Rev It Up (Black Knights Inc. #3)(87)

***

Michelle couldn’t help it.

Blame it on the fear of the last few days. Blame it on the emotional upheaval or the exhaustion or the soul-deep grief over Lisa’s death. Heck, blame it on the fact that, besides a granola bar, she hadn’t eaten in…well, she didn’t even know how long anymore.

Because those words, those beautiful, selfless words had her dropping her face into her hands and bursting into tears.

“Not exactly the response I was hoping for,” Jake muttered.

“S-s-sorry,” she sobbed, everything inside her, everything she’d tried so hard to keep together, unraveling so quickly it actually physically hurt. And it was either sit down or fall down, so she stumbled to the love seat beside his bed, sinking onto the threadbare cushions. “I-I just—” She couldn’t go on; she was crying too hard.

And it appeared the emotional breakdown that’d been threatening for a long time had finally come home to roost.

Perfect. Just…perfect.

“Rock is right,” he whispered, surprising her when he reached over to hook the edge of his hand beneath her chin, forcing her to look up at him. “We both made a lot of mistakes. Both of us.”

Yes. Yes they had. But her deception was so much bigger than any he’d ever—

“Did you mean that other stuff?” he asked, his eyes even more brilliant green against the paleness of his skin.

She sniffled. She wasn’t surprised to find her hands shaking when she reached up to wipe her cheeks. “Wh-what other stuff?” She’d said so much. Admitted so much…

He smiled at her then, genuinely smiled. And the sight of those devilish dimples caused a fresh wave of tears to climb up the back of her throat, choking her. She began sobbing uncontrollably all over again.

“Damn,” he cursed, leaning over to grab the Kleenex box from the little table beside the bed. “It looks like the main pipe has busted.”

“S-sorry,” she sputtered, relieved and embarrassed all at the same time. Relieved because, for the first time since her brother told her Jake was back, she thought maybe, just maybe, everything might actually work out, maybe they’d actually be able to reach some sort of amiable understanding. Embarrassed because, come on, she was blubbering like she belonged in a straightjacket. Or sedated. Or maybe she was blubbering like a person in a straightjacket who’d been sedated.

Either way, she was making a total fool of herself but, again, she just couldn’t help it. Everything was so overwhelming. Jake was overwhelming. Her feelings for him were overwhelming. The fact that he could actually forgive her for what she’d done was overwhelming…

“I’m talking about the fact that you admitted you don’t think I’m anything like your father,” he said, solicitously handing her a tissue.

“I don’t,” she assured him, indelicately blowing her nose. “I know now that you were only doing what you thought was right.”

“Yo,” he chuckled, and the sound was so welcome a new torrent of tears spilled onto her cheeks. He was right. The main pipe had busted. “We both royally f*cked up by trying to do what was right. Talk about killing each other with kindness, huh?”

All she could do was nod helplessly as she tried to smile at him.

***

God, she’s beautiful.

Even with mascara running down her splotchy cheeks and her ponytail falling out all over the place, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

And he was finished waiting to hear her say the words he’d dreamed of every night for four long years.

“Okay, so now tell me,” he demanded, his heart pounding with hungry anticipation. “Tell me to my face.”

She shook her head, confusion in her eyes—those gorgeous eyes she’d passed down to their son, those gorgeous eyes he hoped she passed down to all their sons. “T-tell you what, Jake?”

“What you told Rock.”

She swallowed and wiped her nose on the tissue, apprehensively searched his face. “What do you mean?”

The pain in his head made the thread by which he was holding on to his patience stretch paper thin. “Tell me you love me, woman.”

For a long while she said nothing, just stared at him, seemingly paralyzed. Then, when he was about half a second away from jumping out of bed and shaking the truth out of her, she murmured, her fabulous lips trembling delicately, “Of course I do, Jake. You know that. You’ve always known that.”

“Yes,” he admitted, his heart shouting with victory, his shoulders drooping in relief. “But you’ve never said it.”

“Never?”

God love the woman.

“Never,” he breathed, his expression loudly broadcasting the fact that she still hadn’t.

Again she just looked at him, dragging out the suspense until he thought he’d scream—and damn the high-heeled demons! Then she sniffed, blew out a shaky breath and said, “I love you, Jake. I love you with all my heart.”

And there they were.

The words he’d been waiting to hear since…well, since forever.

He nearly passed out from the hard burst of joy that shot through him. But he didn’t want to miss a minute of having Shell beside him, loving him, admitting she loved him.

And speaking of…