“Nope.” She gave me a weak smile. “Anderson is an ass. A desperate one, at that.”
I raised my brows in agreeance before closing more of the distance between us.
“But now the world knows about us…” she said.
“Doesn’t matter.” I shook my head.
She looked at me surprised.
“I love you, Sadie.” I put my hands gently on her arms, sliding them down until they met her hands. I held them tightly.
She blinked a few times as my words registered. “Y-youloveme?” she whispered, her eyes searching mine.
“I do.” I smiled. “And I want to take care of you, but not in a way that makes you feel small. I want you to take up space. I want you to be who you are. Do what you want. And I want to worship you for it because that’s what you deserve.”
Her eyes began to tear up as she pressed her lips tightly together in an effort to hold them in. I ran my thumbs over her smooth knuckles, savoring the touch I thought I had lost.
“I know I’ve screwed up. Again and again. I thought I was trying to protect you, but I only ended up hurting you. It kills me. Looking back, I was an idiot. I was only looking out forme. Mybest interests. It’s what I’ve always done because I had to. But then you came along…”
I leaned down and pressed my forehead to hers, reaching up to wipe away her tears that now streamed down her cheeks. I gently held her face against my palms.
“You changedeverything,”I whispered.
“Jeremiah…” she said softly, her eyes closing, and it was like a perfect melody to my ears.
“I want to make it up to you. I want to prove myself to you,” I said insistently. “The question is, and what I should have asked more, is what doyouwant?”
Her eyes slowly fluttered open and found mine. It was a beautiful sight.
“I want this. All of this.” She reached her hand up and found mine, while her other hand fell to her stomach, cradling it gently.
“Oh, thank God,” I breathed out before pulling her in for a kiss.
She giggled, her laugh tickling my lips. It was the sound of forgiveness. I kissed her ten more times on the lips before she pulled away, giving me her usual sassy smirk I couldn’t get enough of.
“Does this mean you’re going to stop being such an ass?” she asked, raising a brow.
I laughed out loud. “Didn’t you hear any of my speech?” I asked.
She grinned up at me. “Yes, I was just making sure.”
I shook my head at her before leaning in to kiss her again, but she stopped me, putting a gentle hand to my mouth. I looked at her curiously.
“I love you, too,” she whispered before pulling her hand away.
I wrapped my arms around her as her words healed the broken parts of me, pulling her in for a long kiss.
Chapter 53
Sadie
Ilove you.
Jeremiah’s words replayed in my mind like a song I couldn’t get out of my head. They were three simple words spoken from the complicated man who now held me in his arms. The same man I realized I had loved in return for some time, but only just now admitted. I had fully jumped into this with him, putting my fears aside to see where this might go.
It didn’t matter that we had met under the circumstances we did. Or that we had rushed into things like two teenagers experiencing a summer fling for the first time, completely lost in the moment. Or that we had a surprise pregnancy that would change our lives. Or that we were dealing with a vengeful man stuck in the past.
I was in this.
