She nodded, turning back to the stove. “Good. This is good.”
She scraped eggs onto two plates, then made a third portion. Of course she did. She set it on a plate on the floor. Rainbow trotted over like canine royalty, tail wagging.
Faith pushed eggs around her plate without eating, fork scraping against ceramic. “Today, I’m going to try to find another job.”
I knew better than to try to convince her not to work; she’d made up her mind, and Faith was nothing if not determined.
“My office needs another assistant,” I lied smoothly.
She smirked. “You can’t save me from everything, Ryker.”
Watch me try.
She pushed her food around once more, then surrendered, setting the plate on the floor for Rainbow, who attacked it with enthusiasm.
“Gotta say”—I leaned back against the counter—“never seen a dog eat so well.”
Faith’s lower lip trembled. “I just want to give her every treat I possibly can before it’s too late. I want her to remember me as the person who made her happy.”
Fucking hell.Now it was my turn to push the eggs around on my plate. “Please don’t give up hope.”
Her face crumpled. “You know what I’ve been thinking about all night?”
I waited, my chest tight.
“I just keep thinking maybe … maybe I’m getting everything I deserve.”
“Faith—”
“I want to be a strong woman. You know, the one in themovies who never lets life get her down? The one who just keeps charging ahead, no matter what gets thrown at her? Those are the people I respect and admire. That’s the woman I’ve been trying to be.” Her voice broke. “But I’m not her, Ryker. I’m just … tired.”
Something inside me snapped.
“That’s not realistic.” I pushed off the counter, moving closer to her. “Everybody breaks sometimes, Faith. And hear me when I say this: you did not deserve any of this.”
Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill over.
“I turned into a bad kid, Ryker. I let my circumstances change me. When my foster dad used to beat me, I wished him dead. I literally would pray for him to die.” Shame riddled her features. “What kind of person does that make me?”
Rage flooded my veins. “He was abusing you, Faith. If I had gotten my hands on him, I would’ve torn him limb from limb while he was still breathing.”
A small smile threatened at the corner of her mouth. “We both know that’s not true.”
The thing was, I didn’t know that anymore. Not when it came to her.
“Throughout the years, I’ve made so many wrong turns, Ryker. I don’t even know where my original road was.” She seemed to be gearing up to tell me something, but she either didn’t or couldn’t.
“Listen to me.” I tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at me. “We all hold things we’re not proud of, Faith. But every day, we get to start new. Every experience is a new opportunity to make a different choice. And from where I’m sitting, you’re fucking amazing.”
She pressed both hands to her face, shoulders shaking. I pulled her to standing, pulled her hands away, and wiped the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs.
“You listen to me. I’m falling in love with you, Faith. Have been for longer than I wanted to admit.”
Her breath hitched.
“I don’t believe in love at first sight, but there’ssomethingat first sight. The first moment I laid eyes on you, something inside me changed. I was inexplicably and irrevocably drawn to everything about you.”
She stood frozen, tears streaming down her face.
