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All the hurt and heartbreak over… nothing? He made a unilateral decision that impacted both of us without even giving me a chance to weigh in?

“I feel like we haven’t been great at communication,” I say finally.

“I’m willing to work on it if you are.”

I want to stay mad at him but I can’t.

He loves me.

“Say it,” I command, tilting my head up to look into his eyes.

“What?” His face is somber. “That I love you?”

I nod.

“I love you. More than I’ve ever loved anyone.”

God, hearing him say it gives me goosebumps.

“Promise?” I whisper.

“I promise.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Cash

I wait.

Possibly for an eternity. That’s how it feels as she stares up at me, obviously contemplating whether or not she can trust me. Whether my promise is worth anything. And there’s nothing I can do to change her mind or convince her. She has to come to the right conclusion on her own—or we have no chance at a future.

“You hurt me,” she finally says. “A lot.”

“I—” I catch myself before saying ‘know,’ and instead, “—it’ll never happen again.”

“How can I be sure?”

“Because I will spend the rest of my life showing you. Proving it over and over until you are.”

She swallows and—aw, hell. There are tears in her eyes.

“I still haven’t made any decisions,” she whispers, dropping her gaze. “Without you, I felt adrift, like none of it mattered. And I didn’t think love was supposed to feel that way.”

“I don’t think love is supposed to feel any particular way. It just is. Kind of like us. We just are who we are. Together, separate, our love has made us part of each other. Neither of us seems to be doing very well on our own.”

She blinks away tears but then she lifts to her toes and her lips hover over mine. “Will you kiss me?”

I don’t have to say yes, I simply press my lips to hers. Softly. Gently. Because this isn’t about sex. I can only hope she feels everything I do as our lips touch.

Her eyes are closed and it seems like the hurt and pain drains out of her as she drops her head against my chest.

“Hold me.”

I wrap my arms around her and send up a silent thank you to whatever forces played a role in my getting her back.

“I couldn’t stand to hear that I’d hurt you,” I whisper against her hair. “I thought you’d move on, get over the jerk who still loved his ex.”

“My brain heard the words but my heart didn’t believe it,” she says. “That’s what made it so hard. I couldn’t believe you still loved her.”