"Regina, say something…"
Her stomach churned as she stared back at him and fought the urge to throw up. She wouldn't embarrass herself like that. Not in this moment.
"What do you mean he said you had to resign? Professors sleep with their students all of the time and this-" Regina went silent with an angry shake of her head, stopping herself before adding that their relationship was more than sex. Everything suddenly felt so unsure, like the roof was caving in, and she didn't want to make an absolute statement such as that until he laid his own cards on the table.
"I guess another professor had complaints filed against him last year by a student he had a fling with. The university didn't discharge him and there was some backlash over the decision, so they put a new no tolerance policy in place for relations with students," David explained, running his hand over the back of his neck in a telltale sign he was uncomfortable, "The dean said he didn't want to do this, but since it had been reported we'd been seen together, it was required. He said to either end it between us immediately, or resign."
Regina stood silent as the last of her excitement over him coming home early turned to icy dread. His expression was hard to read and what he'd just told her made her light headed. "What did you tell him?"
"I said I would get back to him," he replied and it felt like a knife twisting in her gut.
"Oh," was all she managed to choke out, throat working to keep from closing off all together.
David watched her with a pained expression and tried to fill the silence, "It's not like that, Regina. I didn't know what to tell him because I wanted to speak to you first. You have your whole life ahead of you and I didn't want to resign before I knew if you...if you want-" he struggled and tried to rephrase, "-I didn't want to assume what this was."
Her throat burned with unshed tears and her chest ached to let out a sob.
You have your whole life ahead of you.
It was a slap in the face and she immediately felt foolish for envisioning her whole life with him. He might've cared for her, but being found out made them real and public. When she was pitted against his job, he wasn't sure which to choose. It woke her to the harsh reality of what they were doing and crushed the hope she harbored.
"I understand. You can't…" she paused and swallowed thickly to keep her voice from wavering, "You can't lose your job over this. We had fun but...well, it's not as if we'd made any plans. Y-you should tell the dean it's over."
She blinked rapidly to clear her vision, trying to watch his reaction as a tear escaped down her cheek. His brow was creased as he stared back at her and she couldn't tell if that was pain or relief in his eyes. Seconds felt like minutes and the longer he remained silent, the clearer his choice became to her, and she turned to grab her jacket with haste.
Regina had to leave, needed to put distance between them immediately, before she broke down and humiliated herself further. Before she begged him to choose her over his career, like a pathetic child would, like she wanted to. She had to go now and he wasn't saying anything to stop her.
"I should," she whispered hoarsely with a nod outside. His lips parted and his throat worked, but met her with silence once more when no words came out. When she swung open his front door and glanced back to him, he was still frozen in place. "Bye, David."
Once in her car, she allowed the sob she'd been holding to escape her. It continued the entire drive back to her dorm, leaving her swiping furiously at tears so she could see to drive. She cried and cried, yet it did nothing to ease the crushing pain and rejection.
Regina couldn't fathom how she would make it work there from this point on. How would she go to campus and chance running into him every day? How would she manage to forget David in the very place that reminded her of him? How would they act if they did see one another? How would she handle it if she spotted him with someone else?
Her phone rang then and she fished it out of her bag as she got out of her car, desperately hoping it would be him, but her heart plummeted. It was Ruby instead and Regina cursed out loud when she suddenly remembered her friend's string of texts she hadn't responded to.
She cleared her throat to answer, planning on quickly putting her friend's mind at easel, "Hey, Ruby. I'm okay, now's just not a good time."
"Are you coming in for your shift?" her friend's voice sounded concerned and Regina cursed again at the fact she'd forgotten it, "Regina, the manager said she's going to fire you if you don't show today...that you've already given up too many shifts lately…"
Her jaw clenched and fresh tears of frustration clung to her lashes, "I can't right now, Ruby. I'll explain later. Just tell her I'm not coming," she rasped and ended the call before her friend could ask questions.
This morning she'd been so stupidly happy and now she felt utterly defeated. Her hands trembled as she pulled out her dorm key and prayed her roommate, Katherine, would not be present. Dread filled her when she found the handle already unlocked, bracing herself to give a polite hello before she disappeared to her room and broke down entirely.
If only she'd been that lucky.
"Hello, Regina," Cora greeted her coolly, standing next to two suitcases Regina recognized as her own, "I think playtime is over. Don't you?"
