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With a soft sigh, I stand. My brain is tired, my body exhausted, and all I want to do is curl back up against Avery, let him hold me until my mind gives in to the need for sleep.
Ready to head back to bed, I turn, only to come face-to-face with a very naked Avery, corded arms folded over his broad chest. The moonlight illuminates his impressive package and the fact that, despite the fact that he looks slightly annoyed, he’s ready for another round.
“What are you doing?” His eyes float to the dress in my hands.
“I was just—”
“Get your ass back in the bed.”
Oh, shit. “Avery, I wasn’t—”
“Now, Claire.”
Shoving my dress and my glass into Avery’s chest, I hurry my ass as fast as it’ll go back down the hallway, diving at the bed, Avery’s chuckle following behind me.
He slips beneath the covers and pulls me into his arms. “You think you can try to sneak out of here after you tell me you’re in love with me?”
“I wasn’t leaving, Avery. I promise. And I didn’t say…I mean, I said I was…Well, I didn’t…” I have no idea where I’m going with this.
“I love you too, Claire.” His tender admission melts my heart, the same way his lips melt against my jaw.
My heart jumps to my throat, my hands clammy as they grip Avery’s forearms where they wrap around me. “You do?”
“I do.”
“Even though it’s only been a few weeks? Even though I’ve been pushing you away? Even though I’m stubborn and argumentative?” If my goal is to give him a reason to rethink this, mission accomplished. I’d stop talking if I could, but I often like to ramble when I’m in over my head.
“Even though,” Avery replies with a soft sigh. “No more though. No more pushing me away. I’m in this thing with you, Claire, and I need you to be in it, too. Okay?”
I think of Charlee’s words last night. “You can’t just dip your toes in; you have to dive right in?”
His quiet chuckle makes my heart glow. “Exactly. I need you to dive in with me.”
“Okay.”
“Promise me, Claire. It hurts too much every time you run away. I know you’re scared, and I am, too. We won’t get through this if we don’t communicate, if we aren’t honest with each other. There’s nothing I want more than to be with you, to try this with you. So promise me. Please.”
I turn in his arms, taking his face in my hands. “I promise, Avery.”
His mouth covers mine, coaxing it open for a slow, lazy kiss. Warm, tender lips slide down my neck before he flips me back over, burying his face in my hair, one hand on the base of my throat, holding me to him.
“I love you, Claire,” Avery whispers. “So much I think it might split me right open.”
The sleep that follows is magical.
***
CHAPTER FORTY
Avery
One moment.
One moment is all it takes. One moment to define a distinct ending, a new beginning. One moment to give everything in your world new meaning, to change your entire life for the better.
When she walked into my life just a mere few weeks ago, something shifted inside me, even if I didn’t know it at the time. My path started to change, like a river slowly carving a new trail through the ridges of a mountain. It’s been a struggle, an uphill battle, but nothing’s ever felt more natural than having Claire in my life.
For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
