Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 81083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
She took another step toward me, stopping an arm's length away. “That’s the reason?”
I looked at her, slightly baffled. “Do I need anymore?”
“It’s not because you don’t want me around?” she asked. “Because I’m a trigger for you? Because who knows the next time something like that will happen to me and you’ll be set off.”
Confusion and something like anticipation flared inside me. “Of course not,” I said. “Alex, I love you. Do you think I said that lightly?”
She tipped her chin slightly, her eyes scanning my face. “So, you still want me?”
“Always,” I said. “You could finish breaking my heart right now, walk out that door forever, and I’ll still love you. Every. Fucking. Day. For the rest of my forever.”
Her eyebrows raised, and she bit back a teary smile, closing the distance between us until we were almost touching. “Then you should know, that look of disappointment in my eyes, the fear? That was because I’d thought I’d lost you. Because I figured there was no way you’d want to stay with me after realizing what me being in a sticky situation would trigger for you. I was scared for you, because I knew that the people recording were seconds away from uploading it to social media.”
My chest tightened. “What?” I shook my head. “You’re not afraid of me? Disappointed in me?”
“I could never be afraid of you,” she said. “And I understand your reaction. There were a lot of factors that led to it, and I’m sorry for my hand in that. For my past, for my lack of action when he approached me.” She shook her head. “But I’m not disappointed. You’re healing and working on it, Ethan. You’re doing so amazing too. Tonight…tonight was bad. And I’m so sorry about it all. It was a giant misunderstanding.”
Hope filled me like a balloon ready to burst, but I held it at bay. “Why did you go to the hospital with him? Were you worried about him?”
“No,” I said, then tilted my head. “No more worry than from one human to the next.” She sighed. “It was an accident,” she hurried to explain. “Him getting that close to me. A guy bumped into him and it was like a domino effect. Before that, he’d been apologizing to me, explaining he was going to therapy.”
Fuck.
“That’s good,” I said, but that hope deflated inside me, and my eyes dropped to the floor.
Did she want to work things out with him now? After everything?
“I only went there to make sure he didn’t press charges,” she said, reaching up to cup my face, forcing me to look down at her. “I went there for you. The last thing you need is charges brought against you, and the last thing he has is a right to do so after everything he put me through. He got that. Understood that. He’s not going to, and we’re not going to have any further contact. He said what he needed to say to me, and me to him. That’s it.” She wet her lips, eyes glistening.
“I love you, Ethan. I know I put my rules into place to try to protect my heart from ever being hurt again, but I know now that it was all bullshit. That when the right person comes along, it doesn’t matter what your plans were before. You’ve changed my entire world, and I don’t want a life where you’re not in it.” She took a deep breath. “But if you want me to go, if you think life will be harder with me around, then I will. It will hurt like hell, but I’ll do it.”
“You…you love me.”
“I do,” she said. “I love you for your heart, your humor, your ability to track the best cheeseburger down in every city we visit.” She laughed, and I did too. “I love you for your raw emotions, for your passion, for your desire to always improve. You’re worth everything to me, Ethan. You’re my reason. My person.”
Her words broke me, and she was in my arms, her mouth under mine in seconds. I kissed her frantically, pouring every ounce of love and emotion I possessed into the kiss. Using it to say all the things I didn’t know how to articulate. She clung to me, whimpering slightly as we clashed together in a starved sort of way.
I pulled back, holding her face in my hands as I scanned her features. “You really want to do this with me?” I asked. “I can’t guarantee there won’t be more times like this.”
“I want all of you,” she said. “And if there is a next time, don’t think I’m running away just because I’m handling things on my end. Promise me,” she urged. “Promise me you won’t jump to drastic conclusions before talking to me.”