Page 77

I watch as he slides behind the bar and steps into my space. He cups my face in his hands, rubbing his thumb over my cheek. The feeling of his hands on me is divine. One touch from him and all my fears seem to fade away. They are still there. Just less loud now.

“I’m thrilled to see that you still look at me like this,” he murmurs, staring into my eyes.

“And how is that?”

His body visibly relaxes as soon as he hears my voice. Like all is right in his world again. “Your eyes tell all your secrets, baby. You can’t hide from me.”

“I know.” Feeling unsure, I drop my gaze to my shoes. He guides my eyes back up to his.

“Can we talk, Em?”

All I can do is nod. Honestly, I would do anything he wanted, especially if it prolonged our time together in this moment. I’ve missed him so much, more than I ever thought possible and I’m not ready to let him go. I need this. I need him.

“Come with me,” I say, grabbing his hand from my face and pulling him to the storage room. Once we reach it, I close the door and turn to him.

“Baby, I miss you so much. I told you I was going to fight for you if I have to. I wasn’t lying. Whatever you want, I’ll do it.”

“I miss you, too.” I keep my eyes trained on my sneakers as I talk to him, still incredibly insecure.

“Look at me, Emma.”

I take a deep breath and raise my head. The look in his eyes blows me away. There is so much love shining back at me. If he hadn’t already said the words to me, I wouldn’t be able to deny it or push it away. It’s so blindingly clear.

“Can you give this thing a chance, sweetheart?”

I bite down on my bottom lip again. “I’m scared.”

Relief washes over his face. He nods and takes a step toward me, holding my face again.

“Do you know what scares me, Em?” I shake my head. It’s hard for me to picture anything scaring Nix. I know it’s ridiculous but he just seems so strong, in every way. “It scares me to think about you not giving this thing a chance. It scares me that I may miss out on the love of my life to the bastard that came before me. Because let’s be clear here, baby, he did this to you. Sometimes I wish I would have met you before you met him. I would give anything to take away all this pain that weighs you down, and I would carry it for you if I could.”

“Nix,” I breathe.

“I love you, Em. I know that scares you and I know that word is warped for you after everything you’ve been through, but let me change that. Let me show you my love, baby. Let me take away your pain. Let me be the one to protect you.”

“Nix…” I’m unable to get anything else out. A single tear falls from my eye and trails down my cheek. Nix leans down and kisses it away.

“Let me love you, baby. Please?”

“I love you” is running on a continual loop through my head but I can’t make it come out. I’m still too scared to tell him. Like somehow I’ll become infinitely more vulnerable as soon as the words pass my lips. I didn’t think it was possible but I think that I love Nix more than I ever loved Ryan. It’s different with him. It feels so right…

He is my lobster.

“Emma, please say something,” he pleads. The stress is so clear on his face and I feel bad for getting lost in my own thoughts and forgetting to answer him. “I’ll do whatever you want, baby. Whatever you need.”

“Okay.”

“Fuckin’ hell, woman.” All the tension leaves his body at once. He swoops down and claims my lips in a fiery kiss that leaves me panting. His arms wrap around my waist and he pulls me up in his arms, my feet dangling over the floor.

“Well, it’s about damn time!” Moe yells and I jerk away from Nix’s kiss. My cheeks are burning as I look over at the door and see Mama, Trey, Addy, Tucker, Daisy, and Moe standing there. Cheers and applause ring out around us. Smiling, I shake my head before burying it in Nix’s chest.

Once I’m over my embarrassment, I look back up at Nix. He smiles and winks at me.

Shooting a fake glare at the door, I say, “What? Ya’ll couldn’t get Daddy here, too?” Nix’s body shakes as he laughs and everyone at the door joins in.

“Naw, he was busy,” Tucker remarks, walking up to us and prying me out of Nix’s arms. Nix growls, making me laugh again. “You’ll get her back in a second. Happy for you, baby girl,” he whispers in my ear.

I pull back and gape at him. “Wait. You’re okay with this?”

He shrugs. “Yeah. I told you Nix is a good guy.”

“Holy shit, ya’ll feel that draft? Hell just froze over.”

Trey barks out a laugh as the rest of them join in. Nix comes up behind me and loops his arms around my waist. He kisses my neck.

“Hey, Moe, can I steal her?”

“I don’t see why not.”

His lips brush over my ear, sending shivers racing through me and he whispers, “Let’s get out of here, gorgeous.”