“I don’t think I can forgive him,” I whispered, reaching for Matt’s good hand.
It wasn’t his intent, but Paul’s actions almost cost me my life. Almost cost Matt his too. I could have a sliver of sympathy for him without forgiving him.
“You don’t have to forgive him.” Matt hugged me again, this time feeling less tense.
“Can we talk about something else?”
“Of course.” He kissed my temple.
“Shane, why don’t you tell me about your ranch?”
“Happy to.”
Matt sat beside me, careful not to tangle our cluster of tubes and wires, and held my hand, while Shane sat in the hard plastic visitor’s chair beside my bed and regaled me with stories of Matt’s teen years.
“He said you taught him how to use a bow and arrow.”
“I did. He was a natural.”
“He promised to teach me.”
“There are worse teachers.” Shane joked. “Seriously though, Matt’s a great instructor. The kids love taking his class when he visits.”
“I’d love to see that,” I said, teasing Matt. “Does he growl at them when they don’t listen?”
Shane laughed.
Matt held eye contact while saying, “I don’t growl.”
He most certainly did.
“You growl all the time.”
“I only growl at my girlfriend when she doesn’t listen.”
The way Matt said ‘my girlfriend’ shot straight to my heart, and my core.
We’d said I love you in the heat of the moment when we first saw each other, but we hadn’t talked about our relationship.
Loving someone didn’t mean you could spend your life together. Did Matt want to get married? Have kids?
It was no secret that I wanted those things.
Forgetting that Shane was there, I asked, “Girlfriend?”
“Damn straight, unless you, my girlfriend, object?”
Hearing his raspy voice calling me his girlfriend again answered some of my questions without a long, tedious conversation.
My insides were gooey with emotions, and toasty with desire.
Shane cleared his throat, removing the temptation to kiss Matt senseless.
My boyfriend.
I’m still annoyed at myself for falling for him. I’d been adamant about not wanting a relationship, but I fell face first into a great big vat of feelings.
He’d made it easy with his considerate protectiveness, his attentiveness to the little things I liked, wanted, or needed, his determination to help—despite my arguing—when I needed him the most.
