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Haley just stood there staring at me angrily. She had every right to be but that didn’t make it any easier to see.
“If you think you can just show up and sling things at me you think I want to hear, you have another thing coming.”
I took a tentative step forward. “I’m not,” I said. “I really do love you.”
Haley crossed her arms and looked like she was trying to decide whether to have a conversation or tell me to go fuck myself.
“I came here to get away from you, you know. You emotionally evicted me from the place that was my home, forced me to quit the job I loved, and abandoned me because something scared you. Newsflash, James, I’m scared, too. But I don’t have theluxury of running. I’m carrying a reminder of what I thought our relationship might have been everywhere I go.”
“I know,” I said, closing the distance between us. “And there is nothing I can ever do to fix that. I accept that I did that and there are going to be consequences of that that I have to live with forever, no matter what happens between me and you.”
Haley’s expression softened a little, and I took this as a sign to continue.
“You make me a better man, Haley. You’ve brought laughter back into our house, and warmth back into my heart. I can’t even remember what life was like before you because without even realizing it, I was making you a part of me.”
I saw Haley tremble and I reached forward, slowly pulling her into my arms, giving her plenty of chance to pull away.
“You are my finch, Haley. You are my sign that magic is real and that anything is possible. Things that once seemed like drudgery now have a renewed sense of promise, and places I’ve been a million times are appearing to me in ways that I’ve never seen before.” I could feel myself getting choked up, utterly overwhelmed with my need for her to know how much I felt for her. “You inspired me, Haley. You found me at the exact time that I felt the most lost and you saved me. I need you, and I think you need me, too. The way you make a room light up with your presence… I haven’t felt that in the longest time.”
I felt a wet drop cascade down my cheek as she looked up at me and wiped it away.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“For what? Being a human with feelings?”
“For everything. You deserved so much more than that reaction.”
I took her chin in my fingers and slowly placed a kiss on her lips that she melted into.
Fireworks erupted in my heart as I tasted her and my fingers tangled in her hair with tentative hope. I couldn’t lose her again, not now. Not after I realized how much she meant to me.
Haley pulled away and looked at me, tears staining her cheeks. “Don’t you ever do something like that to me again, James,” she said.
“Never,” I said, swearing. “Not in a million years.”
She nodded. “Then now what? I still haven’t decided what I want to do about the…”
I wanted to touch her, to hold her, to tell her I would fight the whole world for her and the baby.
But I knew it wasn’t my place.
Instead, I asked her something else.
“Move home, please.”
“James…”
“Hear me out. Move back in with me, firmly in with me. Share my room and my things. You can even use all of my skincare creams if you want to.”
Haley gave a teary laugh, which summoned forth a smile from me. “Are you sure you want to make that offer?”
“Yes,” I said hopefully. “A thousand times yes. And I know that it’s not my right to tell you what to do with this baby, but at least let me take care of you while you decide. After that…”
Haley raised an eyebrow. “After that, what?”
I felt my stomach go nervous like a million butterflies had taken over. “After that, I will ask you to marry me and we can plan our life together. Whichever way you choose.”
I could practically see Haley’s heart pounding as she considered what I was saying. She tried to say something but appeared as though she couldn’t find the words. So instead, she just nodded vigorously.
