“I broke up with him the night he was going to propose.”
Her admission made me sad for her but also elated because it meant she was here withmenow. If they had ended up getting married, she wouldn’t be sitting on my bathroom floor right now, and I wouldn’t have been able to kiss her thirty minutes ago.
“Hmm, well it seems you dodged a bullet there,” I mused, wanting to say so much more, like how he was a horrible person who didn’t deserve her, and that I was so happy she was inmyhouse instead. But I held the words behind my lips, not wanting to overwhelm her anymore than she already was. A stray tear slipped down her cheek, and I wiped it away. Goosebumps pebbled on her skin.
“I’m sorry he spoke to you like that. I should’ve slammed the door in his face sooner.”
She shrugged. “That was nothing new. That’s just Ben.”
“He’s talked to you like that before?” My thumb traced a line across her face as she nodded, and my heart cracked further.
How could anyone treat Elsie that way? Not only was she beautiful, but she was whip smart, funny, and one of the kindest people I had ever met. Benjamin clearly took advantage of her sweet nature, forcing her into a box in which she didn’t fit—nor was she meant to. Men like that—if you could even call them such—didn’t deserve someone as amazing as Elsie.
It all made sense now—why she acted the way she did; why she was so hesitant to open up to me, to offer her heart. It was clear her ex made her believe things about herself that weren’t true, and spoke to her in a way that had her cowering behind her walls. Elsie had learned to protect her heart at all costs. I couldn’t even fault her for it.
“You deserve better than that.”
Elsie closed her eyes, her head thumping against the wall. “He always made me feel small and never paid much attention to me. Our breakup was long overdue. The only reason I stayed so long was because…”
I waited, letting her sort through her thoughts. It was the first time Elsie was truly open with me, and I wasn’t about to rush her.
“I didn’t want to disappoint my parents,” she sighed. “My dad was the one who set us up in the first place. He loved Ben, but he never saw the person he really was—the person he became when we were alone. It only took a couple months for me to realize that he wasn’t right for me, but I couldn’t bring myself to end things. At least until…”
“Until?”
Elsie shook her head, the wall that protected her heart slamming back down as her eyes shuttered. “Nothing.” She shrugged. “It’s not important now.”
There was more to the story, so much more she wasn’t telling me, but after this night’s ordeal, I wasn’t going to push. She would tell me when she was ready.
Hopefully.
Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I pulled her against my chest, and she melted into me. If all I could do to comfort her was hold her, then I would do it all night. If that was how I proved I wasn’t like her ex, that I was a safe place and a man she could rely on, then I would stay here as long as I needed to.
I lost track of how much time passed as we sat there curled together, Luna sprawled across both our laps.
Eventually she yawned and said, “I should probably head home.”
My arms tightened around her automatically.Don’t let go.I wished I could say the words out loud, wished I could ask her to stay.
I gave Luna a pat and she stood, tail wagging as she sauntered out of the room. With a groan, I pushed to my feet before helping Elsie up. Every instinct within me wanted to pull her back into my arms, but I let her head for the front door instead. Her floral shampoo wafted into my nose as she walked past.
“Thank you for dinner, Jameson,” she said as I reluctantly helped her into her coat.
“Anytime, Elsie. Text me when you get home?”
She cocked her head as if that was a strange request.
I’m worried about you.
“Sure.”
I worked to put a smile on my face, hoping it would inspire one of her own as I brushed my fingers against her palm. “May I kiss you goodnight?”
An emotion I couldn’t name flashed in her eyes, perhaps equal parts surprise and hesitation. I expected her to say no, but she tilted her chin up, leaning closer. It was the most natural thing in the world to brush my lips against hers, once, twice. I couldn’t escape howrightthis felt.
“Goodnight, Elsie,” I murmured against her mouth.
Her lips twitched, the first signs of a smile since her ex had interrupted our dinner, and it felt like I had won the lottery for causing it.
