Zee curled up sideways in the bed, her head resting on my chest with my breasts as a pillow while looking up at me. She looked so sweet in that position, and I could easily imagine us in bed, night after night, just talking together like this. After tonight, I hoped there would be a lot less worry, and maybe that would be the norm.

"Elliot and I had a pretty even financial power dynamic," I told her, which earned a frown. "We both made good money, and he was my best friend for years before we got married, and it still didn't work out. Elizabeth and I spent years trying to get him to grow up, and he never did. I don't say that as any slight towards you at all. I know that we've both mentioned money worries several times, but I think we also looked at it too narrowly. Our power dynamic, any power dynamic, is more than money. Yes, I have a lot of money, and you are just getting started, but that is only one small part of what we each bring to the table. I've seen you with the girls since you've been back. They adore you, especially Dani, and you are great with them. Dani worships you, and you have a connection with her that I could never hope to replicate. You may not be her mother, but she looks to you like one, or at least an amazing big sister that she can rely on. That is huge, Zee, and it is one of the many things that you bring into this relationship. Because our relationship is much more than just who makes the most money."

"That counts?" she asked in a happy whisper.

"It does, because this relationship isn't just us. We have three girls that we have to get to adulthood, and one who is just entering it, too. I'm not saying I want you to be their mom, but doing what you're already doing is making this a much happier house. And how you treat me is also wonderful. Protecting me from Elliot and keeping me safe. Watching over me when I was on a shitty date and showing me how much you care. Those are things that nobody has ever done for me before, and it gets a lot of points in my book. Nobody has ever made me smile like you, even on our simple lunch dates. Nobody has ever cooked with me, even just the plantains and breakfasts. You've already surpassed everyone I've been with, even though we've had almost no real time to spend together other than in bed."

"Which is still pretty amazing," she pointed out with a smirk.

"Yes, you know very well that you're the best at that too." I reached over and tickled her ribs, making her squeal and giggle. "My point is, there is no single formula to a relationship. When I first decided to leave Elliot, I told myself I was going to find the perfect person to have the perfect relationship with." She looked down at that, and I tilted her chin up once more. "So far, I think you fit the bill."

She let out a little snort of frustration. "But I'm hardly perfect."

"Nor am I," I countered. "And neither is any relationship. I'm insecure about my body, and jealous when you're near pretty girls. I was insanely jealous when I saw the girls you were with in your dorm, and it made me so angry I couldn't even see for a minute. We're going to argue, and disagree, and that is okay. As long as we can talk through things, and come up with solutions together, that is the biggest thing. I never had that with Elliot. When we had an argument, he just stormed out of the house, and it was never resolved. That is why I wanted you to come back here after what I'd seen in the dorm. I wasn't happy, and even though I didn't see a future, I wanted to at least talk because I said at the beginning I'd let you explain things. And now we're good again, right? I'm going to fuck up somehow too, I know it. But I have faith that you'll give me a chance to apologize and make it right."

"I like the sound of that. Plus, we get great make up sex!" She leaned up and gave my nose a quick kiss.

"We're going to have amazing sex anyway." I reached over and grabbed her ass to give it a little squeeze. "I know we have a lot to learn about each other, and I know there are going to be some rough patches, but we've already overcome one big hurdle, and I think we can keep doing that for anything else we run into."

"And you're sure it is okay about the money?" she asked nervously.

I nodded with a smile. "I'm not going to lie, I'm going to spoil you. I haven't even given you your graduation gifts yet, and you deserve them." I held my hand up to stop her protest. "But I'm not going to go overboard. Look at the girls, they don't get nearly as much as the other rich kids in their school get, though I could easily do that. I want them to grow up without being overly spoiled, so that is what I do, butt hey still get good things. I'm going to buy you presents, because you're my girlfriend and I want to make you happy, but I will not do too much, because I don't want you to feel overwhelmed. Once you start getting a paycheck, things will start to even out, and we can do that together. But remember, finances are only part of our relationship, so don't think it is everything."

She was silent for a bit, but I could almost hear the gears churning in her head as she thought about it all. "Okay. I think that all makes sense," she finally said with a sigh. "Promise me you won't spoil me too much, at least until I'm making a little money." She waved her hand around the room at all the furniture. "This room is already so much more than I deserve – "

"No, stop!" I interrupted. "You deserve the world, sweet girl. Never tell me that you don't deserve something, because I want you to be set up for success no matter what happens. You're amazing, and I'm not going to want to hear you put yourself down, okay?"

