take my eyes away. God, he's beautiful. Every part of him is perfection and I don't think I'll ever get used to having him all to myself.

"You're on the pill now, right?" He asks in a low voice and I realize where this is going.

"Yes." I respond, my voice quivering.

His eyes drag lazily down my naked body, approval and heat darkening the brows irises. He makes a sound in his throat, something between a growl and a groan. My eyes widen slightly when he grabs himself, pumping as he continues to stare at my body. Seeing Nate touch himself like that and knowing I'm the reason he's so turned on...I think I could orgasm from watching him alone. But the only thing I want more than that is him inside of me. So I tell him.

"I'm ready if you are." I tumble over how to say it. "You know — sex."

"I thought you were talking about raising a dog together because I'm ready for that too." He deadpans.

"Shut up." I laugh. "We're already raising a human together."

Nate freezes at the same time I clamp my mouth shut so hard I think I taste blood. Holy crap! Why did I say that? I basically implied that Nate is Zack's Dad. I freaking scared him off, didn't I?

"I...I didn't mean..." I can feel my face catch on fire. How do I take back those words, damn it?

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Nate immediately comes to my side and cups my face in reassurance. "What's with that look in your eye, huh? I'm not going to run for the hills."

"That came on a little strong. I'm sorry." I rush to defend.

"No, it didn't." He says softly and I blink in surprise. "You know, I've been thinking for a while now what my place in Zack's life is. I don't want to scare you off by demanding we put a label on it or anything but I'm going to be honest with you Del —I do feel a fatherly love for him. In my eyes he's mine, even if it's not biological, and if something ever happened to him I would lose my shit. He's part of me now."

"Oh, Nate." I shake my head at the nerves in his tone. Elation caused my hand to tremble and I'm just so damn glad we're on the same page right now. This past month all I could think about was how to describe the relationship between him and Zack but I was too scared to bring it up. To know he feels the love he does and thinks of Zack as his own makes me happier than I thought possible. "Do you even see how that little boy looks at you? He loses his mind when you're not around him. He loves you so, so much and you are all he's known since even before he was born. You're his hero, Nate. You are the father he's always deserved."

"Really?" He whispers with so much vulnerability in his voice that tears immediately gather in my eyes.

"Really." I stretch my neck up to capture his lips in a soft kiss. "We're yours for life if you'll have us."

"Have you?" He shakes his head. "You two fucking own me."

And then there's no more talking between us. We're nothing more than a blur of roaming hands and desperate kisses and quiet moans. His large body covers mine and the warmth of his skin as it brushes my own feels so good that I shiver. He slips his tongue into my mouth and teases mine with slow and dirty strokes, his hands cupping and squeezing my breasts. I'm so turned on I can feel my inner thighs sliding against each other from how wet I am and I'm physically throbbing to feel him inside of me.

"Nate." I beg. "I need all of you."

"Okay, baby." He whispers and gives me a quick and hard kiss before pulling away. He bends down to retrieve his pants and I take a moment to admire his ass. It's round and muscled to perfection and I'm itching to grab it while he's inside of me.

I sigh. "I have a love-hate relationship with the fact that your ass is nicer than mine."

He laughs as he straightens up and my heart rate quickens when I see the foil pack in his hand. Holy crap, this is it. We're finally going to have sex.

"Believe me, every inch of you is your perfection." He kisses my neck sweetly and I smile. "And for the record, your ass is magnificent."

My cheeks grow warm as I bite my lip to contain my smile. "Thank you."