Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
She was right. It didn’t matter how pissed or wound up I’d got; I’d never put my hands on her. I gave in with a deep sigh and sat on the edge of her bed, our hips brushing through the blankets.
“Do you have any idea how fucking scared I was when I heard his voice?” I asked slowly.
“I can imagine.” She pressed her lips in a tight line.
“I can’t,” I countered. “I can’t begin to imagine how scared you had to have been. Jesus, T. What the hell were you thinking? He could have killed you! And we might not be together, but I refuse to even think about a world without you in it.” My hands fisted in the covers.
She leaned forward and kissed me softly, both stealing my breath and bringing my world back to its center—restoring my gravity. “I love you. I’m so sorry.”
I cupped her face gently, barely touching her skin and kissed her back, needing that contact more than air. She was here. She was safe. She’d survived.
“Can you please put me out of my misery and explain what happened?” I begged, bracing my hand on the other side of her hip and drawing back.
“I had a security system installed at my place,” she started, launching into the measures she’d taken to keep herself safe. I nodded as she filled me in on the tech aspects. The cameras that covered every entrance, the alarmed doors, the feature that allowed to share security footage with other system users.
The feature she’d managed to upload for live viewing on her social media.
She told me about the threats, and how she’d ignored them at first, only to be shaken to her core when I’d taken that hit before New Years.
“I knew then that he’d do it. He’d do whatever it took to hurt you to get to me, and I just couldn’t let him,” she whispered.
My heart broke all over. “You could have told me.”
“No one would have believed me without proof. Not with Rick being who he is. You know that. I needed proof.” She reached for my hand, stroking me with her thumb. “Can you honestly tell me that you would have let me get it? You would have let me bait and hook him the way I did?”
“Fuck no!” I yanked my hands from hers, raking them over my hair in frustration. “Damn, Teagan. We would have moved to a different country before I let you put yourself in danger like that.”
“You’re on contract,” she scoffed.
“Fuck the NFL. I don’t need it to breathe—I need you.” My hands fell to my sides.
“I wanted to protect you.”
“It almost got you killed! What if I hadn’t answered the phone?” Just thinking about that moment sent a chill down my spine. I’d grabbed a hold of the house phone—an ancient relic that it was—and dialed 911, sending them straight to Teagan’s without hanging up my cell. Then I’d made a fifteen-minute drive in just under six minutes.
“I knew you would.” She smiled. “You always answer. You always show up. You’ve never let me down.” She reached for my hand again, and I let her take it.
“All over a necklace?” I marveled. I could have gone over to his house at any time and gotten it back for her. I would have moved heaven and earth for her.
“Not just a necklace, the necklace. You know what it means to me.”
“I haven’t seen you wear that thing in a decade.” I laughed softly. This whole situation was completely, totally insane.
“I slept with it under my pillow every night until I moved in with Rick, and you can guess what he would have done to it if he’d discovered it. It was the only thing I cared about enough to get back, and the perfect excuse to show the world what a monster he is. Forgive me?” Her breath hitched.
“You don’t owe me anything.” She didn’t. She’d fought her way out of a situation I hadn’t even realized she’d been in. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Roman, you know it was all just a lie to get Rick to back away? Right? I love you. I want to be with you. I couldn’t care less if we adopt or decide not to have kids. You are my family, and you’ll always be enough for me.” A tear streaked down her cheek.
I gently brushed it away and laced the fingers of my other hand with hers.
“You still want me?” I clarified, needing to hear it again.
“I’ll always want you,” she promised, another tear escaping. “Walking away nearly killed me, and the only reason I got through it was because I knew it wouldn’t be permanent. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”
I cupped her cheek gently. “You’re the one in the hospital, apologizing for hurting me?”