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“You need to leave.” My body trembled, a violent storm raging inside me.
“Son, I can’t—”
“Fine.” I yanked my hand out of Aurora’s, needing to be as far away as possible from the man I would never let touch me again.
“Then I will.”
“Noah,” they both called after me, but I was gone. Blowing down the sidewalk like a tornado.
I couldn’t be near him a second longer, breathing his air, staring at his eyes. Eyes that had haunted my entire childhood.
My legs ate up the sidewalk. I had no destination in mind except getting the fuck out of there.
“Noah, wait. Please, just wait…”
The desperation in Aurora’s voice penetrated the angry vortex swirling around me, and I turned back just in time to catch her.
“I’m sorry,” she breathed, hugging me tightly. “I’m so sorry.”
“H-he…”
“I know, baby. I know.” She pulled me closer.
“He’s here, shortcake,” my voice cracked, my carefully constructed walls crumbling down around me. “He’s not supposed to be here.”
“I know, I know.”
I buried my face in the crook of her shoulder, breathing her in, letting her presence soothe me, letting her love fill every crack in my soul.
“You love me.” I lifted my head to look at her.
“Yeah, hotshot. I do. So don’t you ever do that again. If you freak out or get scared or panic, you need to talk to me.” She laid her hands on my cheeks. “Promise me that you’ll talk to me.”
“I promise.” I leaned in, brushing my nose along hers. “Can I kiss you now?”
Because I really fucking needed to kiss her.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
I buried my fingers in her hair, anchoring us together as my lips came down on hers—soft and searching and full of apology.
“Noah,” she breathed, clutching my hoodie as my tongue licked into her mouth.
“I got you, shortcake. I got you.”
And I never planned on letting her go again.
When we broke away, her skin was flushed, and her eyes were full of love.
“Say it. I want to hear you say it.”
“I love you, Noah Holden. I’m in love with you. And although it terrifies me, I don’t want to lose you because I’m too scared to see where this takes us.”
“You want me, shortcake?”
She nodded, a faint smile tracing her lips.
“I fucked up. I’ll probably fuck up again. But I swear to God, Aurora, I’ll never shut you out again.”
