Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“I need the way you look at me,” she continues, her blue eyes locked on mine, searching, a little uncertain. “Like I’m not just… passing through your life.”
Certainty settles between us, quiet and unshakable. The world outside feels distant, like it’s been turned down to a low hum. There’s nothing but the two of us.
“You’re not,” I say, my voice strong. I brush my thumb against her side, tracing slow, absent circles. “You are my life.”
She exhales, tension slipping from her shoulders as she leans into me, closer than before, like she’s finally allowing herself to believe it. “When I came back to town, I never could have imagined that, in a few months’ time, this is where I would be. You told me that you were going to make me fall in love with you, and I didn’t believe you.”
Can she hear how fast my heart is racing? “And now?” I rasp, my voice is rough, edged with something dangerously close to hope.
Her gaze searches mine like she’s making sure I’m paying attention, and I’m hanging on every word.
“Now…” Her fingers curl slightly against my shirt, like she’s anchoring herself. “Now I don’t know how I ever thought I could live without you.”
Her words land slowly, but when they hit, they hit deep.
Is she saying what I think she is?
I want to ask her, but my tongue feels too thick to form words. Everything I’ve hoped for all these years is so close I can taste it. Is it finally our time? She was upset earlier, and I need her to spell this out for me. The last thing I want to do is assume and push her away, because all I want to do is pull her closer.
“I tried to keep my distance,” she admits, softer now. “Tried to tell myself this wasn’t real or that it wouldn’t last.” She shakes her head faintly. “But you didn’t let me go. Even when I pushed, even when I doubted, you stayed.”
She slides her palms up, resting them over my chest, right where my heart is still racing. “And now,” she whispers, “I’m the one who doesn’t want to let go.”
I cover her hand with mine, holding it there, steadying both of us, willing her to feel the love I have for her. “Then don’t,” I say, just as quietly.
A breathtaking smile lights up her face. “That’s what you do with someone you love, right? You hold on tight and never let go.”
My heart stalls.
For a second, everything inside me goes completely still, like the world has paused just to hear what I’m about to say next. Silence lingers between us, fragile and enormous all at once.
Love.
She said it so easily. So honestly.
I feel her confession crash through me like something that’s been building for far too long to stay contained. My fingers tighten slightly over hers, not enough to hurt. Just enough to make sure she feels me, feels that I’m still here. I need her to know that I’m not pulling away from what she just put into the open.
“I—” The word catches in my throat, thicker than I expect. I swallow, trying again, my voice lower now, rough with everything I’ve been holding back. “You don’t even know how long I’ve been trying not to say that first.”
Something that looks a lot like relief washes over her face.
I let out a breath that feels like it’s been sitting in my chest for years. I can finally breathe. “I love you,” I say, the words settling into place like they were always meant to be there. “I think I did long before I even understood what I was feeling. And it scared the hell out of me, because once I let myself admit it, there was no going back.”
Her eyes glisten, and she leans closer, closing whatever space is left between us.
“But I don’t want to go back, Baylor,” I continue, my forehead brushing lightly against hers. “Not to before you. Not to anything that didn’t have you in it.”
Her breath hitches, warm against my lips. “Macklin,” she murmurs.
“So, yeah,” I say, my tone soft, but steadier than ever. “That’s exactly what you do with someone you love.” My arms wrap around her, holding her tightly. “You hold on,” I whisper, “and don’t let go.”
“I like that,” she whispers back.
When we eventually break apart, I smooth her hair back out of her eyes. “I need to break it down one more time, baby. We’re together. There is no me without you. There is no you without me, and when you’re ready, I’ll give you all the babies you want.”
Another heart-stopping smile. “How many?”
“You want three, right?”
“At least.” She smiles.
“Then we’ll start there.”
“I love you, cowboy.”
“Fuck, baby, I love you, too.” Finally, I kiss her, showing her with every stroke of my tongue how much she means to me. I pull away when I remember that I have to give her the Valentine’s Day gift I agonized over.