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“There’s never a good reason for hurting someone you care for. And that’s what I did. I saw it in your eyes.”
Sensing he needed more than just her reassurances to comfort him, she met him in the center of the room and took both his hands in hers. He towered over her. His size, once so intimidating, now gave her a sense of peace. “Just because you hurt me doesn’t mean I didn’t understand why it happened. We’ll do better next time.”
He cut his gaze to the floor. “I don’t know if there can be a next time. I don’t want to keep hurting you.”
She pulled in a deep breath, ready to lay her cards on the table. They’d both been through the ringer, her heart barely healed after Aaron destroyed it, but there was one thing she was certain of. She wanted Chet in her life. And not just as a coworker. If he was part of her big picture—part of her dream of a happy future—she needed to be the one to take the first step. The one to lay her soul bare for this man who stood in front of her. A giant in form but a pile of marshmallow fluff on the inside who was so afraid of losing everything again.
“Keeping your distance because you don’t want to hurt me will hurt,” she said. “Choosing to protect me by ending whatever we’ve started isn’t a choice I want you to make. I want you, Chet. I want you in any way you’re ready to give me.”
His head snapped up, eyes wide and filled with tears. “I have so much baggage. I can’t ask you to take that on.”
She squeezed his hands. “Laurie and Riley and the love you shared with them isn’t baggage. It’s a beautiful story that I want you to share with me. A beautiful part of your soul I’m honored to know, and that makes you who you are.”
He sniffed, lowering his forehead to rest on hers. “Do you know how damn special you are?”
“No, but I don’t mind hearing you explain it to me.”
He barked out a laugh then gathered her in his arms, holding her close. “I’ll tell you every single day if you want.”
His words melted something inside, thawed the last piece of her heart that was frozen with Aaron’s betrayal. The future might be unclear, but she wanted it to include Chet.
Wrigley barked then whined, spinning in a circle.
She laughed. “I think he needs to go outside.”
“You take care of that, and I’ll start dinner,” Chet said. “Just don’t venture far from the cabin.”
The simple pleasure of the arrangement, as well as his concern, had her pressing a kiss to his cheek. She could almost believe all their troubles were behind them and this is what life could be like every day.
But the back of her mind warned her not to get too comfortable. A killer still lurked, and once he was found, his real identity might destroy everything she’d built with Chet.
21
Chet stacked the logs in the fireplace in Mia’s living room then struck a match, sending it onto the kindling. A sense of pride puffed his chest as he watched the flames dance. No matter how many times he built a fire, he never tired of seeing the results burst to life.
“I don’t think I’ve had a fire since I moved in.” Mia bustled around the kitchen and cleaned up the dishes from dinner.
“Not surprised,” he said, standing and watching her stretch to place a plate in the cupboard. A sliver of skin appeared above the waistband of her pants and the muscles in his stomach tightened.
After the intense conversation they’d shared after arriving home, dinner had been light and airy. Talking about Wrigley and classes Mia wanted to take soon. Steering clear of discussing the nightmare consuming them, the blanket of fear they couldn’t shed or the constant barrage of emotions that beat against them like waves on a rocky shore.
Mia wiped her hands on a dish towel then draped it over the counter’s edge. “Thanks for dinner.”
“No problem. Least I can do.” He wanted to do more—to show her how much she meant to him but moving too fast made his head spin. He’d never loved another woman besides his wife.
All the air fled his lungs. Love? It’d only been a handful of days since his guard had been forced down and he’d admitted to himself how much Mia meant to him. But love?
“What’s that look for?” Mia stared at him from across the room, a half-filled wine glass in her hand.
He shook his head, smiling as the idea took hold. He might not be all the way there yet, but he was close enough. But he couldn’t tell Mia that or he’d scare the shit out of her. “Nothing. Just think I might try some of that wine you love so much.”
Brows raised, she tilted her head to the side far enough to cause her long, dark curls to spill over her shoulder. “Really?”
He shrugged, not wanting to admit he’d rather run to his place and grab a beer. “Sure.”
“Okay. One glass of merlot coming up.” She grabbed a stemless wineglass from the cabinet then scooted the bottle from the counter. She filled his glass, topped off hers, then carried them both to him.
He accepted the wine and took a sip then wrinkled his nose. “Interesting.”