David ignored looks from students as he charged up the sidewalk leading to the dorm. He'd practically run here from the dean's office and his heart pounded with exertion and anxiety, hoping desperately he could salvage things with Regina. Praying she'd at least speak to him.
He'd been up all night after she left, numbing himself with a bottle of bourbon as he tried to decipher what her reaction meant. He'd been so thrown by her response and it took time for him to weed it out from his own nagging insecurities. His concern had been making her feel trapped, but when he'd tried to explain she'd done nothing to reassure him.
In fact, she'd told him to keep the job he'd just finished resigning from moments ago.
The night before felt like a blur. He'd still been reeling from his initial conversation with the dean and the ultimatum he'd been given. Not to mention that he hadn't told Regina how he felt about her yet, and the situation left him scrambling to explain. In the midst of his shock and reluctance to trap Regina, he'd stood frozen and let her walk out.
Like an idiot.
He'd agonized over the exchange since his front door shut, but finally came to a conclusion in the wee hours of the morning. He still wasn't sure what her reaction meant - if she'd been hurt that he hadn't immediately resigned, or if she truly didn't want anything serious with him. Either way, he knew he'd have to prove his dedication and show her she was his priority if he stood any chance of being with her. So, after just a few hours of drunken sleep and a quick shower, he'd made his way to the dean's office and stepped down from his job.
Even if Regina didn't reciprocate his feelings and they didn't work it out, he knew he'd have to find work elsewhere. There was no way he could remain teaching here, running into her on campus and constantly being reminded of her. If she didn't want to be with him he'd try to move on - maybe go back to his hometown for a while - until he found another job. Regina had worked so hard to be there, and if they were actually over, he felt he should be the one to go.
David's chest burned after running the three flights to Regina's floor and paused to catch his breath when he reached her door. He tried to collect himself the best he could and knocked firmly, waiting with his heart pounding in his ears.
He was going to start with telling her he loved her. He'd explain what his silence had meant and how he'd been afraid of forcing her into something she wasn't ready for. Then he'd apologize for not treating her as his equal - like an adult capable of making her own decisions - and admit he wanted to be with her if she'd still have him.
David's lips parted to begin his speech when the door opened, but found her roommate looking back at him instead. He snapped his mouth shut at the confused expression on Katherine's face, knowing she had no clue why he was there.
After a moment's pause, he found his voice, "I need to speak with Regina. Is she here?"
"Uhm, no, she isn't," Katherine replied and her brows furrowed with uncertainty.
"Did she say when she'd be back?"
"Well," she shifted uncomfortably, like she suddenly understood why he was there, and hesitated to say what came next, "Movers came to pack Regina's things and she withdrew from school. She's not coming back…"
Manhattan, almost 3 years later...
David straightened his tie with a long inhale as he made his way down the bustling street to the museum. He couldn't say he was in the mood to be social, but his new position at Columbia required some schmoozing with his colleagues and the university had promoted this exhibition, so he'd decided to kill two birds with one stone. It didn't help that art museums tended to trigger memories he'd rather stifle, but he would try to ignore those and fake a friendly disposition for the night.
He felt somewhat relieved when he entered the museum and found it wasn't too crowded yet. Maybe he could manage staying just long enough to be polite, speak to a few people, and slip out unnoticed. David could hear his mother's voice in his head now, chiding him about getting out there more, but he couldn't bring himself to want to.
After he'd resigned from UCLA, he'd gone home to clear his head and spend time with his family. Ruth had allowed him to sulk for so long until she'd put him to work farming and gardening. He'd even helped her remodel a spare room of their family home into the painting studio she'd wanted for years. His mother seemed to have sensed he needed to stay busy and he was grateful for her intuition. Being in the quiet town, working physically until he fell into bed exhausted at night, had been therapeutic.
He'd known it couldn't be forever. As much as he enjoyed his visits home, living there long term wasn't for him. Once he felt ready, he began applying for positions at universities from the Midwest to New England, as returning to the West Coast hadn't been an option. He'd lost his wife there. He'd lost his job there. He'd lost Regina there. And he had no desire to ever go back.
Luckily, he hadn't needed to. He was offered a teaching position at his alma mater and accepted it, surprised to find it felt good to be back in a classroom. A few of his colleagues there he'd graduated with and the familiar faces helped ease him into living in New York City again.
