Chapter13
Priya bolted for the door,and Grady wanted tothrowup.
He scrambled after her, but the door slapped shut before hereachedit.
That wasn’t how he wanted to have that conversation. It was upside down and backward. He should have led with how much he valuedherfriendship.
And she’d have said the samething.
There wasn’t an easy way to do this. It had been the right call, no matter how awkwarditwas.
He knew it—in his head, at least. His chest was disturbingly tight,though.
Because this is fucked up and wrong, that’s why. Tight with panic that you’ve lost her. Again.Once was bad enough. Two strikes? He didn’t have anotherchance.
He paced away fromthedoor.
Fuckinghell.
He turned to race after her. They’d figure this out, his heart suggested desperately. He wasn’t sure how.Cross-country romance in between deployments?The chances of that working were slim to fucking none. He froze with his fingers wrapped tight around thedoorknob.
His vision crossed as he glared at the screen door.The bit of wispy, nothing mesh that stood between him andPriya.
Wispynothing.
That summed up how he felt about his fears now that he’d opened his big fat mouth and said all the wrongthings.
He should havetoldher—
A flash of red grabbed his attention in his blurry field ofvision.
Red.
Priya. His chest tightened further as he refocused his eyes justin time to see her bound up the stairs to thecabin.
“Oh myGod,” she growled at him through the screen door. “You are such acolossalass.”
“Yes.”
“Why would you say allofthat?”
“Because I’m scared shitless that I can’thaveyou.”
“Youhaveme.”
“I want allofyou.”
She gave him a wide-eyed, confusedlook. “Okay.”
“Because I love you.”Her mouth dropped open and he turned the handle, stepping out onto the porch to join her. “I should have a better lead up to that. But I feel sick that we fought, and worse that you left. Still do, even though you came back to yell at me more—which I’m grateful for. That’s good. I was frozen there, Priya. I let doubt consume me, and I never do that. I act decisively. I have to, orpeoplewill—”
She threw herself into his arms and he caught her as her mouth landed on his, cutting off his words. She kissed him like she was still mad at him, all fire and fight. But she kissed him like she loved him, too, and maybe she was mad at himbecauseshelovedhim.
The tightness in his chest twisted, going from fear to possessiveness in aninstant.
Shewashis.
His to lose,if he wasn’tcareful.
