Zane blows out a breath as his head falls back, his hand tightening in mine. “Okay. The beach.”
“Our beach.”
He flinches, his nose flaring. “You love pushing my boundaries, don’t you?”
“As long as I know I won’t break you.”
“What if this does? Break me, I mean.”
“It won’t.”
“How do you know that? I almost let the darkness push you away again.”
“That’s not possible.”
“B, I—”
“No, it’s not possible because I won’t let you. Unless you look me in the eye and tell me you’ve moved on, you’re stuck with me. Good times and bad.”
“Are you proposing?” Zane bites his bottom lip, and despite knowing he’s hiding his feelings with humor, I let him off the hook.
“Hell, no. I wantyouto propose to me one day. I want the full experience. I want to be spoiled.”
“Like a princess?”
“Like aqueen.”
“Myqueen. Always.” He stands up and pulls me into a hug, pressing a kiss to my hair. “Thank you. I can’t promise that I’m not going to fuck this all up, but I promise to let you in.”
“Good. Because I can’t promise that either.”
“We’re going to be a fun couple, aren’t we?”
“I’ll be happy no matter what we are, as long as we’re together.”
“Good.” Zane smiles, relief clear in his gaze, while trepidation still lingers. “Come on.” He peps up, changing the subject, trying just like I asked. “Let’s get moving before I change my mind.”
CHAPTER SIXTY
Zane
It’s late by the time Blair and I check into a new hotel. There was no way in hell I was letting her stay in the dump I’d stayed in, despite her claiming it didn’t matter as long as we were together.
Yes, that works in theory, but going back to that place is reminding me of the man I was a few hours earlier, and I’m trying hard not to become him again.
Blair sighs as she sinks back into the luxury king-size bed, her wild hair breaking free from its restraint. “Thank God the day is almost over. I’m ready for tomorrow.” She throws her hand over her face and groans.
I’d love to pretend today never happened, but… “Not everything about today was bad.”
The last few hours were nothing short of perfect, from our quiet time on the beach together, to spending the evening with her parents and Cade, feeling a part of a family for the first time since Sierra died.
The Stevenses have always made me feel welcome, even when I was a teenager, hell-bent on fucking my life up. But tonight was different—tonight I felt their love.
“Oh my God, you’re right.” Blair sits up, her giddy expression confusing me. “I got to meet Reed Coombs today, and God, does he live up to his golden boy name. He’s a true gentleman. A genuine soul. A beacon of happiness. A—”
“Are you done?” I deadpan, pretending I don’t agree with some of what she said. The beacon of happiness was taking things too far.
“I can think of more, but I’m happy to stop.” She smiles, making me wish I was a beacon for her happiness, because I will never tire of how beautiful she is when her smile reaches her eyes. I’ll never stop regretting the time that we lost.
