GRAE
My heart crackedinto a million little pieces at Caden’s words, each shard so tiny I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to put it back together again. Not the way it was.
What had happened tonight would change us both forever. But Caden was paying the highest price.
My thumbs swept across his cheeks. “Do you know what I see when I look at you?”
Caden was silent, but his eyes flared.
“The man who’s always there when I need him the most. The person who gets me better than anyone else. Someone who’s kind and loyal and will do anything for the people he loves.”
“I failed you,” he croaked.
I let one hand trail down his face to the back of his neck and squeezed. “I’m standing in front of you. Breathing. Living. Because you came. And it’s not the first time you saved my life. You always show up when I really need you.”
The corner of my mouth kicked up. “You even let me maul you when I was trying to escape a bad date.”
“Gigi…”
“I will only ever see the best things when I look at you. I’ll only ever see the truth.”
Caden searched my eyes. “How?”
“Because you’ve always been that glimmer of light for me. A beacon of hope. Even when I didn’t want you to be.”
Caden brushed the hair out of my face, his fingers tangling in the strands. “You shine so brightly it terrified me. Worried if I ever lost you, my world would go black.”
“But I’m right here. No matter what happens, we always seem to find our way back to each other.”
The gold in Caden’s eyes burned bright. “Love you, Gigi. I always have. Every moment we were side by side. Every moment we were apart. I think the times I pushed you away…I only loved you more.”
My breath hitched, everything in me pulling taut. “I love you, too. Even when I didn’t want to, I couldn’t burn you out of me. You were always there.”
Caden’s hand slid along my jaw, tipping my head back. “I’m so sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I was a coward.”
“Losing each other just makes us appreciate this more.” I stretched up onto my tiptoes, bringing my mouth to his. I poured everything I didn’t have the words for into the kiss. Because what I felt for Caden went beyond love. It was something indescribable. Something I could only paint with my body against his.
“Gigi…” he whispered against my lips. “You need to rest.”
“I needyou.”
It was the simple truth. I needed to feel him. To reassure myself that we were okay, still here, and would always find our way back to each other.
Caden stared down at me, his eyes searching. And then he hoisted me into his arms.
My legs encircled his waist, holding tightly. As if I needed to guarantee that I wouldn’t lose him.
Caden strode down the hall toward his bedroom, but I didn’t let that stop me. My lips trailed over his neck, and when my teeth grazed his ear, he let out a growl that made me grin.
A second later, Caden lowered me to the mattress, his fingers coming to the T-shirt I wore. His movements were so incredibly gentle as he lifted it over my head and sent it sailing to the floor. His eyes flared. “No bra?”
I shrugged. “We were going to bed.”
Caden’s gaze dipped to the baggy sweats I wore. His hand trailed up my thigh, to the very core of me. “And here?”
My eyes danced. “Why don’t you find out?”
His fingers unhooked my insulin pump and then latched on to the waistband of my sweats. He pulled them off in one swift move. That muscle in his jaw flexed. “Gigi…”
