Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
He let go of one of my hands and reached up to cup my cheek. “I don’t want to put that burden on you, sweet girl. You’re already still dealing with so much.”
I covered his hand with mine on my cheek. “I love you, Axel.” He smiled softly. “Because I love you, I want to help you. I can’t take away your pain. I know that. But I can try to help you through it. Please let me do that. Don’t push me away,” I begged him.
He drew me up onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me. “Sit here with me?” he asked.
I nodded, leaning my head on his shoulder. “For however long you need me to,” I promised.
I vaguely heard Julian walk away. I knew he had been looking forward to cuddling with me as he watched his replays, but I hoped he understood why I was with Axel.
Axel needed me, and I wouldn’t abandon him in his time of need.
* * *
✶ ✶ ✶
* * *
“Sweet girl, have you seen my laptop charger?” Axel asked me as he walked out of the office.
I pointed to the kitchen. “Someone left it plugged up in the kitchen. It’s on the dining room table.”
He leaned over the couch and gave me a quick, apologetic kiss. “Sorry, sweet girl. I thought I grabbed everything last night.”
I sighed. “It’s fine.”
Two weeks later, Axel was coping better. It took a lot of cuddling and definitely a lot of talking about their past times together, but he was doing a lot better.
I grunted as I tried to get more comfortable on the couch. Holden kicked my stomach as if to laugh in my face that he was the cause of my constant discomfort these days. I groaned, resting my hand on my belly.
Julian stepped into the living room. “I heard you grunt like a pig,” he teased. I narrowed my eyes at him, but his grin was so fucking sexy that I couldn’t stay mad at him. “Uncomfortable?” he asked.
I huffed. “My belly is in the fucking way already.”
He barked out a laugh as he moved over to the couch. “Let’s go outside,” he said, helping me up. “Grab your coat. It’s chilly out.”
I pouted but did as he said. Once I was in my jacket and my warm, fuzzy boots, I stepped out onto the porch where Julian was already waiting on me on the porch swing. I eagerly sat next to him and burrowed against his side, a sigh of contentment leaving my lips.
“You were so fucking good with Axel, baby girl,” Julian said once I was comfortable. “I’m so damn proud of you.”
“I couldn’t stand to see him hurting.”
Julian pressed his cold lips to my forehead. “I know, baby, but the fact that you stepped out of your comfort zone to help him says so much about all of the progress you’ve made. You’re so fucking strong, baby girl, and you don’t even realize it.”
I stayed quiet. We watched the sky darken for a little while before Julian broke the peaceful silence. He pointed up at the lone, bright star in the sky. “You see that star?” he quietly asked me. I nodded. “After Axel told me how your visit with Vincent went, that you had an anxiety attack, fuck, I was so pissed with him.” Julian slowly used his feet to move the swing back and forth. “I was supposed to be visiting you soon. Fuck, I was looking forward to it. I was prepared to drop everything I had going on to come see you.”
My heart warmed at his words. He really never had given up on me. He had always loved me—never stopped. And he never stopped believing in me.
“I walked outside to go to the gym, and when I looked up at the sky, that one, lone star stood out. You couldn’t even see the moon that night since it was a new moon.” Julian swallowed thickly. “I pictured that star as you, and I told you, ‘Shine, my goddess’.” Tears flooded my eyes. “That star will always remind me of you. You’re the first one to shine at night, and the last one to leave. Even when the moon fades, you continue to shine brightly.” He looked down at me. “You’ve always shined, baby girl, even in the darkest of times. That is what makes me so fucking proud of you and so happy to call you mine.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks at his words. He held me close. “I love you, Meghan Fallows. I’ve always loved you, baby girl, and I’ll never fucking stop.”
“Oh, Julian,” I whispered. I wrapped my own arms around him. “I love you, too, and I swear to you, I’ll never stop.”
He brushed his lips to my forehead. “Always and forever, baby girl.”