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“That the world has seemed safe again,” she said.
I pulled her close to my body and felt her tears wet my shirt. I knew exactly how she felt. How cruel she must’ve thought the world was for ripping away her only parent. I felt the same anger rise in the pit of my stomach every time I picked up the phone to call my mother to tell her something only to remember she wouldn’t be on the other end.
“It’s alright, Stella. I’ve got you.”
I brushed her hair from her face as she sniffled against my chest before the wind kicked up and swirled around us. The leaves fluttered around our bodies, and the grass began to rustle with its force. Stella peeked out from the safety of my chest to witness the way the earth seemed to hold us in the only arms it knew how to conjure, and suddenly she tilted her head back to grab hold of my stare.
“Thank you for a beautiful day, Christian,” she said.
“The day’s only half over,” I said. “And whatever you want to do is fine with me.”
“What if I wanted to go see a Broadway show?” she asked.
“Then I’d get us tickets,” I said.
“What if I wanted to go play with puppies and kitties?” she asked.
“Then I would find a pet store and some allergy medication,” I said, chuckling.
“What if I wanted to take a nap before going to a titty bar and blowing through half the company’s money?” she asked.
“I’d ask you who you were and then ask you where the hell Stella Harte was,” I said, smiling.
“But you said anything,” she said slyly.
“And anything is what you’ll get. Unless it involves spending half the company’s money,” I said.
“Oh, but we’re cool if I want to go see titties?” she said.
“Do I get to see yours in the process?” I asked.
She patted my chest playfully as she flickered her eyes down to my chest. I felt her lean back into me, resting her chin against my heartbeat, and I knew what she was doing. She was relishing in the fact that it was beating, breathing life into me just so she knew this was all real. She missed the heartbeat of her father and the comfort his life brought her, so she was reminding herself there was someone here who cared for her whose heart was still beating.
I knew that’s what she was doing because it’s what I did last night after she fell asleep.
“Stella,” I said as she raised her gaze to mine.
“Yes, Christian?” she asked.
“You really do make this park more beautiful,” I said.
I raised my hand to cup her cheek, drawing her lips closer and closer to mine while the rest of the world faded into the background. Our tongues collided in a soft tango of gratefulness and understanding, swallowing as much of each other as we could taste. Her body pressed into mine, gripping the fabric of my shirt and pulling me closer, and my hands cloaked her back as our lips began to swell with the pressure of the other’s.
And all that was left was the beating of her heart rushing through my ears as it pounded against my chest.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Stella
Our afternoon of romance swirled into another night of passion, and I found myself waking up Sunday morning tangled up in him. His smile brought warmth to my soul while his naked body filled my world with protection, and I swung my leg over his body just to draw him even closer. I couldn’t get enough of him, this man who had captured my world. Christian was far from the ignorant man-child I had accused him of being when this entire process started, and the way he kissed me evidenced the tenderness of a man that couldn’t soak up enough of me to satiate him.
I felt beautiful when I was in his arms, and I silently dreaded what would happen to us after this weekend was over.
“Another day in paradise,” he said, smiling. “How do you feel about going to see the Statue of Liberty?”
“Oh, can we
do it on that boat ride? The one that offers lunch?” I asked.