A part of him had wondered if he'd run across Regina, scanning crowds for her in the first few months before forcing himself to give up the idea. He didn't know if she had even returned to Manhattan when she left LA and, if she had, there was no guarantee she'd still be there almost three years later.
Besides that, Regina made her choice clear by leaving and he needed to live with it.
An open bar caught his attention as he scanned the museum and made his way towards it. If he had to be there, he might as well take advantage of the undoubtedly expensive bourbon being served. He ordered from the bartender and began his wandering, drink in hand, half-heartedly studying the pieces until he heard his name called.
David prepared himself for conversation when he spotted his colleague, Archie Hopper, waving him down and gave a genuine smile. He liked Archie more than most of the professors and was relieved to find he'd have at least one friend here.
"David, glad you made it," Archie motioned him over, "I was just getting a wonderful history on this piece from the curator-"
David rounded the display to where Archie stood, following the man's nod towards the giant sculpture and his heart stopped. Not at the brilliance of the art, but rather the woman beside it, who'd been hidden from sight until now.
"-this is Regina Mills, one of the curators for the museum. She organized this exhibition," Archie introduced as David barely registered his words, "Regina, this is David Nolan. He took a position in our history department at Columbia this year."
Regina looked like a deer in the headlights, her eyes widening as she stared back at him, visibly surprised by his presence. David didn't fare much better than she appeared to, watching her with a mirrored expression of shock.
He had envisioned this moment countless times and what he'd say if given the chance to see her again, yet found himself at a complete loss for words. He thought he'd been a hopeful fool to think he might run into her in a city with millions of people, but now she was here. She was here and she was standing in front of him, close enough to reach out and touch.
"Mr. Nolan and I have met before, actually," Regina recovered before him and gave a polite smile, but David could see it was forced. He'd studied that beautiful face in detail, had memorized every smile she'd ever given him, and the slight crease of her brow told him this one was not genuine. "I took one of his classes during my time at UCLA."
"Uh, yes," David cleared his throat and plastered on a strained smile of his own, glancing between her and Archie, "It's good to see you again, Ms. Mills," he copied her formal tone, "Congratulations on the exhibition."
"Thank you," Regina nodded and tugged her bottom lip between her teeth briefly as an emotion flickered through dark eyes too quickly for him to identify.
"Wow. It is a small world, isn't it?" Archie exclaimed.
David forced a laugh, thankful that the man hadn't seemed to pick up on the tension. "That it is."
His heart pounded as he looked back at Regina and tried to read her for how he should act. Did he make small talk like they'd been mere acquaintances? Did he ask to speak to her privately and pull her to the side? Seconds felt like hours and his brain went into panic mode, his lips parting to speak before he'd even decided what to say.
"Sorry to interrupt, Ms Mills, but you have a call," a younger woman stepped up to Regina then and David pressed his lips shut. He forced a smile when Regina nodded at them apologetically.
"If you'll excuse me," she said, eyes lingering on David almost reluctantly, he thought, before she retreated across the gallery.
Regina realized she was still shaking after spilling the contents of her stomach in the museum's staff bathroom. She pressed her hands to the sink and stared blankly in the mirror as she tried to calm her nerves, wondering briefly if she'd imagined the run in with David.
Since the incident nearly an hour ago, she hadn't been given a moment alone to think. After being pulled away for the phone call, her presence was requested by multiple guests. It was a part of her job to mingle with the crowd and discuss the work, but it had been damn near impossible to act interested after the shock of David Nolan's attendance.
It was real. He was real. Very real. Standing in her place of work. Living in her fucking city.
Regina hadn't expected to see him again and had worked hard to accept that. Almost three years had passed, but now it felt as if they'd ended things just yesterday. Feelings she'd tried to compartmentalize bubbled up, urging her to sob and causing her throat to ache when she swallowed it down. She had people waiting on her, a job to do, and couldn't afford to have a nervous breakdown.
She straightened, washing her trembling hands and fixing her lipstick in the mirror, trying to erase any physical signs of her rattled emotional state.
Panic gripped her when the thought occurred that he might've left while she'd been preoccupied. She'd refrained from scanning the room while talking to her guests, knowing the sight of him would've made her lose all train of thought. Now she wasn't sure if he had even stayed.
