I instantly knew where this was going. The words unspoken between us were finally breaking the surface. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to hear them yet. For her to say that things were truly over between us.
“Emmie—”
“No,” she cut in, her voice soft but firm. She shook her head, eyes dropping to her hands. “Let me say this. Please.” The plea in her tone made me stop.
She swallowed, hands clenched. “I’ve been…in my head. A lot. Since,” she let out a breath that almost turned into a laugh, “I screwed everything up.”
I sat up. “You didn’t?—”
“I did.” Her eyes snapped up to mine, not angry, just certain. “I said things I didn’t mean because I was scared, and I didn’t know how to say that without sounding…weak, I guess.”
I didn’t say anything as I tried to figure out where this was going. I braced myself for her saying we weren’t worth it. ThatIwasn’t worth it.
“You didn’t deserve that. Any of that. And you’re not…” She paused, sucking in a shaky breath. “You’re not a mistake, Mateo. You never were. Not to me. Not for a second.”
Her green eyes pooled with tears. The tightness in my chest had nothing to do with the bruised ribs.
“Then why say it?”
“I didn’t want you to see what a failure I was. And I didn’t want to see the disappointment in your eyes when you realized I wasn’t good enough for you. Because in what world does a guy like you pick a girl like me?”
She started pacing in front of me, palms pressed to her eyes.
“I was afraid of losing you…and somehow, I did that anyway.”
“Em…” My throat clogged. She continued to be unaware that I spoke.
“You came into my life like this giant ball of energy and flipped everything upside down.” Her voice raised a little. “I thought I knew what I wanted, but there you were. This amazing guy who cares for his family, who donates money to animal shelters without a second thought, who makes me feel like I matter more than anything else in the world.”
She threw her hands up like all those things were horrible before she whirled around to face me, stabbing an accusing finger in my direction.
“You weren’t supposed to crawl your way into my heart and take it for yourself!” Her voice cracked, tears falling down her cheeks. “I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you! Yet, I did! And every second away from you feels like there’s this gaping hole in my heart. Just the thought of not being with you makes me physicallyill.”
She…loves me? Did I hear her right?
“My life was fine until you came waltzing in with your charm, good looks, and selfless personality.”
I barely heard a word she said, a roaring in my ears overriding everything. She loved me? That was all I could focus on. Any pain was secondary to the pounding in my chest.
I pushed off the couch and stepped closer to her. She was oblivious, her head was tilted up to the ceiling, mouth still going. I needed her to shut up. Just for a moment so I could have her repeat what she just said.
Closing the distance in two strides, I reached for her, my hands coming up to cup her face. I brought her attentionback to me. Her words were cut off in a soft gasp as I kissed her.
It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t careful. It was everything I’d been holding back—frustration, relief, fear. It all crashed into her at once. For a second, she went still, like her brain hadn’t caught up. Then she kissed me back.
Her lips pressed to mine, and for the first time in days, everything felt right.
I pulled back, my forehead resting on hers, hands cradling her face.
“Say it again.” It came out as a plea. “Say you love me.”
Emmie pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. “I love you, Mateo Boone.”
A shudder went through me. Words I hadn’t expected her to say, but now that she had, it was like they cracked something open inside of me I couldn’t ignore anymore.
“I love you, too, Emmie James. I’ve loved you from the moment you refused to tell me your name.”
She let out a watery laugh. “I had to make you work for it. Turns out you’re annoyingly persistent.”
