“You were so brave.” When he turned to face her, love—not pity—shone from her eyes. She hugged him, kissed his cheek. “Thank you for trusting me.” She released him and stood by his side. Two souls staring into the night in silent communion.
His chest was tight, his breathing erratic, a thin line of perspiration had formed on his brow. After a few moments, he got his breathing under control. When he did, some of the tension in his back released. He looked over at her.
“Since that day, I’ve never stopped running,” he said. “Never stopped looking over my shoulder.”
“Is that why you ride at night?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“What happened to your mom?”
“She was busted for selling drugs and was sent to a prison in Pennsylvania.”
“Do you visit her?”
“No. Our relationship ended the night she didn’t protect me from that monster.”
“What happened to him?”
“He was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List for the better part of a decade.”
“For what?”
“Child porn, pedophilia, rape, assault. He ruined so many lives.”
“Where is he now?”
“Dead.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I killed him, myself.” He paused to give her a few seconds to digest his words. “You need to go into this relationship with eyes wide open.”
Silence.
She clasped his hand, turned to face him. “I’ve never been more certain of anyone or anything in my entire life.” He pivoted toward her. “I’m sorry for what you endured as a child. You are the bravest, strongest, most amazing man I have ever known. I’m honored you chose to confide in me.” To his surprise, tears pricked her eyes. “I understand now why you fight so hard to fix families and make things right.”
Unable to control the emotion, he pulled her into his arms and stifled a sob. Embarrassed, he forced down the lump in his throat and gritted his teeth.
“I love you, Sinclair,” she whispered. “And I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
“I loveyou, Evangeline. You get me and I love that about you.”
She took a step toward the bed. “I want to do something, just for you. You like massages, right?”
“Love them.”
“Great.” She gestured to the bed. “Please.”
Her loving smile helped dispel his demons. They dropped their robes and, as he got into bed, she grabbed her bottle of lotion from the bathroom.
“Roll onto your stomach.”
Once he did, she straddled his thighs, leaned over, and kissed his cheek. “I adore you.”
He smiled. “You are my angel of light.”
With firm strokes, she rubbed his back, following the cuts and striations of his hard muscles. He sighed as she massaged the knots that ran across his shoulders and down his lats. He didn’t realize he carried around so much tension, but as she worked her way down his torso, he started to relax.