The last hour was an anxious blur, but her logic had slowly returned in the quiet restroom and she knew what she needed to do. Setting into motion, she slipped out of the bathroom and down the hall to her office, grabbing a pen and paper. Her first attempt at jotting down her contact information was ruined by shaky penmanship, forcing her to pause for a deep breath and try again.
Even if he wanted nothing to do with her, there was a long overdue conversation necessary and it couldn't happen here. So she mustered what courage and dignity she could and left her office, note in hand.
To her surprise, she hadn't needed to go far to find the note's recipient.
Her body collided with another, her startled eyes finding a solid chest before her head snapped up to see David looking down at her. The close proximity and physical contact erased every bit of mental clarity she had scraped together earlier and she floundered once more.
"I'm sorry," he took a step back with an equally startled expression, holding his hands up to indicate he'd come in peace, "Look, I'm not trying to cause problems for you here. I know this is your work and it's a big night for you and I'm probably the last person you wanted to see," he rambled quickly, as if he were afraid she'd cut him off, "I just feel like there was so much left unsaid back then and I - I think we should talk."
"Me too," she replied, barely audible. The concern in his expression was such the opposite of what she had expected and it brought her emotions to the surface once more.
"You do?" he asked, appearing caught off guard by her swift agreement.
She nodded again, swallowing at the painful knot in her throat as she willed herself to keep it together, "This event should be winding down soon. You can find me here," she held up the note with her address, "If you don't have plans after this…"
"No —I mean, I don't have plans," he answered hastily, taking the piece of paper from her.
The apple of his throat bobbed when their fingers brushed with the exchange, stirring her insides as she looked up to meet his gaze again.
"About nine o'clock?" Regina asked, trying to hide the nervous quiver of her voice and failing.
"I'll be there."
"Okay...I'll, uhm, see you then," she forced a smile.
Another heavy moment of silence followed as they studied one another until she caught herself, turning on her heels to walk away.
"So…" David smiled nervously, "Where to start, right?" he chuckled under his breath and glanced around the tastefully decorated kitchen she'd led him to upon his arrival.
He was sure he'd wake up alone in his bed at any moment and find this had all been a dream. That he wasn't actually standing across the counter from the woman he'd spent nearly three years trying to forget. The woman who looked so different now, but very much the same.
Gone were the sweaters and jeans he'd been used to her wearing, replaced by an incredibly flattering designer dress and heels. Her long hair was cut shoulder-length now, rounding out her chic look. She hadn't changed physically, but her style and presence felt more mature. There was a confidence about her, despite their nerve-wracking reunion, and she seemed to stand taller and more sure of herself than before.
"Wine?" she emitted a quiet laugh laced with nervous energy and reached for the bottle on her kitchen island, "I think wine is a good place to start."
"Yeah," he inhaled deeply and gave a sheepish shrug as he watched her pour two glasses, "So, museum curator, yeah?"
Regina slid his wine glass across the counter with a genuine smile and nodded, "I finished my degree at NYU, then completed an internship at the museum, and they hired me on."
"I'm glad you stuck with it," David leaned against the counter behind him as she did the same on the other side of the kitchen, "I watched you working the room earlier. You're good at your job. You can tell it's what you're passionate about."
"I doubt I made any good impressions tonight," she chuckled, eyeing him over her wine glass as she took a slow sip and then brought it back down, "I was a little...thrown, to say the least."
"Sorry about that," he apologized sincerely and glanced down as he swirled the wine in his glass, "If I'd had any idea, I wouldn't have bombarded you at your work."
"You would've avoided me all together?" she joked, but he could see the seriousness of the question in her gaze.
"No, I would've waited until a better time to approach you. The last thing I wanted to do was cause you problems tonight. Hell, I didn't even really want to go, but the staff is encouraged to make an appearance - you know how it is here."
"Oh, so you faked your interest in art when we were together?" she bantered more playfully this time, but he still felt she was probing.
It confused him that she asked such thinly veiled questions. She'd been the one who'd left town, after all. Had she regretted it? He shook the thought away and reminded himself what he'd come for. This was an opportunity to explain himself, to clear the air of any miscommunication on his part and find closure. It wasn't to disrespect the decision she'd made to leave and not contact him again.
