“Good! Good, dammit. I feel you suppose an excessive amount of typically. I needed to fly to Seattle once more a few days in the past. Garrett bought a reasonably severe concussion in a preseason recreation. I needed to examine on him myself.”

“Is he okay?”

“Yeah, he’s good. He has to take a seat out for a few weeks. His sister will be sure of it.”

I really feel this horrible twist within the pit of my abdomen. “You noticed Gabrielle?”

“Don’t. Please? She’s what I would like to speak to you about. I had a gathering with my boss whereas I used to be there. Let’s simply say he’s not thrilled about me turning into a father and the way it might probably have an effect on his reduce of my enterprise.”

“He mentioned that? I imply, he truly mentioned that? How can he get away with that?”

“I’m undecided, however I don’t suppose I need to stick round to search out out. I walked out of his workplace and Gabi adopted me. She took me for dinner, drinks, and a gross sales pitch. That is the place your permission is available in. She’s engaged on branching out on her personal, her personal company. She desires me to affix her.”

“Critically? You are able to do that? What about non-competes and all that?”

Wes takes maintain of each of my arms, giving them a delicate squeeze. “She says her attorneys are engaged on it. I feel Gabs can actually pull this off. This might imply I’d have extra freedom in my schedule. I’d be capable of work from New York extra. I’d nonetheless should journey, however I might have a household too. Don’t you see?”

My physique begins to tremble. The tears bubble up from deep inside me. I need to defend my face with my arms, and I don’t need to let go of his. “No. I don’t.”

“I could be right here with you and look after the newborn. You had been proper. We will do that. For the primary time, I actually consider that. Hayley, it took me watching you stroll away and breaking me to dare me to maneuver. The one factor I’m sorry about is that I broke you within the course of.” He grimaces with a ache that could possibly be as a lot his physique as it’s his coronary heart as he gently pulls me into his lap. My legs fall to both facet of him whereas his arms start to stroke up and down my again. I pull my arms into my chest and tuck my fists beneath my chin. “Don’t you’re keen on me anymore?” he whispers.

I lean ahead, urgent my brow to his chest. The tears proceed to fall, rolling down my pores and skin. I can’t take the raging battle within me. It shouldn’t be this tough. What am I doing? Am I defending myself or am I stopping myself from what I need, what I feel I’ve all the time wished?

My arms slowly open. I can really feel the tremor in all of them the best way down my arms. My fingers hint throughout his jawline. Each blade of stubble sends a tingle by way of the information. It looks like we’ve been aside endlessly and I’m touching him for the primary time. I enable myself to search out his eyes once more. They mirror the unhappiness I’ve felt for weeks.

“Wes, it was by no means about not loving you. I advised you I’d all the time love you. I’ll.”

“Don’t inform me no and don’t speak about us prior to now tense anymore. Give me an opportunity, Hayley. Give me an opportunity.”

“Sure.” The phrase is out of my mouth earlier than I do one thing he requested me to not do. Assume.

His arms tremble, his entire physique does. “Sure? Sure, what?”

“All of it. Sure, to all of it. I’ll offer you an opportunity, I really like you, and…I’ll marry you.”

He exhales lastly and his shoulders sink. A devilish smile, the one which tells me he’s him, begins to creep throughout his lips. “Actually?” he whispers. “You’ll?” I nod slowly and provides him a small smile. He folds me into his chest. He’s so heat. His coronary heart beats shortly beneath my ear. “You haven’t any concept how a lot you imply to me.”

“You tried to climb a constructing for me. I feel I perceive.”

“Hayley, I’d stroll by way of fireplace for you. I don’t need you to harm anymore.”

I lean again so I can see his face. I’ve identified Wes when he’s being a jokester, when he’s in finest pal mode, when he’s unhappy. I’ve seen him smile earlier than, however I feel that is the primary time I’ve seen him really comfortable. “Holy shit.”

“What? What’s mistaken?”

“I’m getting married. We’re getting married.” He laughs till he huffs in a few pain-filled breaths. “I need to be sure you’re okay. Are available in the home with me.”

I climb off his physique rigorously, minding any doable accidents. Whereas towering over his still-seated body, I supply him my hand. I’m watching very intently as he stands and checks each limb. Wes tentatively shakes out every foot, leg, and knee. He bounces on them barely. As soon as he’s displaying the flexibility to stroll, I wrap his arm round my shoulder and mine at his waist. We stroll at his tempo into the home and shut the door behind us.

It takes a minute, however we make it up the steps into my bed room. I clear off the sofa on the foot of my mattress for him to take a seat on. I run into the lavatory, seize a small hand towel, and heat it up with water. Out of the nook of my eye, I watch every of his sneakers fall open and he’s capable of wiggle out of them on his personal.

After I come again to him, I kneel at his toes. The scratch on his cheek is considered one of my first considerations. I wrap my arms over his ribs to gauge if he’s damaged something. Wes doesn’t flinch. He merely follows me together with his eyes. Even once I’m cleansing the reduce on his face, his eyes are nonetheless fixated on me.

All the sentiments I missed the final time we had been collectively are again. I can really feel my physique responding to the little issues. The sound of his breath, the hints of grey in his eyes, the scent of his cologne—regardless that I do know it’s been on for hours—the texture of his thumb tracing down my cheek. The one sense I’m lacking is style.

I wipe the final little bit of blood away from his cheek. Wes takes the identical thumb he used to the touch my cheek to maneuver to memorize my decrease lip. He grazes throughout it so evenly that if I closed my eyes, I’d surprise if he was even touching me. I let him manipulate my mouth in any manner he likes. After his thumb has its fill, his lips take over.

Whereas we had been aside, I couldn’t deliver myself to consider his kisses or his contact. It was a part of me depriving my being of what I wanted. I noticed it as a hangover from the abuse I put my physique by way of at my very own hand. I even spoke to my therapist about it. I needed to neglect the whole lot to outlive. Properly, survive as I knew it to be.

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