We stay like that for a little while, listening to the muffled roar of the wind outside. Then Josie shifts in my arms and turns over to face me. I drink her in. Her hair is mussed and wild, lips swollen, eyes soft and heavy-lidded. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Even more beautiful than when she was standing behind the diner counter this morning—more beautiful than she looked when she opened Clay’s front door. Hell, I didn’t even think that was possible.
“That was amazing,” she says, humming contentedly.
“It really was. You were perfect, sugar.”
She smiles. “So were you.”
I reach out and push a strand of red hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. My hand lingers on her cheek, my thumb brushing her pale, freckled skin.
My perfect Josie.
She deserves better than me.
The thought still lingers, catching like a thorn in my throat. I will never deserve this woman. Hell, I don’t think anyone could. But I’ll spend the rest of my damn life trying to be worthy of her.
Because she chose this.
She chose me.
“What are you thinking about?” Josie asks as the silence draws on.
I meet her gaze, hesitating as I try to find the words.
“Thinking about you, beautiful,” I say eventually. “How you’re mine now, even if I don’t deserve you.” A pause, my jaw tightening. “Don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for making you feel unwanted.”
Something soft moves across her face. “Brewer?—”
“I mean it.” My fingers graze her soft jawline. “I’m sorry, Josie. I swear to God, I’ll never make you doubt how much I want you ever again.”
She’s quiet for a moment, her eyes searching mine.
“I believe you, Brewer.”
She leans in, pressing a sweet kiss on my lips. My heart threatens to burst as I pull her closer to me, wrapping my arms around her back.
“Thank you, beautiful.”
She tucks her head beneath my chin and settles against me, her body fitting mine like she was made for me. Our hearts beat in time, a steady thump, limbs tangled together, and I don’t know where Josie ends and I begin.
“Can I ask you something?” she says, her voice muffled against my skin.
“Anything.”
“You said you’d never been with anyone before…that you were waiting for the right person.”
I grunt in confirmation.
“How long have you been waiting?” A pause. “It must have been a long time.”
“You calling me old, sugar?” I tease.
“No.” A breathy chuckle escapes her throat, and she tilts her head back to look at me. “You know that’s not what I meant. I’m just curious.”
I nod, taking a moment to find the words.
“Been waiting my whole life,” I tell her eventually. “I was always convinced my perfect woman was out there somewhere. That fate would bring us together one day. But you’re right; it was a hell of a long time to wait. So long that I started to think I was wrong. That I was an idiot for ever believing it.”
Josie is very still, listening.
