"All that you are is all that I'll ever need"

⋆✧⋆✧⋆

The sun peers through the curtains and I stir out of my sleep. I open my eyes slowly, adjusting to the bright light and I look down at the beautiful sleeping girl lying on my chest. She's curled up into a small ball, cuddled into me with her arms wrapped around my body. I tighten my hold on her as an overwhelming urge to protect her washes over me.

I would do absolutely anything to keep this girl safe and happy.

She is my everything.

My eyes rake across her body currently only covered by my dress shirt from last night and underwear. Memories of last night flood my brain and I grow hard at the thought.

It was absolutely perfect.

She was absolutely perfect.

I don't know how long I spend just looking at her. Admiring the curve of her nose, the faint pink tint of her cheeks, the way she clings onto me as she sleeps. I just let myself get lost in her.

As if she could sense my staring, she slowly wakes up, opening her eyes and locking them on to me.

"Good morning, handsome." Her voice is hushed.

"Good morning, my love," I whisper, matching her quiet volume. "How was your sleep?"

"Fantastic." She smiles cutely. "You're so warm, it's nice."

I lightly chuckle at her words. "I'm glad my body temperature is to your liking."

Cupping her face in one of my hands, I brush across her smooth skin with my thumb. "You're stunning."

Clearly embarrassed, she blushes and then buries her face into the crook of my neck. "Mmm, you smell nice." Laney stays there, fixed in that position, and I stroke up and down her back.

"Thank you, baby." I can't help but smile.

"Darling?" she starts.

"Yeah?"

"I have a question." She sits up, leaning back against the headboard, still facing me. I copy her, sitting upright with my arms stretched back, supporting my weight.

"Why were u so mean the day we met?"

She looks genuinely curious. Her head is slightly tilted with interest, and her eyes are wide with anticipation as she chews on the corner of her lip.

I think back to that day and remember how I felt when I first laid eyes on her.

"Because I didn't know how to act around you. From the moment I met you, I think I was already a little bit in love with you. I didn't know how to deal with that." I pause watching her process the information.

"No one had ever made me feel the way you did. Not in my entire life, but three seconds with you, and all that changed. Honestly, It freaked me out." Laney turns shy at my forwardness. A blush creeps up on her cheeks and she tries to hide a small smile making its way to her lips.

"So, I decided to keep my distance," I explain.

She laughs at me. "Kept your distance, huh?"

"Yeah, obviously that didn't work. Because as much as I wanted to keep my distance, I wanted to be with you even more. To get to know you, see your smile, hear your laugh."

"Well, I for one am glad you had an attitude change because I really hated you at first," she admits.

I raise my eyebrows and shoot her a smirk, silently asking her to go on.

"I thought you were a dick, which to be fair, you were at first. But then, well then I got to know you. The real you. And I found myself falling in love with you too. Just in the everyday things, in the small details I noticed when I was with you." She gives me a second to absorb what she's saying.

"How your smile brought out those dimples. The way you were with Charlotte, how much you loved her. How you'd do anything for your boys. And most of all, how you were there with me when I needed you most." Laney gets a little teary eyed and I give her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"You tucked me into bed when I was drunk, you brought me to the hospital when I broke my hand. You talked me through my panic attacks. You made me feel like I was the only girl in the world."

"To me, you are."

"I love you, you know that?" she asks.

"I do. Do you know how much I love you?"

"I do." She beams, and I reach out, pulling her lips to mine, and kissing her like it's the last thing I'd ever do.

⋆✧⋆✧⋆

The next hour or so flies by, each minute spent cuddled up and talking about anything that comes to our minds. But, I grow hungry, and I know she must be too. It's time to get back to the real world.

"Laney,"

"Hm?"

"Take off your shirt."

"What?" She lifts her head up my shoulder and stares at me, confused.

"I need to run out to the car, our bags are still there, but I need my top."

"Right." she covers herself with the blankets and strips off my shirt. "Here you go." She hands it to me and I take It from her.

"Is there a reason you covered yourself up?"

"So I don't flash you, mister." She pokes the tip of my nose with her finger.

"Flashing happens when a stranger sees you accidentally. Your boyfriend appreciating your perfect tits, that's another thing."

"Oh, so you're my boyfriend then?"

Her words make me realize I haven't actually asked her. I definitely want to do something more extravagant, I mean, we haven't even gone on a real date. But how dumb would I be to prolong asking her the question.

"Delaney Lawrence," I begin.

"Yes, Sterling Blake?"

"Will you let me be your boyfriend?"

"Well, I don't know. I'm going to have to disappoint a lot of guys..." She gets clever with me.

"Don't make me punish you, baby. You won't like it."

"Oh yeah? And what would you do?" She raises an eyebrow at me.

I dip my hand between her legs and press down on her clit, stroking it a few times, and she moans into my touch.

Then, when she starts to crave me most, I pull my hand away, leaving her frustrated.

"Sterling," she wines.

I get up from the bed and pull on my pants and button up my shirt. "I warned you and you asked."

Before I walk out the door, I say, "And you never answered my question, by the way."

Her look of annoyance from her lack of an orgasm subsides and is replaced by one of sincerity. "Of course I will, darling. I'd love to be your girlfriend."

