Page 84 of Out of Bounds

Sitting on the edge of the firepit was a framed photo, with a single red rose laid out in front of it. Felicity picked up the simple black frame, gasping as she realized what it was. The photo was of her and Gunnar, a selfie taken as they strolled up and down the River Walk in San Antonio. She’d forgotten that he’d taken the photo, him behind her, one arm wrapped around her midsection, with the other outstretched in front of them, as he kissed just along her jawline, right by her ear. The feel of his breath had tickled, causing her to laugh right as he snapped the picture, the bright lights shining off the river behind them. They looked so unbelievably happy in this photo—they'd been so unbelievably happy. Just two people in love, not a care in the world but being with each other.

“Know what I see when I look at that photo?” Gunnar’s voice said from behind her.

Felicity whipped around, her heart feeling like it could beat out of her chest. What was he doing here? Part of her didn’t want to believe what she was seeing as she watched him slowly close the distance between them.

“Not some sexy-as-sin blonde, with a smile that has an effect on my dick that I probably shouldn’t talk about in public. Or even some high-powered lady boss who has no problem putting someone in their place,” he continued. His eyes were trained on her, making her pulse race impossibly faster. He stopped when he reached her, the edge of his shoes right against the tips of her heels. “No. What I see in that photo is a woman who has a heart so big she doesn’t know what to do with it. A woman so passionate that anything less than her all isn’t enough—who loves so fiercely it hurts.”

Felicity gasped, her hand flying to her mouth to try and contain the sob that threatened to escape. The frame rattled in her hand, her hands shaking. Gunnar saw all that? In her? He took the frame from her, setting it down on the chair she was standing next to, keeping his eyes trained on her.

“I see a beautiful woman, inside and out, who was hurt a long time ago, and out of fear of getting hurt again, she puts up walls and hides in her castle. But I also see the woman who was brave enough to let down the gate, just a little bit, enough so that I could be allowed inside the walls, so that I could see the real her. The her that fights for what she believes in, who knows what she wants, and who isn’t willing to settle for anything less than what she deserves. And she deserves the world.”

“Gunnar…” she choked out, the tears starting to flow.

“She deserves someone who is going to see her for all that she is, and love each and every part of her. Even the difficult ones. Even when she tries to push away. Someone who is going to be there, ready and waiting, to remind her that she’s so damn lovable that it hurts. That I love you so much it hurts.”

“You…you love me?”

“Oh, Effie. Do you really not know?” he asked, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into him. The heat radiating off his body was welcoming, her body relaxing into him. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and continued, “I love you like Winnie the Pooh loves honey. Without question or exception.”

* * *

Felicity squeaked as she inhaled sharply, and Gunnar had to bite back a laugh at just how cute she was in this moment. He lifted his head, looking into her eyes, not letting up on his grip around her waist. Her eyes softened behind her tears, staring back into his, the walls she’d been busy rebuilding crashing down.

Cullen hadn’t been kidding when he’d said that Dalton would know exactly what to do. Gunnar had only been armed with the idea of framing the selfie, followed by pouring out his heart and showing her just what she meant to him. It had been her brother who had schemed up the idea of convincing her to join them for dinner, only to find herself alone on the rooftop, where Gunnar could surprise her. He’d been a little skeptical that Dalton could get Felicity to agree—after all, it was his friends not hers that were having dinner, and the sour mood he’d known she was in was not likely to help make her agreeable. But Dalton had promised he’d get her there, and the man was good to his word.

It had taken him a moment to remember to breathe when he’d watched her arrive from where he was hiding at the bar. Just like that night in San Antonio, her jeans hugged every curve in a way that sent sparks straight through him. What he was feeling right now, though, wasn’t just about those jeans. It was everything about her and how he didn’t want to miss another second. There were just some moments where he felt like he could get lost watching her, all her subtle movements as she tried to navigate her way, and this was one of them. The real her was shining through, just for him, and that was something he knew he’d never get enough of.

“I love the way you scrunch your nose when you’re first waking up in the morning, like the process of having to open your eyes leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I love your fierce, take-no-prisoners attitude at work, and the fact that your favorite movie is a cartoon with a musical teapot. I love that you have a very staunch opinion that Jack could have fit on the door had Rose simply let him at the end of Titanic, regardless of what MythBusters says. I love that you still write letters to your mother—and I especially love knowing I made it into those letters.”

He waggled his eyebrows and Felicity let out a snort. There was a smile starting to tug at her lips, and hope rose within Gunnar that she was hearing him—and that what he was telling her was sinking in.

“I love you too.”

Her statement didn’t surprise him. He knew she shared his feelings. She’d told him in her own way so many times over the last weeks, just not with her words. But hearing her say it out loud still made his heart swell with emotion. He could listen to her say that over and over again—her sweet voice saying the sweetest words there were. He continued to hold her close, their bodies pressed together, soaking in the moment for as long as he could. He knew his girl, so he knew exactly what was coming next. And he was already prepared for it.

“What I don’t love,” he started, before she could raise an objection, “is that you feel like you have to choose between love and success. Because you don’t, Effie. You can have both. You can be the unstoppable force that you are at Southland and still have me by your side. You don’t have to choose, unless choosing is what you want.”

“But—”

“But nothing,” he replied. It had been clear to him, and even to Dalton when they were working this whole thing out, that this would be the sticking point. Or well, one of them. This was just the one he’d worried about most as he’d thought it all through. That if she were going to walk away from him, it would be because of the job. She was so passionate about her work—which was something he really did love about her—that part of him had worried that it would win. That it would outshine her love for him.

Standing here now, though, he saw in her eyes that it didn’t. That she did love him—she was still just too afraid of it all crumbling again.

“Sure, you can’t be president of the Rising,” he continued. “But you can be the owner. There may still be times you have to recuse yourself, but if there is anyone professional enough to handle that, it’s you, baby. You can’t tell me that you don’t want what your brother is offering. I know you, Effie, and I know that has been your dream for a long time.”

“I do want it,” she said, sniffling. She wiped underneath her eyes, smudging her makeup slightly. But even with the mascara stains, she looked like an angel standing there in the glow of the sunset. “I want it so bad I can taste it. But that’s not the only thing between us, Gunnar. There’s still Talia. And yes, she and I have talked, but I still feel like I betrayed her and that I’ve gotten in the way of you and her. I can’t be that person. I can’t do what my stepmother did to me.”

Gunnar let out a breath, his insides sinking at the pain that was written all over Felicity’s face. There was no mistaking that regardless of whatever she and Talia had talked about, the issue still weighed heavy on her and that she was beating herself up about it. He only hoped that what he was about to tell her would help erase that pain and replace it with the love that she deserved.

“You’re the reason Talia and I have a relationship, Effie. How do you not see that? You’re the exact opposite of your stepmother. You were the one who got us the flat and got her a job. You helped get her hooked up with school. All of that so she could stay here, with me, so she and I could get to know each other. I can promise you that neither she nor I would have taken those steps if not for you. You mean everything to us. We want you in our life. As part of our weird little family.”

“You do?”

“Yes,” he answered, squeezing her. “And maybe someday, we can add to that family. Make that dream of yours come true as well.”

Felicity gasped, her eyes growing wide and her jaw going slack. He knew he had a wicked grin on his face as he watched her reaction, but he couldn’t help himself. This had been what he’d been waiting for all day as he practiced what he was going to say to her, and standing here now, it was even better than he’d imagined.

“Are you going to stick a soccer ball up your shirt on the sidelines?” she joked.