She looked down, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I've never had anyone pump me up like that. Being in a real relationship is going to be completely new to me, so please be patient."

I leaned down and gave her a tender kiss and wiped away the tears with my thumb. "I will be. I didn't react well before, but I truly want this to work. I can imagine so many things with you, and they all seem better when I think about them with you by my side."

She wiped the test of her tears away, then gave me a sniffle and a smile. "Tell me. What do you see us doing?"

I cleared my throat, then pulled her closer. "I see us together on the trip to Norway, in a hotel room with a fireplace for us to snuggle in front of after work. I see us on the Riviera in Italy, sitting on a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean in bikinis. I see us sampling pastries in Amsterdam, riding high speed trains in Japan, and then staying right here in bed and watching movies. Everything is better as long as I see that smile of yours."

She moved closer, tangling her fingers in my hair and then kissed me deeply. It wasn't a kiss that was designed to lead to more sex, but I could feel so much from it. She'd told me she loved me, and this kiss let me know it. "You better not leave me, Demi. I don't think I could ever find anyone as amazing as you. I think I'd even have a baby with you."

I looked at her in shock. "Really? You'd want to carry a baby?"

"I told you I might want one or two. And if I was raising it with you, even better. Seeing your daughters, and meeting Dani, I could imagine a little version of us running around. I bet we'd be fabulous moms."

I nodded quickly. "They're rough at first, but they're pretty amazing. Finding a donor might be hard, but I'm sure we could find a good one. We'll have a house full of kids here!"

"I like that plan, but I think we should just be together with the girls for a bit. Jashanna and Dani deserve to be loved for a while without our attention being split on someone new. They've had a rough go of it. And I want to get my career started anyway. Maybe in a few years?"

A few years could work for me. Women were having babies later, and in this case, I wouldn't be the one carrying it. If we could find a good donor, I was sure that Zee's DNA would make a gorgeous kid. "I'd like that. We're jumping ahead a little bit, but I think we have a good chance of making that happen."

"Okay, then where do we start?" she wondered.

"Well, first, we're going to take everyone out to dinner and explain that we're giving this a shot, and that we want to make sure we're all together in this. I don't think any of them will have a problem with that, and I know Dani already thinks we should be married, but we all deserve a celebration."

"Perfect. And can I have you for dessert afterwards?"

"Of course, and you'll be mine." I paused before I told her the rest, and I just hoped she'd understand. "But I do want to spoil you, just a little bit. Because in my mind, this is a safety thing."

"I'm going to freak out, aren't I?" she asked grumpily.

"Sweet girl, it might, but at the same time it won't be bad."

"Fine," she said with a gusty sigh. "What is it?"

"I'm getting you a new motorcycle. If you're going to keep giving Dani rides, and you're needing it for day to day use, we need something more reliable and safe. Plus, I want to go for rides with you too, and as much as I love your current motorcycle getting me off, I'd feel safer on something newer. How old is your current one?"

She didn't protest at that, for which I was grateful. "It's almost 40 years old. I'm not even going to complain about the spoiling too, because you're right. I'd never forgive myself if it broke down and caused an accident with you or Dani on it. But nothing else after that, okay?"

"Right. Just graduation and Christmas, and if you like we can set a budget for Christmas, like $200, so it isn't too much."

"This is going to be a lot to get used to." She lay down and smiled. "But I think I can deal with it. I've seen the girls' rooms and clothes, and Hollie's car, and I can tell you haven't spoiled them as much as you could have. I think I can live like that."

"Oh, but our sex toy budget is going to be high," I told her. "Because wanna do so many things to your sexy body!"

She blushed crimson and nodded. "Do I get to do things to you too?"

"You can do whatever you like to me. We'll pick them out together." I felt a thrill run up my spine at the thought of Zee taking a little control and doing whatever she liked to me. "Do you still want me to call you daddy?"

She buried her face in my chest, but then looked at me and nodded. "I'd like to top you when you're in the mood, but no calling me daddy. I want to make you feel as good as you make me feel, and I bet you'd like it too."

"I've never had anyone top me, but I'd let you try whenever you like. I know you'd take care of me, and I have a feeling that you'd be making me scream until I was hoarse."

"Maybe we'll start taking turns then."

"Absolutely. Are you feeling better about things?"

She nodded before stifling a cute little yawn. "I do. I think we still have a lot left to learn, but I really think I'm feeling better about things now. I know it's early, but I'm going to do everything I can to make Dani's dream come true."

I smiled when I realized that she was talking about Dani's dream of us getting married. Yeah, we had a chance here.