Page 32 of Heal Me, Love Me

“I also told them I love you.” His attention locked on mine, and the air left my lungs. “I told them I loved you then, and I still love you now.”

His hand came up and rested against my cheek. He moved slowly, giving me room to stop him, but not a single part of me wanted to.

“Say it again,” he whispered.

“I love you.”

He leaned in and kissed me. It wasn’t rough or desperate, and it didn’t mean we were suddenly fine and everything behind us had disappeared. It was careful, with Keaton’s hand on my cheek, his breath against mine, and his body close enough that I could start to believe we hadn’t lost our chance to make us work.

When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine. “I love you too.”

I closed my eyes because hearing those words from him still messed with me. I’d spent years believing I’d ruined any chance of ever getting them from him, yet somehow, after everything I’d done, Keaton was still standing there, saying them to me.

“Still mad you left LA like that though,” he added.

A rough laugh slipped out of me. “Yeah. I guess that makes us even.”

“And hurt.”

“I get it.”

“Do you?”

“Absolutely.”

His thumb glided along my lip, barely there, just as my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see another notification from Grant Bishop:

Great. Are you free later today for a call?

My stomach flipped. “Grant Bishop replied.”

Keaton leaned in enough to read it. “Answer him.”

I stared at the message for another second.

A call.

Today.

I typed out:

Yeah. I’m free whenever

The next message came fast:

Does now work actually?

“He wants to talk now.”

“Then do it,” Keaton urged.

I typed back that it did and sent him my number. A few seconds later, my phone started vibrating in my hand. I stared at the number on the screen for another beat, then swiped to answer the call. “This is Rowan.”

“Rowan, Grant Bishop. Appreciate you taking the call.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you for reaching out.”

“Of course. Hell of a fight last night.”