Chapter 42
Caleb
“Hey, Babe. I got youone of my hoodies...” I heard the door open as I exited our room with her clothes and one of my hoodies in hand. “Rae?” My heart sank. Ethan was too close now. What if he found out where I lived and came to get her? I threw the clothes on the couch I'd left her by and rushed to the still open front door.
I let out a sigh of relief as I looked out the front door and saw she was okay physically, being watched by Duke, who sat on the dry porch. My heart hurt, though, when I saw she was anything but okay mentally. She was standing in the mud out front, arms wrapped around herself, sobbing and breathing hard.Dang it, I shouldn’t have left her alone.
I rushed to throw my boots back on and then ran to her. “Rae, baby, what are you doing out here?”The storm was so loud, I had to raise my voice so she could hear me.
“I couldn't... breathe.” She choked back a sob, still not looking at me. I put my hand on her arm, and she was freezing.
“You were probably having a panic attack, Rae. I'm sorry, I shouldn’t have left you alone. I should have encouraged you to go with me to get your clothes.”
She finally looked at me. Her hair was soaked, her tears mixed with raindrops on her cheeks, and her lips had a tinge of purple because of how cold the rain was. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. She clung to my shirt, and the tension in her shoulders eased a little.
“I'm so sorry—” she cried. “Sorry I ruined today. Sorry I brought this mess into your life.”
I had to tell her. I didn’t care if this was the wrong timing. I just knew I had to tell her how I felt.
“No, Rae. Don't you dare apologize to me, for anything. Please.” I spoke more intensely than I meant to. “You coming back into my life has been the single greatest thing to ever happen to me.” I kept my voice as sweet as possible but needed her to know how serious I was.
“Rae, baby, I have loved you since I met you all those years ago, in high school. I was an idiot for not telling you back then, but I was a teen and I was scared. Scared I'd lose my best friend if I told her how I felt.” My voice cracked. “So, I let you go to college, hoping things wouldn't change for us. Again, I was an idiot.”
Rae looked up at me, and I shielded her eyes from the rain.
“When we lost connection and then I lost my parents, all I wanted was to talk to you, to get some Sunshine in my life. Then we bumped into each other at the store, it was like the light had returned in my life.” Her eyes grew wider and her tears continued to flow, but her body had stopped shaking.
“That bastard kept you from everything and everyone—from me. He's the one that will be apologizing when we catch up to him, not you. Never you, baby. Iloveyou, Rae. Until my dying breath, I will love you.” My voice broke with those last words, and I realized I'd started crying.
Rae’s lip was quivering, “You...love me?”
I nodded, lowering my head until our foreheads touched. “Yeah, Sunshine. With everything I am. I’ve loved you for years, and I will love you until my dying breath.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me so fast it took my breath away. “I love you, too, Ranger.”
Iwalked to the bathroomdoor with arms full of items I thought would help my girl relax. I had started a warm bath for her, but told her to rinse off before getting in the tub, so she wasn’t sitting in all the mud that was on her. She said she was okay, so I left Duke guarding the door while I found what I needed. I went through the checklist in my head as I looked at the items in my arms:wine, wine glass, plastic cup, candle, lighter and bath bomb. Got it all.
I knocked on the bathroom door. “Hey, Sunshine. Can I come in?”
“Yeah, you can come in.” Her voice sounded a little brighter and that put a smile on my face.
I told Duke to stay, and he positioned himself so he could watch out for us. When I opened the bathroom door, I was relieved to see the outline of her perfect body still behind the frosted glass. I turned off the water that filled the tub, seeing that it was at the perfect height, and then stole a peek in her direction. I was getting distracted and needed to focus, but all I wanted to do was join her in the shower.
I couldn’t help but glance at the outline of her body behind the glass as I set everything up. I lit the candle, poured the wine for her, and put the bath bomb in the water just in time for the shower water to shut off.
Rae opened the door and looked out at me. I couldn't control my smile when I saw she wasn't hiding her body from me. Steam curled around her, the light catching every little droplet of water that slid down her skin. My gaze traced the curve of her thighs and her hips, up to the rise of her chest. Every inch of her pulled me in until I forgot to breathe. She was strong, beautiful, and completely mine to love.
“What? Do I still have mud on me?” She let out a tiny laugh, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“No.” I ran my hand over my head, embarrassed that I was caught staring. “You are just amazing. That's all. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen,” I admitted, which caused a blush that started at her cheeks and gave a pink tinge to other parts of her ivory skin. I was struggling to keep my composure and make this moment about her.
I reached for her hand as the blush only deepened. I walked her to the tub and she stopped and stared at the tub at first, and then at me.
