“You’re really in love with me.”
“How many other ways are there to say it?” His mouth twitches.
“But all this time… you… you said this was wrong. That we could never be together. You held back.”
“That doesn’t change the truth, nor does it stop me from wanting you now. After everything that’s happened, I’m ready for us to take a bit of happiness for ourselves. No matter the consequences.”
Inevitably, doubt resurfaces faster than I can revel in my victory.
“What about Tom?”
He sighs heavily through his nostrils. “No matter the consequences, Em. I’m not losing you. I don’t know how yet, but I’ll make this work.”
Shock churns through me, our chests brushing together when I waver on my feet. Warner’s pine and patchouli scent is hardwired into my dopamine receptors, and I can’t stop myself from pressing into his hard chest.
He loves me.
After all this time… I have the truth.
Warner fucking loves me.
His thumb smooths over my bruises, eyes bouncing from side-to-side as he weighs my reaction. Hope and terror form a perplexing concoction in his heated stare, undoubtedly mirroring my own confusion.
“I’m falling for you,” I admit hoarsely. “I have been for a while now. You’re not the boy I grew up with anymore, and I don’t want us to go back to just being just friends.”
He rests one hand on my hip while the other cups my jawline, holding me in a loose grasp. Each brush of his hardened fingertips sends electric zaps into my out-of-control heart.
“What do you want?” he murmurs.
My throat thickens. “To belong.”
“You’ll always belong when you’re with me, love. I’ve carried a piece of you in my soul since the day we met, and I brushed theknots from your wet hair when you refused to let your mum do it.”
Grief blazes across my breastbone, tempered by the sweetness of the old memory. “She tugged too hard with the brush. You were gentler.”
“I used to love being the only one who could make you stop crying.”
“Because I felt safe with you.”
He pushes hair behind my ear so tenderly it hurts my heart. “You’re always safe with me. No matter what happens between us, Em. You’re safe by my side, and I will always protect you with my life.”
We rest our foreheads together, exchanging a silent vow. One riddled with all the words we don’t need to say. For a second, I can just be a girl, letting the boy she liked as a kid hold her tight.
But this isn’t a child-like world of fantasy, and nothing comes quite so easily in reality. It doesn’t take long for every last complication that’s kept us apart to barge into the forefront and reclaim my thoughts.
“Why the change of heart?”
Warner inhales sharply, his eyes ducking. “I went to see an old friend.”
“Oh. I see.”
Leaning back in to catch my gaze, he offers a tentative smile. “You can wipe that hurt look off your face. Ripley put me in my place over a few drinks then sent me back here to make things right with you.”
I fight off a grin. Sounds about right.
“I know this is all messy as hell and far too complicated to figure out right now, but I now realise I have no right to dictate your sex life. Even if I don’t like who you choose to be with.”
“Blaine just happened,” I admit. “I didn’t plan it.”
