AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She took a deep breath, her eyes brimming with tears. “Why did you wait so long to come back to me?” She stilled. “Wait, are you back for me? Or were you just meeting with Carter?”
I almost laughed at the idea of me being back for any other reason than her. I pulled her close, ignoring her stiff posture or hands going to my chest, pushing on it. “I came for you. I love you so much, I could barely breathe the last few weeks.”
She stared at me, then opened and closed her mouth a few times, no words coming out.
We stood there staring at each other.
“You love me?”
“You’re the most important person in my life. And I’m sorry I put so much pressure on you. I’ll learn to live with you being married. If it’s the only way I can have you then that’s how it has to be.”
She finally seemed to take in the words and what they meant and sagged against me.
I pulled her close, using my cane to steady myself. My leg screamed at the extra weight, but there was no way I’d let her go. “I love you so much. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
She buried her face in my chest, and then her body shook from the sobs that tore through her. I kept whispering into her hair, not sure she understood a word I was saying. But her sobs quieted until she was breathing into my chest with only the occasional hiccup.
Carter appeared in the mouth of the hallway. “We should probably get out of here. The cook just woke up, and he’s fuming.”
I nodded at him. “Let’s take the back exit.”
Carter joined us, his brows raised. “You two finally talking?”
I nodded, then turned Thea to one side so I could put my arm around her. She kept her body connected to mine, her arm around my waist, never once losing its hold.
We shuffled down the narrow hallway, neither of us willing to let go.
Carter picked up her bag that she’d dropped, and we left the diner through the back door.
I steered her to my rental car, stopping in front of the passenger door.
Carter handed Thea her bag. “I’ll follow you back to the house.”
Opening the door, I released Thea. “I’ll be right there, baby. I just have to talk to Carter first.”
She nodded, and I closed the door before turning to him.
“You think the cook is going to give us trouble?”
Carter grinned a toothy smile that made him look like a shark. “We had a little chat and came to an understanding. I doubt there’ll be any blowback. And besides, he’s fine. His nose wasn’t even broken. He hurt himself more from dropping to the floor than from your punch.”
Running a hand through my hair, I let out the pent-up breath I’d been holding in. “Let’s get her home.”
He lifted his chin in agreement and turned in the direction of his car.
The first thing I did when getting in the car was take Thea’s hand and place it on my thigh. Only then did I start the car and put the address she told me in the GPS. I pulled out of the parking lot, careful to avoid the numerous potholes.
Whatever she’d gone through the last few weeks had put dark circles under her eyes and made her walk as if she carried a heavy weight on her shoulders.
“I’m so sorry for running away.” Her low voice broke through the hum of the road. “I should have talked to you.”
I held her hand tighter. “I know I put too much pressure on you. I’m not the same person you used to know and I haven’t changed for the better. But I’m too selfish to give you up despite knowing you deserve someone better than me.”
She leaned closer, pressing my hand to her chest. “Oh, Archer. You’re still you. And I love you so much, I don’t think there’s anything that could change that.”
“Fuck, I wish I wasn’t driving.”
The need to hold her, touch every inch of her body and make sure she was really mine was almost overpowering. This time I would make sure she had no more doubts about us.
