Truly, Madly, Whiskey(35)
“In your dreams.” She sat on the couch taking a closer look at the flowers, and he sank down beside her. “These really are gorgeous. Thank you.”
“How about a choker that says, Bear’s?”
She laughed. “How about I admit that I’m your girlfriend and you know it here.” She touched his chest over his heart. “Can that be enough for a possessive guy like you?”
“Babe, after all this time, I think I deserve the choker. But hell, I’ll take it.”
He leaned in for a kiss, and she couldn’t help but think he deserved a Boyfriend of the Year Award. He’d taken that role before she’d allowed him to, and yes, he was pushy, but he was also protective, and loving, and many more things that had kept her riveted by him for so long. Thank goodness he’d somehow known they were right for each other and had refused to give up. She wouldn’t wear a choker, but she was proud to be willingly on his arm from now on.
She smelled the beautiful bouquet again. “I didn’t even know orchids came in all these colors.”
He draped an arm over her shoulder. “Neither did I, and honestly, I had no idea these were orchids. By the way, they’re safe for cockblocker over there. I asked.”
She laughed. “We are not calling her that.”
“Maybe not out loud.” He whispered, “I love her, but she is one.”
Smiling, he pressed his lips to hers. “I wanted to get you something special.” He took the bouquet from her and pointed to one of the flowers.
“These gorgeous babes are still finding their way. They’re outgrowing their innocent yellow base, striking out on their own with the orange and dark red spots. They look tough, but a little unsure. Those say ‘Chrissy’ all over them. The little girl whose life was turned upside down and forced to grow up too soon in a harsher world than she deserved.”
Chrissy. He had listened to every word she’d said. She reached for Harley, trying to distract herself from the unexpected rush of emotions. She’d never stood a chance of resisting him. He might be cocky and possessive, but he was equally tender and loving, funny and sweet, and she couldn’t believe that after all she’d been through, Bear was turning out to be the man she’d thought he was, and so much more.
He held her tighter, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.
He pointed to the pink and white flowers. “These delicate ladies?” he said in a voice so full of love she wanted to wrap it around her and snuggle inside it. “They were so smart, they knew how to blend in and fly under the radar. Look at them, so feminine and strong. They blow me away. Chrystina.”
“And these pretty little gals are bold and captivating.” He touched one of the blue and purple orchids. “They say, ‘Don’t f*ck with me. I might be poisonous, but I’m too tempting to resist.’”
He paused long enough for her to forget how to breathe.
“Like you. Crystal.”
She pressed her lips together to keep her emotions from spilling out, but when he guided her face toward his with a gentle press of his finger beneath her chin, his serious gaze held her captive, and her eyes teared up.
“They say orchids are symbols of love and affection,” he said softly. “And the harder they are to find, the more love and affection they hold. When you put all these magnificent beauties together, you get the most unique flower on earth.”
He was looking at her as if he could see her innermost thoughts, and everything around them faded away. He was all she could see, smell, hear. When he took her hand in his, a familiar current traveled up her arm. Could it be possible to just live in this moment forever?
“Some people might see those bold colors and think they’re too much,” he said, bringing her back to earth. “They might see the dainty pink and white as too soft, or the others and think they’re too rough. But when I see them. When I see you. I see the woman who stopped me cold the first time I saw her. And when you opened that incredibly sexy, snarky, and often too-adorable-for-words mouth of yours, I knew I was in big trouble.”
For a long moment she didn’t move, didn’t breathe, didn’t think, just sat beside him, numb from the honesty written all over his face. She didn’t know how to handle this, and she turned away, overwhelmed and embarrassed by the feelings stacking up inside her. “I think I’m allergic to those saccharine lines.”
He drew her face toward his again. “Don’t do that.”
“Move?” She hated herself for being snarky. She hadn’t planned on reinventing herself ever again, but there was no denying the changes taking place inside her. She’d been hiding from herself, from the truth, from being judged, for so long, that the warmth and love he gave her made her feel vulnerable, and she didn’t know how to handle it.
“Don’t deflect.” His tone was pure control, telling her what to do, not suggesting.
Pure instinct made her scoff, and just as quickly, she regretted it. This wasn’t a reinvention born of fear or necessity. She wasn’t in survival mode. She wasn’t in any mode at all, and that was the most incredible feeling in the world. But it was also frightening, because she wasn’t sure who she was anymore. But when she looked at Bear, she wanted to find out. Desperately.
“I’m sorry. It’s—”
“Habit?” He lifted Harley from her lap and took her hand in his. “I get that. But if we’re going to be together—and we are, so don’t even pretend anything else is an option—I’m going to say what I feel. If I have to hold back my physical display of affection, my emotions have to come out in some way.”