"I never faked anything with you," he replied sincerely, his lips curling with a faint smile, "In fact, it's the reason I wanted to speak to you. I've replayed that day over and over in my head, kicking myself for everything I didn't say."
"It's...okay, David," she said quietly and dipped her head, "It's in the past."
"No, because I failed to explain myself then and I want to now. I don't want you thinking that I cared more about my job than I did you," he sobered, deciding to get it all out while he still had the courage, "The truth is, I had been worried about holding you back. I thought because of our age difference that we were in different stages of our life. Yours had just become your own after getting away from your mother and I was afraid that if we...if we became too serious, that you might regret it later on. That you would feel like you'd missed out and grow to resent me."
"God, David, you act like I was 16," she exhaled with an unreadable expression and a hint of disbelief in her eyes, "You should've voiced that to me instead of letting it fester. I was mature enough to have had that conversation with you."
"I know," he gulped nervously, "And I had planned to talk to you, about what it was between us, because I...I wanted it to be official. But when everything happened, it forced the conversation in a way that made it seem like I didn't know what I wanted. When really, I just wanted to discuss it with you before I made a decision that would back you into a corner. I didn't want you to feel obligated to be with me if I resigned before making sure of what you wanted."
"You said I had my whole life ahead of me and it sounded like a cop out," Regina's expression hardened and her eyes went glossy, "Like you'd realized whatever we were doing had gone too far when it threatened your job. It felt like you were trying to plant the seed, to make me think I wasn't ready, so I'd end it and you wouldn't have to be the bad guy."
"No, god no," he frowned and straightened from the counter, rounding the kitchen island to stand in front of her, "I just didn't want to assume how you felt. I didn't want to make a decision that affected us both without speaking to you."
"Then why didn't you try to explain? You didn't even argue with me, or stop me from leaving your house," her brows furrowed, eyes filled with distrust that made his stomach sink. "You never even called me after I left LA."
"Because I was an insecure fool. When I told you I hadn't given the dean an answer, I was watching for your reaction. When I said you had your whole future ahead of you, I was looking for reassurance. I wanted you to say I wouldn't be holding you back and that I had it wrong. Any kind of sign that you wanted me in your future. I know now that I fucked up the delivery, but when you...agreed that I shouldn't quit my job and said we'd had fun...god, it felt like a blow to the chest, and I was still trying to process it when you were running out the door."
Tears threatened to fall from dark lashes now and he watched her throat working to control her reaction. He hated the doubt in her gaze and that he was the one who'd put it there. The adoration her eyes once held for him had been replaced with caution and heartache.
"That still doesn't explain why you didn't follow me," she swiped at her cheek when a tear trailed down it, "You didn't even call me. How long did it take you to find out I'd left?" she gave a bitter laugh.
"The next morning," he nodded and the sneer left her expression, replaced by surprise, "I sat up all night, processing what was said. I had hoped that, even though you told me not to resign, you hadn't meant it. That maybe there was still a chance for us. And I knew, if it was over, that running into you on campus would make me crazy. But you'd worked so hard to be there, I thought if anyone should leave, it should be me. So I resigned the next morning and then came to your dorm to try to tell you everything I should've said, but you were already gone."
"You didn't call," she answered, but it sounded more like a question. Her expression twisted with a hint of pain as she seemed to mull over what he'd told her and he hoped she was starting to believe him.
"I took you leaving as...as further validation that it was over. That you'd made your choice and it hadn't been me…"
"Then why didn't you answer my calls? My texts?" Regina's voice strained.
"You called?" his breath caught in his throat and he watched her register his reaction with confusion.
"A few months after I was back in Manhattan, I tried to call and send texts," she admitted and frowned, "I even, rather pathetically, tried to send your email, but it was undeliverable. I'm assuming that's because you were no longer with the school and they'd closed your account, but it doesn't explain the calls and texts you didn't answer."
His eyes closed briefly in realization before he opened them and explained, "After I resigned, I went back to my hometown to sort my head out. It's in the middle of nowhere, no cell service - hell, we're lucky to even have landlines there," he exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I had my phone shut off. I didn't even get a new phone or number until I moved here."
