Sweet Sinful Nights(80)
Best. Message. Ever.
As she neared her street, she made one more call to a friend of his, the guy who ran the Luxe. He agreed to help with her project, and so she had everyone lined up. She ended the call as she turned onto her street, the kernel of hope expanding inside her, blooming into something bigger, something full of possibilities. She kept her eyes on the road, but peered up ahead, so damn eager to see him. She spotted him, outside her building, his tall strong frame coming into view. He was pacing as promised, aviator shades on, brown hair glinting in the late sun, and that grin she adored flashing at her. Her heart was fighting its way out of her chest, racing to him, knowing they’d somehow fix the mess they’d made.
Because he was waiting for her.
It was that simple.
She yanked the wheel in a sharp right, the tires squealing as she pulled along the curb and cut the engine. In seconds, she was out of her car, and rushing over to him. He held a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand, and the sight of them made her breath catch.
“Hi,” she said, as he took off his shades and met her gaze.
“Hi.”
Then he wrapped his arms around her, and she did the same, grasping his waist. The flowers pressed against her back. His sunglasses clattered to the sidewalk. “I’m sorry I left last night.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” she said.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when it happened.”
“I’m sorry you had to find out like that.”
He lifted her chin with his fingers, raising her face. “I guess we’re both sorry.”
She flashed a rueful smile. “We say that a lot don’t we?”
He nodded, but kept his arms around her. She was glad he didn’t want to let go. She wanted him to hold her.
“Maybe because we fight a lot,” he said softly. “Maybe that’s just too hard a habit for us to break.”
“I think it might be. I just want us to keep coming back together.”
He sighed into her hair, and tugged her close again. “Me, too.”
“I’m glad you didn’t walk away,” she said, looping her hands tighter around his strong waist.
“I came back. I told you I would. I meant it, Shan. I’m not ever walking away from you. As long as you’ll have me, I will always be here.”
She wrenched back to look him in the eyes again. “You,” she said, as she ran her hands along his shirt, “are all I want. When you left, all I wanted was to see you again. For you to come back. To open the door and find you. And here you are.”
He set the bouquet on the ground, then cupped her cheeks in his palms. He gazed at her, his brown eyes full of passion, full of love. “I told you I won’t make the same mistake again. I won’t lose you twice.” He brushed his thumb along her jawline. “Last night floored me. You have to know that. It shocked me to the bone, and I didn’t know what to do. I still don’t know how to feel about everything, but one thing I know is true is that I am in love with you. That’s never going to change, so whatever happens, I want to figure it out with you.”
His words tugged at all her heartstrings. His hands on her face were the reassurance she’d always sought. They were comfort and protection all at once. “I want that too. I want you here with me. Life is better with you, even if we’re dealing with something hard. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I’ve been through enough to know that whatever comes our way we’ll get through it. And hey,” she said, her lips quirking into a small smile, “that’s my specialty. Maybe that’s what I can help you with. Getting through things.”
He nodded solemnly. “I’ll take it. I need it. I barely knew what to say last night. I left so I wouldn’t say something else that was wrong. Last time I said everything wrong.”
“So let’s say the right things now. It’s my turn. When we started seeing each other again, you said you weren’t going to let me go. You were damn insistent. You made it clear I was yours, come hell or high water.”
He grinned proudly, and nodded. “I did.”
“I feel the same about you. I belong with you, and you belong with me. You and I are fire. We always have been. And sometimes we burn with how much we love. Sometimes we hurt each other. But I will do whatever it takes for you. Just as you will for me. I lost you once, and there’s no way I’m going to let that happen again. Got it?” She poked him in the chest. “You are mine.”
He smiled wide and broad like the sun. “And you’re mine.”
She cast her eyes to the bouquet. “I see you brought me something.”
He bent down and picked up the flowers. “I had this plan to get a skywriter and say King Shmuck says he’s sorry and please take him back, and then have a Mariachi band play ‘You’re the One That I Want’ after you came through security. It was that, or the flowers.” He made a nervous face, one that was clearly deliberate. “Did I pick okay?” he asked.
She laughed and grabbed his arm again, not wanting to let go of him. “I think you did okay, Nichols. You did more than okay. You noticed I like sunflowers, and yellow, and sunshine.”
He held his hands out wide. “Help a man out. I have no idea what your sunflower obsession is, but I know they matter to you, and you matter to me, so I want to know.”