Her hand slides to my cheek tenderly as she cups my face. Her eyes shift from my lips to my gaze, something sparking in her. For a moment, she appears frightened. Then she takes a deep breath as her thumb brushes my bottom lip. “I love you, Kaden.”
Is it possible for the whole world to stop moving? For the planets and life to cease to exist between a breath and a thought? Because I feel as if time itself is standing still at this very moment.
Her confession isn’t prompted by the horrid things I forced her to do that brought us here. She isn’t speaking from a place of survival or obligation. She’s being true. True to her heart and what’s inside of it.
I shake my head in disbelief. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear those words again…” Breathing feels impossible as I force my lungs to expand. “I love you so much it fucking hurts, Sunny.”
Her eyes round as her chest rises and falls deeply. “I’m soafraid—”
“Shhh,” I shush her quietly as I press my forehead to hers and wrap my arms around her. “I’ll never hurt you again. I promise.”
She closes her eyes tightly, nodding. “I’m going to give you a fair chance, but if you leave me again, I won’t survive it.”
My heart stops at the desperation and vulnerability in her voice. I knew I broke her before, but I never thought…
No. We’re getting our second chance. No more fuck ups or excuses. This is aboutus. And I’m not going to fail her for a second time.
“Look at me, Melody,” I whisper. Her eyes flutter open, her tears of anguish and loss threatening to fall. “I made a mistake before. Choosing that life over you is the biggest regret I have. It kept me up for so many nights trying to relive the life we should have had.” I brush my thumb as the first tear falls, catching it. “I’ve only ever wanted you, and I shouldn’t have been so stupid before. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I don’t deserve it. But I am asking you to trust me when I say that I would rather die than hurt you again. I’ll hand you the fucking gun, and you can deal the final blow. Because I’m nothing without you.”
She gasps, her face morphing into shock. “Kaden…”
I chuckle, the sound low. “I’m being serious, Sunny. I don’t want to live in a world where we don’t exist. I can’t.”
She’s pensive as she stares at me with her sparkling brown eyes. There’s always been a beauty to the honey gold that captivated me from an early age. She’sstunning.
Her fingers brush over my jaw, achingly unhurried. “I meant what I said on the altar…”
My eyes widen.
“I never knew what I was searching for until I met you. Then everything clicked into place at once. Life becomes brighter with you around.” She gives me a tear-filled smile. “I’ve missed you so much.”
My lips crash over hers. All the missed time, sleepless nights, and yearning for the only woman I’ve ever loved bleed from me. She’s my beginning and my end. My everything. And I’ll strive to prove it every day.
As we pull apart, we both chuckle at our situation. The atmosphere is light, and it makes my chest ache to see her smiling so genuinely.
“How about I run us a bath?” I ask as I brush her hair behind her ear.
Her eyes light up. “Bath salts! I bought some earlier while I was out, and I want to try them.”
I blink. “What scent?”
“Eucalyptus,” she beams.
I freeze. “Eucalyptus?” I repeat carefully, turning the word over.
“Yes.Veryrelaxing.”
My head rears slightly. “Don’t koalas eat that?”
Her lips thin. “That’s…not the same thing.”
“It literally is,” I huff.
She slaps a hand over my chest before shuffling forward on her knees. “I put it by the sink in our bathroom. Can you prepare everything? I’m gonna go grab something.”
My intrigue is piqued as I stand and follow her instructions. She breezes out of the room as I search for the bath salts. There’s a blue bag resting on the counter, and after reading the label, I turn it over in my hands.
A generous amount.
