She smiles before dropping her gaze. “I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea.”
“I want to get to know you again—spend time with you.”
She runs her fingers through her hair. Exhaustion and frustration fill her expression as she huffs out a breath. “I have so much baggage, Caleb. I’m not sure it’s worth it.”
Grasping her arm, I study her closely. She’s looking everywhere but me, and I tilt my head until I meet her gaze. “Can I be the judge of that?”
“We’re all working out how to function properly with no restrictions.”
Restrictions.
That word makes my jaw ache, but I resist the urge to question it and force a smile.
“I’m not giving up. I know I lost you a long time ago, but seeing you again is everything.”
Tears well in her eyes. “Why are you so nice? I hurt you so much.”
“Because I see you, Emma Chase. I see the pain, and I see the joy you have for your children.” I step closer. “And I think there’s room in there for me.”
“I’m so scared,” she whispers.
I raise my hand to her cheek and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ll never do what he did. You know that, right? All I ever wanted to do was to love you—give you the life you deserve.”
Her lips twitch. I’m so close to getting through to her, but I also have to respect her space.
“I just need time.”
I place a kiss on her forehead. “I won’t push. For now. But I’m also not going away. You’re stuck with me being around.”
She laughs softly. “I like you being around.”
I suck in a breath. “I want to meet your kids.” Her brow furrows. “Hear me out. Just so they know there’s someone else in their lives who’ll be there for them.”
“You’d do that?”
“I’d do anything for you.”
Her eyes soften, and she smiles at me. “It’s very hard to resist you, you know.”
“I’m working on that.” I give her arm a squeeze. “I’m just so in awe of everything you’ve done. And I get the feeling you’ve not told me everything yet. But I’m here, and I’m always ready to listen.”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“There’s a reason you moved here, isn’t there? You don’t have any other family that I know of.”
She pulls away. “The happiest days of my life were here. For the first sixteen years, I had everything I wanted.”
“Is that all?” I tease. I doubt she moved here specifically for me, but a man can hope.
“Things have been so messed up for so long. I want to give my kids a fresh start in the best place I could think of.” She licks her lips. “You can meet my kids, but not today. Give me time to take a breath.”
I nod. “Okay.”
Truth is, I’ll wait as long as it takes if it means she lets me in.
We’ll go at her pace.
After everything she’s been through, that’s the least I can do for her.
