“What do you mean?”
“He knew I needed to forgive myself.” She exhales and I brace, knowing with one glimpse of her eyes that I’m not going to like what she says next. “For not being enough.”
I frown.
“My parents didn’t love me. My grandpa didn’t either. And then…”
She doesn’t finish.
But she doesn’t have to.
“ThenIleft,” I say, the truth tearing through me. “Ididn’t love you enough.”
“Brooks, I didn’t mean?—”
I settle my forehead on hers. “I know.”
“And I’m…” Her throat works. “Well, the truth is that I’m still working through all of that. I know logically it wasn’t really about me?—”
“But that doesn’t mean the feelings have gone away either. I get that. Hell, this stuff with the USB, the things my dad did in the past, and how it all might be connected to everything we’ve gone through—” I tuck her hair behind her ear. “It’s not like I can just pack that all away and pretend it won’t come back up again, pretend it doesn’t fuck with my head.”
“Exactly,” she whispers.
“Want to know the good thing?”
A nod.
“We have time. We don’t have to rush. We can just be us as we sort our heads and hearts out.”
She leans against me, arms around my waist, expression soft, eyes warm. “As long as we do it together.”
God, this womanundoesme.
So, I say the only thing I can,
“As you wish.”
I tugthe covers over Briar, lean down and press my lips to her forehead.
She smells faintly of popcorn and the kittens have made a mess of her braid.
But she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
Hair turned silver in the moonlight, her face serene in a way that heals the jagged wound inside me.
We switched to watching a show that Chrissy recommended—one I only capitulated to because Briar seemed so excited to have something to discuss with the rest of the girls.
It’s a cheesy reality drama, but I can’t lie…there was a dash of romance that I enjoyed.
Damn woman.
Hooking me on something the guys will give me shit about.
But fuck, I’m looking forward to that.
TV shows and Jace giving me a hard time. Briar smiling as she curls up next to me…and never failing to fall asleep cuddled close, her head under my chin, her steady breaths on my throat.
Leaving the rest of the popcorn for me.
