"Have you been crying?" I refrained from touching him, even though I ached to have him hold me. But I wasn't sure what he was here for: to stay or end things and leave. My self-protection mode kicked in, and I steeled myself for whatever may happen.
"Yeah." I noticed he held a piece of paper tightly in his hand.
I swallowed hard as my hope started to plummet. Still, I held my head high, reminding myself that there was more to the story; that what Sarah had accused me of was not black and white.
"I'm sorry about what happened." My eyes searched his face as he stared back with eyes that held a lot of pain. Yet, there was also a tenderness in the way his gaze raked my features. That subtle emotion still kept the flame of hope alive inside me. "Can I explain about Sarah?"
He shook his head. "No need."
My stomach dropped.
When he saw my crushed face, he immediately rushed forward, hands outstretched. He clasped my tense shoulders and stroked my arms with a gentle caress. I was numb to his touch.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I meant it's okay; I know everything. Diane filled me in."
My body stayed frigid. "What do you mean?"
His smile was soft as his large hands attempted to loosen my muscles. "Can I come in?"
Woodenly, I stepped aside and held my breath as he brushed past me. I didn't want to breathe in his addictive scent. At least, not until I knew for sure where our future lay.
"How is Sarah anyway?"
He leaned against my kitchen island, his gaze intensely focused on me. He placed the letter he brought with him on the table between us. "I don't care," he bluntly said, surprising me. He lifted a shoulder in an indifferent shrug. "She doesn't deserve any sympathy."
Eyes wide, I shuffled closer to him until I stood opposite; the kitchen island between us. "What do you mean?"
His mouth twisted, and the pain I spied earlier was replaced with a flash of anger. "Sarah was the girl who bullied you, wasn't she? When you were a kid?"
I dropped my gaze from his. He continued to surprise me. "How did you know?"
"You told me."
My eyes flew back to his, brow furrowed.
"When we were chatting outside my old high school, you told me about a girl who was cruel to you. You told me that when you became popular, you were only a bitch to people who deserved it. You said this particular girl deserved it. You were talking about Sarah, weren't you?"
I rolled my lips in. The silence stretched between us as I recalled that conversation we had in New York. We’d laid ourselves bare to each other, laying another brick of trust onto our foundation. That was the moment I truly began to fall for him. He made me feel safe enough to offload all my past worries and mistakes without fear of being judged. I gave a jerky nod.
His eyes closed before he strolled around the island. He wrapped me in his arms and pulled me close. His warmth and scent overwhelmed me, and I finally allowed myself to breathe him in. I could feel his heart beating against his chest. No doubt he could feel mine. His lips pressed a hard kiss on my head before his chin rested there. We held each other fiercely before the tension inside of me slowly melted away.
"I didn't know they were the same person," I said against his chest. "I hadn't thought of Sarah in years until recently. I didn't mention her name to you because your sister-in-law was called Sarah, and I thought it was weird. Not weird as in, they could be the same person weird, but –"
"Sssh," he murmured as he placed another kiss on my head. "I believe you."
He pulled back but kept his arms firmly around my waist. He was so close I could see the burst of golden swirls within his eyes. "I believe you, and I don't blame you. Yes, what you did was cruel, but knowing the backstory of what you went through…you were just a kid lashing out. You're not that person anymore. You're beautiful, kind, a complete badass." He paused, and I felt the warmth of his stare stroke over me. "And I couldn't love you more."
My mouth dropped just as my heart jumped. He said it so softly, but he might as well have screamed it into my ear. I stared at him in stunned silence. Did he..? Did he just say…
"You love me?"
His puff of laughter drifted over my cheeks. "I thought it was pretty obvious when I kept pursuing you even when you told me to fuck off. Truth is, I think I started falling for you when you begrudgingly let me share your table."
I grunted in amusement as I buried my face in his shoulder. His arms tightened around me again, and another kiss was placed on my head. A slew of emotions hit me, and, for once, I was completely speechless—shocked into silence. I needed a moment to process what he was telling me.
We held each other for a few minutes, content to just be in each other's arms again after an emotional few hours. I pulled back to look at him.
"Why were you crying? Did Diane say something to upset you?"