"Oh," Regina's lips parted as the gravity of their misfortune dropped on them both like a ton of bricks.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think.." David shook his head in frustration at the cruel string of circumstances that had kept them apart. "I thought you had moved on when you left. Even after I'd been back home for a while and thought about contacting you, I talked myself out of it. It didn't feel right to track you down after so much time had passed. I thought if you had changed your mind, you would've reached out to me, and I didn't want to overstep."
"It's not your fault, we…we both played a part," Regina reasoned quietly, "As did fate, it seems."
"I am sorry, though. For not catching you before you left, for letting everything spiral so far."
She shook her head and averted her eyes, "It wasn't just you. I was upset when I left that day - everything I'd worked so hard for just seemed to unravel. Ruby called me on my way home and I realized I'd forgotten my shift. The manager told her I was fired if I didn't show and I was in such a state that I didn't care. Then when I got back to my dorm, my mother was there and my bags were packed. Apparently, she had a contact at the university who kept tabs on me and let her know what had been reported between us. She'd been waiting for an opportunity to catch me in a vulnerable moment, to manipulate me into coming back home, so she could control my life."
"God, Regina, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, her plan didn't last for long," she gave a small, rebellious smile that made him chuckle and lightened the moment, "I learned to stand up to her and set boundaries, despite our close proximity. I knew I had to…" she trailed off as her voice wobbled with sudden emotion, leaving him unsure of where her conversation led.
"Oh?" David watched, waiting for her to continue.
A hint of nerves twisted her features. "I have something to show you."
Before he could reply, she'd taken his hand and led him out of the kitchen to the hall, stopping in front of a door he assumed was her bedroom. She turned the knob and pushed it open, but remained standing in the doorway. Confused, he looked to her and followed her gaze to peer in himself. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim room, lit only by a small spinning lamp that projected stars on the walls and ceiling.
"Someone to show you, rather," Regina murmured quietly at the same time his vision made out a crib.
David's chest tightened and his eyes grew wide when he saw a small, sleeping form stir under a blanket. He turned to find her watching him with bated breath and his question must've been written on his face, because she simply nodded once at his silence.
"He's yours."
"He? I have a son?" his question was strangled by overwhelming emotion, his mouth spreading into a shocked but wide smile.
Regina exhaled in relief and smiled warmly back at him, cheeks damp once more as she nodded again and took his hand to lead him in, "I'd like you to meet Henry...Henry David," she added his middle name softly.
He choked back tears when he looked down at the sleeping child. His child. Their child.
David's heart flooded with love and pride as he glanced between the baby and Regina, "He's so beautiful," he whispered in disbelief.
"He turned two last month," Regina wore a watery smile as David took in every single detail of the stirring baby. "I was only a month along when I left and I had no idea. I found out a few months after I'd been back and that's when I tried to contact you. I never meant to — I always wanted you to know about him."
"Oh, Regina," David murmured in awe of the gift she'd given him, seeing the uncertainty in her eyes. "I know you would never intend to keep him from me. I know that," he reassured and cupped her face with his hand, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, "Thank you."
"Ma ma?" their heads snapped to see the toddler sitting up, blinking sleepily.
David's breath caught in his throat and he let out a shaky laugh, taking in the sight of his precious child once more. He studied the boy's sleep-mussed, honey brown hair. It was almost as light as David's dirty blonde, but warmer in tone like Regina's. Even in the dim lighting, he could tell he had inherited his mother's dark brown eyes, but saw his own in the shape of them.
He was perfect, his son.
"Mama's here," Regina cooed and the baby spit out his pacifier at the sound of her voice, flashing a happy grin that made them both laugh. "And there's someone who wants to meet you."
Henry seemed to notice him then and rocked onto all fours before grabbing the crib railing to pull himself up. David found himself gazing down at big eyes that studied him curiously. He was so in awe of the boy that it took him a moment to register the small hands reaching for him.
"I think he wants you to pick him up," Regina encouraged with a soft laugh, bringing David back to the present.
He blinked back a fresh wave of tears and reached to scoop Henry up in his arms, bringing him face to face with the gorgeous little mixture of him and Regina, "Hello Henry, I'm your Dad."
"I love you," David's eyes locked with hers intently as he rocked into her, "I did then and I do now."
Regina inhaled sharply, fingers threading through his hair as she looked up at him and reminded herself it was real. This wasn't one of the countless dreams she'd had while they were apart that made her cry upon waking. David was here. He was here and he'd met his son and he wanted them. He was here, moving so deeply inside of her, as he had been for hours now, intent on making up for the time they'd lost.
