“Beaten again,” he said as he set his controller aside in favor of a sip of coffee.
“I swear you let me win.”
“I’d love for you to keep thinking that because it makes me a really great husband instead of a really bad racer.”
“I like you either way,” she said with a grin before she planted a soft kiss on his lips.
“You know,” he said as she pulled away, “I did a lot of thinking while I was stuck in that hospital bed.”
“And?” Her forehead creased as she stared at him.
“I have really been an idiot for a lot of my life.”
She chuckled. “You have so not been, Ace. You have been amazing for most of your life. And that’s why I’m in love with you.”
“But I spent so long not telling you how I felt?—"
“Alex, that’s over now. We’re together.”
He bobbed his head. “And then for the first part of our real marriage, I’ve done nothing but worry about when this was going to end, when you were going to realize you preferred the alpha males of the world.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but he pressed a hand over her mouth, stopping her.
“Just let me get this out.”
“Okay,” she said, her voice soft.
“Ava,” Alex began, his voice cracking slightly. “I love you. And I need you to know that I’m done with all the doubts and fears that I carried for so long. I’ve spent years convinced that any moment you’d wake up and realize I wasn’t enough—that someone stronger, better, more ‘alpha’ would be what you needed.” He paused, taking in a shaky breath. “But being in that hospital bed, thinking I might never see you again, it made me realize how much time I’ve wasted being afraid. I want to be here, by your side, without those fears. I want to love you without any reservations. You’re everything to me.”
He sucked in a sharp breath, his heart hammering against his ribs. “And I am determined to be the only man you’ll everneed for the rest of your life. And I’m over second-guessing and expecting that you’ll realize you don’t love me. I want this with you always. And I’m going to make sure you know how much I love you every single day.” He threaded his fingers through hers, squeezing her hand.
She smiled at him, her eyes turning glassy. “Alex…I love you, too. And you have already shown me every day since that day I met you. I know how important I am to you. And I don’t want anything different than what we have in this exact moment.”
He cupped her cheeks in his hands and pulled her closer into a long kiss.
As they parted, he smiled at her until his laptop chimed. Alex’s heart skipped a beat, his eyes scanning the screen in front of him. A list of emails appeared, each one a potential piece of the puzzle they needed.
They’d faced death, deceit, and betrayal—all for this moment. His fingers trembled as he scrolled through the first few lines of the emails. Were these the smoking gun they needed, or just another dead end? He swallowed hard, determination blazing in his eyes. They were going to bring down PharmaTech, and hopefully, dismantle The Board. One way or another.
CHAPTER 22
AVA
Ava savored the warmth between them, relishing the boldness of Alex’s words. It had taken so long for him to truly relax into what they had, and even longer for her to believe she could deserve it. But here they were, side by side, sharing their love with all the fear and uncertainty stripped away. This was how it was supposed to be–with no walls between them. She had never felt closer to him, and the realization brought an unexpected sting of tears to her eyes.
He’d finally started to become comfortable with their relationship. As far as she was concerned, their relationship was perfect, but she knew Alex had been nervous about it since he’d said the words to her.
Maybe it had been her inability to accept it right away, or her own fear that had made him nervous, or maybe he’d have been like this no matter what her reaction had been, but shehad wanted him to feel as comfortable with her as she did with him.
The kiss he gave her spoke volumes about his intent. It was the boldest he’d ever been, and she reveled in it, enjoying the warm moment between them as their relationship finally felt real.
The chime from Alex’s laptop cut through their moment like a knife, marking Ava flinch. She twisted her head, her gaze catching the flashing notification. A part of her didn’t want to look–what if it was just another dead end, another empty lead? But she knew they couldn’t ignore it, not now. The stakes were too high, and any piece of information could be their breakthrough.
He pulled back, glancing over her shoulder at the computer.
She twisted to find a list of emails that had been identified as having something to do with the mess The Board had created in Hemlock Falls.
Alex shifted, but she leaned in front of him, blocking his view. “Alex, wait.”
