“All I wanted was you.”
He absorbed the words but knew they weren’t true. Knew she’d always wanted more than he thought he was capable of. “I wouldn’t have been enough, especially back then. I was a kid trapped in a nightmare. You got me through that. Pushed me to want more—to want to be more. But if I’d failed, if I’d fallen on my face with you watching from the stands, I’m not sure I could have stood back up.”
With her lips pressed inward, she slowly nodded and sniffed back tears. “Wow, here I thought I made you better not kept you down.”
Before he could talk himself out of it, he captured her hand in his and squeezed. “You did. Hell, you still do. I just couldn’t try to be the man I needed to become and worry about how my choices affected you at the same time.”
“I guess that makes sense, but what about last year? When you laid in my bed and took my body. When you whispered promises of love and second chances then laughed when I talkedabout children. About a future I thought we’d lost. To wake up and find you gone…” Her voice cracked, and she yanked back her hand.
His chest tightened at the memory. He’d thought he was so damn lucky to run into her that night only to be scared shitless by the things she wanted.
Things he thought himself incapable of providing.
“I blew it. Again. Seeing you brought back every feeling, every memory, every dream I’d carried with me since the day I left town. But when you talked about kids and family and commitment, all I could imagine was the shit show I’d barely escaped. I loved my life on the road—a life that was the complete opposite of what you wanted. I knew I could ride the hell out of a bull, but being a father? A husband? Sticking around in a town I thought I hated? That seemed impossible. It was easier to walk away.”
She huffed out a humorless laugh. “You mean it was easier for you.”
He swallowed any other excuse he could toss her way because she was right. “I was selfish and stupid.”
“And how do I know that hasn’t changed?”
The question hit him square in the chest, not only leaving a devastating ache but also echoing the fear he’d wrestled with his entire life.
“Because the second I saw Parker, the world shifted.”
A small smile lifted the corner of her mouth. “I understand that, but it still makes me sad.”
“Why?”
“Because I always thought I was the one who shifted your world.”
This time, the tears that filled her eyes gutted him to the core. He stood, erasing the distance between them and flattened hispalms along her jawline. “You’re the one who’s always made my world stand still.”
She didn’t pull away, but she refused to meet his eyes. “A lot of good that did me. The world stopped but you kept on running.”
Skimming his fingers toward her chin, he lifted her face just enough so she couldn’t avoid him. “I ran to find myself. To grow up and figure out my shit. I’m sorry you were hurt in the process. But now, I’m done running and you’re still the one who holds my everything in the palm of your hand.”
Her eyes widened and she sucked in a sharp breath. “I don’t know if I can trust you with my heart again. Not after everything we’ve been through.”
He ignored the blinding pain that accompanied the idea of never being with Celine. He’d burned her twice, and all he could do was be patient and keep showing up. Let her see how much he wanted not just Parker, but her. “I understand that. But trust me when I say I’m not going anywhere. There’s nothing I want in this world more than you, and we both know what a stubborn ass I can be when it comes to getting what I want.”
Grinning, she lifted her finger and gently touched the golden horn hanging from his neck. “Like I said before, some things never change.”
The feel of her skin on his bare chest sent ripples of excitement down his spine. His mouth went dry. He flicked his gaze to her full, pouty lips and swallowed hard.
She kept her eyes locked on his, the tip of her finger trailing to the scar on his shoulder. “What’s this from?”
“Let’s just say not all bull horns are as helpful as the one on my chain.”
Her grin fell, and she smoothed her hand over the puckered skin. “Is this what made you quit?”
“Nah,” he said, savoring the warmth of her body so close to his. “You can’t see the injury that cost me my career, but the wounds you can’t see are often the hardest to heal. But one thing I’ve learned is no matter how hard the fall or bad the pain, it won’t break me. It’ll just push me to be better, and honey, there’s nothing that pushes me like you.”
She drew in a shuddering breath. “I want to believe you.”
“You’ll see. I promise. But just because I’m sticking around and want us to be a family doesn’t mean I expect anything from you. You’re calling the shots. With Parker, with us, with how you want to see our relationship going forward. I won’t push. I’ll count every second you and Parker give me as a damn blessing.”
“Can I ask you to do one thing for me?” Her tongue swiped over her bottom lip and set every nerve ending in his body on fire.