"I love you," she murmured, voice raw and catching into a whimper at the burning heat in her belly, "Then and n-now."
"God," he exclaimed and ground his hips deeper, bracing himself with his forearms on the mattress above her head to leverage his thrusts. "I have missed you."
Regina mewled as the sweet, aching feeling of her body being pushed to its limit, intensified by the head of his cock thrumming her at just the right angle.
He hadn't forgotten how she liked to be touched. Kissed. Licked. Taken. He remembered every sensitive part of her body and how to manipulate it. It had made her come embarrassingly fast and continuously, until the sheets were damp with their sweat and her orgasms. She wasn't sure how many times she'd climaxed by this point, losing count after he'd tongued her clit relentlessly.
She could tell by how incredibly hard he was, and how quickly he'd been able to become so again, that he'd been just as deprived as she. With every round they grew needier and more reckless, working harder towards each peak that felt sharper than the last. Her nerve endings were ablaze, making pleasure so intense it bordered painful but so very worth it when he pushed her into the next blinding release.
More than once she'd come so powerfully, so loudly, that she was shocked it hadn't woken Henry. Unintelligible sentences and embarrassing sounds had escaped her, yet she couldn't bring herself to care. Their sex was amazing before, but tonight it reached a significantly deeper level.
The time spent apart, the release of the pain caused by their misunderstanding, the urgency to make up for time lost, it all melted and molded together into something too intense for words. It felt almost primal, taking and demanding from one another instinctively, yet there was an underlying current of warmth and affection. Their bodies moved in an act of dedication, an unspoken promise to the future. It was knowing they would spend their lives together. It was the joy of sharing a child. It was the happy ending they hadn't dreamt possible.
"David," she cried, pressing her hands to his sides to stop his thrusts, "I can't-I-I," she was near tears at the pulsating pleasure, so intense she suddenly felt unsure she could take more.
"You can," he reassured gently, stilling but remaining rooted inside as he brought a hand down to run soothingly over her hip and thigh, "But I'll stop if you want me to."
"N-no," she shook her head adamantly, panting to catch her breath when her eyes met his, "I'm so close-I just-it's so much," she tried to explain, but words failed her.
"I know," he groaned under his breath and remained still, "You are so wet and open for me," he murmured, ghosting his lips over her own, "You have no idea how good you feel."
Regina let out a moan and her head fell back, eyes fluttering closed as she collected herself, "How good?" she whispered and met his icy blue stare once more. The coiling heat inside her wound so tightly that she clenched around him at his words alone, beckoning her to push through the sensitivity.
"Better than anything I imagined during our nights apart," he groaned and ducked his head to pepper kisses over her neck, "You feel so tight around me, take me so deeply, and the way you grip me and flood me when you come, fuck."
She gave a throaty choked sound and slipped her hands down to grip his ass, digging her nails into his skin as she pulled him to rock within her. He took the hint and rolled his hips again slowly, earning her rather desperate nod of approval. "Yes! Yes!"
The throbbing sensitivity grew tolerable after their brief pause and she pulled at him again, her thighs opening wider to accommodate him. David pushed himself to the hilt and began a slow thrusting rhythm against the burgeoning, weighted spot inside her. Her fingers moved to curl over his shoulders, clinging to him as she clamped her thighs higher on his ribs and yelped at how thoroughly he spread her. He withdrew an inch before rutting into her with more force, repeating the motion once, twice, and barely a third time before she erupted.
The climax stole her breath, leaving her choking on what would've been a desperate scream if she'd had air. Time was lost to her when the first wave sent her back into a rigid arch, seizing her movement for what felt like hours before the second and third waves swept her, softer than the first and allowing her muscles to jerk and twitch through the sensations. She felt the warmth of her release gush around his cock as David grinded through her clenching and spasming, ripping sobs from her that he muffled with a kiss.
He groaned deeply into her mouth when she milked him of his own release and broke the kiss, allowing both of them to gasp for the air they'd been denied. Their foreheads met as they came down from the high, soft laughter escaping them at how pathetically sated they were.
David hummed happily, lifting his head enough to make eye contact, "Marry me?"
"Yes."