AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Never say it again; the sorry part. But the love part? Prove it to me, Redix Dean.”
A giggle breaks the air. I glance over his shoulder. A group of teens is turned our way. Their phones too.
You can ignore Redix Dean like a tide of elephants.
“Take me home,” I insist… in every way.
His hand reaches for mine, “I know just the one,” and pulls us both up.
I thought we were going to my place. I thought I would be alone forever. I thought this day would suck like all my others. I thought I was being punished for what I almost did, though I’d do it again for him.
But he won’t let go of my hand, guiding me through the crowd, smiling and pushing through to protect me; I don’t need it.
I just need him. Because I thought wrong.
Because this is right.
Us. Together.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
LOVE ME HARD by Elley Duhé
My eyes, I can’t take them off his profile. Even though I don’t know where he’s driving us. Even while he’s filling me in on all the good news.
The bad stuff? I don’t want to talk about it anymore. It’s stolen enough from us.
“I’ve been filming in Savannah,” he says. “You remember my friend, Lorraine Morris?”
“Yeah.”
He’s holding my hand on the center console.
“She’s doing another series and asked me to do a guest role, a few episodes, and I said yes. She’s covered my ass so many times.”
“How long are you here?”
“Another month or so.”
“And then what?”
He takes his eyes off the road, the one draped by palms and Spanish Moss, and glances my way. “That depends.”
“On?”
“On if I can stay and ride bikes with you.”
I laugh. I can’t help it. There are so many memories between us. That’s one of the happiest ones. I don’t answer him. I’m too distracted by the driveway he turns in to. It’s a huge home but understated, blending into the trees around it.
“Where are we?”
I know this island. This is beachfront, the most prized part of it. Whose place is this? Is it one of Luca Mercier’s houses?
Getting out of the car, it’s his turn not to answer. His hand reaches out to mine, leading me to the front door. When he holds it open for me—an empty living area, windows, a pool, dunes, and seagrass—they greet me before the Atlantic does.
The shock. The wrap of his arms around my waist. The way he vows, “I’m not running anymore. This is my new home here.” It takes my heart while his voice softens. “And if you let me try to win back your trust and love, I hope it will be our home here.”
Standing in his empty living room, I turn to him. “You don’t have to win me back.”
