“I was with someone once,” I say, the words dragging out like they’ve rusted in place. “Years. I thought we were building a future. Turns out she just liked the stability. The steady paychecks. The… safety.”
I can’t look at her while I say it. I stare at the concrete instead.
“When I got hurt on the job?—”
Sally gasps. “You were injured?”
I nod, my jaw clenching. “Crushed vertebrae. Busted ribs. Collapsed lung. A jack failed while I was under a truck. Whole thing dropped on me.”
Her hands cover her mouth. “Oh, my god.”
“I was lucky. Could’ve been paralyzed. Could’ve died.” I force a breath. “The woman I was with told me she didn’t sign up for a burden. She wanted a man who could carryherthrough life, not one she’d ever have to carry. So she left.”
Sally’s breath hitches, horrified.
“I spent a year in rehab. Learned to walk again. Learned how people prefer me when I’m useful. Strong. Whole.”
She takes a tentative step toward me, but I turn before she can get too close.
My fingers grip the hem of my shirt. I hesitate because no matter how many times a doctor says you're fixed, you still feel broken. Still, I lift the fabric and turn my back to her.
The air shifts as Sally sucks in a quiet breath.
I know what she sees, the pale scar marring the lower length of my spine. It’s jagged in places, surgical in others. Metal bolts anchor the history beneath my skin. Titanium rods hold me together now, literally.
“I didn’t see this last night,” she whispers. “It was dark, and I… I didn’t feel?—”
“You weren’t supposed to,” I say hoarsely. “I wasn’t ready for you to see it.”
She steps closer. Her fingers skim the edge of the scar, but her touch doesn’t feel like pity; it feels like respect. As if she sees the physical and emotional pain carved there and doesn’t flinch.
“You’re still healing,” she murmurs.
“Physically, I’m fine,” I say roughly. “Everything else… not so much.”
Sally presses her hand flat against my back, right over the scar. Her touch is warm and steady. It doesn’t feel like she’s trying to fix me. It feels like she’swithme.
“You’re not broken, Nolan,” she says. “And even if you were, I’d still want you.”
I exhale shakily. “I’ve never told anyone all of it before.”
She circles to face me again, her eyes shining but clear. “Thank you for trusting me.”
I swallow hard, dropping my gaze.
Silence falls, heavy and full.
Then she curls her fingers around mine.
I look up.
Sally’s eyes are fire and fury. “I’m not here because you’re safe or convenient. I’m here because you’re the man I want.”
My chest tightens. “I don’t know how to believe that yet.”
“You don’t have to believe it,” she whispers, stepping closer. “Just let me prove it. Because… how could I possibly drive away from you, Nolan West? You’re the very best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Time stops.