"Good." I give her a peck on the lips before I slip outside, quickly running to my car, and I get our bags from my trunk.

⋆✧⋆✧⋆

We've been sitting in Sterling's car for the last 10 minutes.

After Sterling got our things, we changed and then said goodbye to his family. The drive home went smoothly and I fell asleep for most of it.

Now, he's waiting on me to say we can go into the house.

Everyone is here, hanging out at the boys' house, where we are currently parked outside of. Obviously, none of them know about recent events, and we've decided right now is the perfect time to tell them.

"Are you ready yet?" He asks with a bit of a laugh.

For some reason, I don't even know why, I'm nervous right now.

"They're going to be thrilled for us," he tells me.

"I know."

"They've seen this coming for weeks, months even."

"I know that too."

"They love you, they all want you happy," he adds.

"I know."

"You're happy, aren't you?"

"Happier than I've ever been," I answer honestly.

"Well then, what's scaring you?"

"I don't know, I guess nothing. I think I'm just a constantly anxious and nervous person," I joke, though it's basically the truth.

"Well it's just our friends, and I'll be right beside you, the whole time."

"Okay," I state, suddenly determined to do this.

"Okay?" Sterling double checks were about to do what were about to do.

I nod, and we both exit the car.

He walks around to my side and clasps his hand in mine. "Let's do this."

So, we walk into the house, hand in hand.

It takes all but five seconds for chaos to ensue.

Everyone is sitting on the couch, and when we walk into the living room, they see us immediately.

I watch as 10 pairs of eyeballs look from me, to Sterling, to our hands, and then widen. They sit there, silent, taking it in.

The calm before the storm.

No questions need to be asked, and no words need to be spoken, for them to understand what's going on.

Owen makes that quite clear as he yells, "Holy shit! Took you guys long enough!"

I chuckle a little at his words and everyone else seems to sober up from the yelling as they jump out of their seats and run over to us.

Luke is the first to run over, pushing through bodies as he makes a B-line for me. He pulls me out of Sterling's grasp and picks me up in a big hug.

I just wrap my arms around him and smile into his shoulder.

Mason, Theo, and Owen slap Sterling on the back, lovingly of course, and the girls bombard him.

"Congratulations on getting the girl," Daisy says as she gives his shoulder a squeeze.

"I'm glad you finally grew some balls," Harper is the first of many lewd comments.

Aspen hugs me tight and Jemma kisses me on the cheek.

"He did good." Beth is smiling wide.

Chase just shakes Sterling's hand, pulling him in for one of those manly side hugs guys always do. "I like you man, don't fuck this up or I'm going to have to break your jaw, and I don't want to do that. This is my throwing hand."

I roll my eyes at his protectiveness.

"I know, but I won't. Your football career is safe." Sterling isn't phased by my brother's threatening comment, I guess as an older brother, he gets it. He also knows himself and he knows us, he wouldn't do anything to hurt me.

Never.

I'm sure of it.

Eventually, we calm down, after many hugs and congratulations are given out.

We all settle down in the living room, talking briefly and vaguely about last night. Sterling and I are frequently interrupted but a cheer or dirty comment being shouted out, and I honestly love it.

I love this group of people, so much.

They're my home.

Just like Sterling's my home.

All the guys, minus Chase who's in the bathroom right now, leave the room when us girls decide to kick them out.

I love those boys, with all my heart, but they will not be getting the details of last night I'm about to admit.

Mason, Theo, Luke, Owen, and Sterling, head upstairs to play a video game and, probably, do a little gossiping of their own.

Once the room is clear, leaving only Aspen, Jemma, Daisy, Beth, and Harper, I go to speak, to tell them everything.

I then realize Chase is back in the room. He walks out of the bathroom, looking for his keys in his pocket. "I think I might head out soon, I have an early practice tomorrow," he says, not having looked up yet. Then he scans the room, registering everyone's blank faces. "I sense I just walking into something I shouldn't have."

I look over at him and sheepishly smile, silently asking him to leave.

"Alright, I'm going to get going now then, and leave before this chat turns into something I can never recover from." He gives Jemma a quick peck on the lips and then wraps me in his arms, giving me a big hug. "I'm happy for you, Dell. You deserve this."

Finally, when all male presence has been removed from the room, I begin. Telling them everything. From the moment we shared in his bedroom before we left, to some details about the wedding. I talk about our slow dance and how he pulled me out into the cold to talk. I, basically word for word, recite what I can remember about our talk, earning lots of awhs and oohs.

Then I tell them about what happened in the cabin. In relatively detailed and descriptive language, I report everything. I finish off with this morning, gushing as I inform them I can finally call Sterling my boyfriend.

It feels great, reflecting back on the life-changing night I just had, and having the girls express their support.

I don't think I could ever get happier.

⋆✧⋆✧⋆

Guess who's awake at 3:30 AM again? I swear, this book is destroying my sleep schedule. But I love it and I love you guys, so it's fine.

This chapter was so cute, I love writing about happy Delaney and Sterling.

Also I got the chapter quote from one of you! Totally forgot who and I'm too lazy to check, but if you recognize it and it's yours, shout out to you!!

Question of the chapter: If you could name this chapter, what would you name it?

Please vote and comment!

Stay safe and healthy <3