“At you? Never. At me? Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because I should have stayed away from you. Because I won’t make you happy, not in the long run. Because, Em, you deserve more than a man who’s dead inside.”
For the first time in their acquaintance, she spied tears in his eyes. She’d tried to give him a day free from trouble and had only brought him more agony. As much as she wanted to cry out of some weird sense of rejection, she steeled herself and gathered him against her chest. His chest heaved as the first sob escaped, but she held him tight.
Whether he could accept her love or not, she would give it to him.
“Let it out, Michael. Remember what you told me? It has to come out.”
Cradled against her body, he finally let his anguish escape. His moans broke her heart, but she listened to each one, determined to heal him so he never had to cry again. She would see him through this and get him the help he needed or die trying.
“I feel so weak.” His sobs had ceased and his head rested limp on her shoulder.
“You’re not. Do you hear me? You’re the strongest man I know. Michael, you’re surrounded by people who admire and love you. I’m so lucky I get to be one of them. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” A tear slipped from her eye and she swiped it away with her soapy hand, which only caused her eye to sting even more. “Ah, fuck. I got soap in my eye.”
He laughed through his tears. His voice grated, but the contented undertones sounded like music. “I don’t care if I’ve known you for weeks. I need you, Emily. I don’t ever want to be without you.”
She blinked about seventeen times. “I don’t want to be without you either.”
“Let’s get out of this tub. Your eye is scary red. I think we need to rinse it.” He sighed and helped her stand. “You’re a danger to yourself, you know that?”
“The only danger to me is you, buster. Hand me a towel.”
They toweled off and Michael rubbed her shoulders while she rinsed out her eye at the sink. When she finished, she turned off the tap and stepped into the large towel he held out for both of them.
He gently kissed her sore eye. “All better?”
“Yeah. You?”
He swallowed, so hard she heard the grind of his Adam’s apple. “Yeah.” His forehead creased. “Em, I can’t do this alone anymore. I think I need help.”
Her eyes teared up all over again. “I’ll get it for you. I’ll be right at your side. You came to my rescue, Michael. I want to do the same for you.”
“I think you’ve already rescued me.”
“I know today was just one day. I understand a bike ride and a burger won’t fix everything.”
“Em, today you did more for me than you might realize, but I know I have work to do.”
“You’ll survive this. You will.”
“With your help, I just might.” Michael’s voice rumbled with dark promise as he brought her to his bedroom. They shed their towels and she welcomed him between her legs and next to her heart. As they shared a hundred kisses, a wave of hope rushed through her.
Theywould survive this.
