She inhales sharply.
I look away, trying not to cry.
Sounding hurt, she asks, "You don't want me anymore?"
Her question hangs in the air, raw and bleeding.
I look back at her. "Of course I want you. You're all I've ever wanted."
"Then why would you say that?"
I admit, "I'm confused."
"About?"
I blurt out, "How can you even look at me after what I just told you?"
"You don't think I already knew you had a problem?" she asks.
The hairs on my arms rise. "You knew I had a gambling problem?"
She bites her lip and tilts her head, sympathy softening her gaze.
"I hate that pity-filled look," I mutter.
She puts her hand on my chin and holds my face in front of hers. Sternly, she states, "It's not pity. And it takes a lot to admit you have a problem and need help."
"But how can you still want me?"
She jerks back, eyes wide with hurt and fury. "How can I still want you? Wyatt, I'veneverstopped wanting you! Not for a day. Not for a second. Even when I hated you, I wanted you so badly, it made me sick."
Her confession slams into me harder than any bull ever could. I reel, chest heaving. "I'm a mess, Willow. I'm an addict. I almost threw everything away again tonight. You deserve someone better. Someone who isn't always one bad night away from blowing it."
She shoves my shoulder, surprising me with her strength. "Better? You think I wantbetter? I don't want some perfect manwho's never struggled a day in his life. I wantyou. I want the man who told me the truth tonight, who's trying tobebetter."
I blink hard, fighting the sting in my eyes. "You don't know what you're saying."
She throws her hands up in the air. "Don't you dare tell me what I feel, Wyatt Houston. Don't you ever decide for me again. You've done that too many times already."
It's another punch straight to the ribs. I argue, "I'm not deciding anything for you. But I don't want to bring you down with me."
She scoffs, eyes blazing. "Bring me down? You think you're so powerful that you could ruin me? I've already survived you once, Wyatt. And I'm still standing. I know what I want."
My heart thunders. "What do you want?" I ask, scared of the answer but desperate to hear it.
She leans closer, eyes locked on mine. "I wantyou. All of you. Even the broken parts. Especially the broken parts. Because I'm broken too, Wyatt. Neither of us is perfect. But when we're together, we make each other stronger."
I want to believe her. God, I want to. But the shame claws at me. "You don't understand?—"
She grabs my face, palms warm against my cheeks. "No.Youdon't understand. Tonight, you chose not to place that bet. You choseme. You choseus. You choseyourself. And that's all I need to know."
Her words slice right through my fear. My voice comes out raw. "For the first time in my life, I realized I don't want to live this way anymore. I don't know why I didn't see it before."
Her gaze softens, filling with so much love that it shatters me. "That's good, Wyatt. I'm proud of you. I know it had to be hard for you to walk into that meeting. And I love you more for it."
A sob catches in my throat. I bury my hands in her hair, pulling her face to mine. "How can you still love me?"
She lets out a shaky breath. "Because I never stopped. And because you're worth it. You always have been." She kisses me, gently at first, then fiercely. Like every emotion we've bottled up for seven years pours out through our lips.
