His frown faded. “Wha…why?”

“Because she’s the only good piece of your family you have left? And even if you don’t want to admit it, you were disappointed she couldn’t afford to come. I’ve been saving more than enough money for weeks, not just for tonight, but for us to move near her. Already have a job lined up, and if you want some ideas, I collected some of those too.”

“I…you did?” he asked, looking more and more perplexed. “Seriously?”

“Why are you so surprised?” I asked with a laugh. “Haven’t I proven I can make and carry out a plan?”

Something flashed over his face, and he sighed. “That you did. More than once.”

“The morning we said we loved each other, I started making a plan,” I told him, not wanting to think too hard about what had happened before. I knew it still occasionally haunted his dreams, along with everything else in his life. And it was no secret between us that my dreams were still haunted by Keith’s lips on me and a bloody head caved in on the top. Sometimes, I still woke up to the guttural ‘gug’ that had bubbled out of his throat as he fought to live but never understood he was dying.

“And decided just now to tell me?” he asked, but there was no anger in his voice, only amusement.

“It was supposed to be a surprise. We both talked about living near your sister so you could be close and help with the kids,” I said with a shrug. “So why not?”

Gone were the days when I had to question whether he wanted me around. He could have been rid of me many times since then and always clung even closer. At times, it was hard for him to realize he had those feelings and loved me and that I wasn’t like the people he’d known before. I was no monster who would violate his trust and the innocence of others, and I was no user who would wring him dry and toss him aside when I was done.

I think the hardest part was not him trusting me, but that I trusted him. All his feelings of self-loathing, doubt, shame, and guilt were wrapped up tight. His anger and violence had been a way of keeping people at bay and proving to himself he was that awful person. But he wasn’t. I could see that clearly, and finally, he was seeing it.

“So you’re telling me it’s been over a week since I saw you, and I have to go through all this and still wait until the bar closes to get you alone?” he growled.

“That I am,” I said, knowing it would frustrate him more. Things might have gotten so much better between us, but that didn’t mean I didn’t like riling him up when I got the chance. Which I knew I had done when he kissed me before grabbing my arm and dragging me away with a roll of his eyes.

“Idiot.”

“Asshole.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

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