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“You’re the strongest person I know.” That was what had drawn me to her in the first place. She was defiant when I’d run into her in the woods, always telling me she had a right to walk in the woods wherever she wanted, despite the property lines. We didn’t care if she hung out on the farm, but it was amusing how she’d defend herself so fiercely.
When my omelet was done, I ate standing up. Then I placed our dishes in the dishwasher and the pan in the sink. I held my hand out to her. “You want to watch TV in bed?”
She smiled. “That sounds great.”
I interlaced my fingers with hers, wondering when I’d last held a woman. I couldn’t remember if I ever had. It was something Marley and I did when we were seeing each other before. I couldn’t take her out for ice cream or to the movies, so I had to find other ways to show her I liked her.
In my room, I propped the pillows against the headboard so we could watch TV. “I figured it might be hard for us to go back to sleep.”
I grabbed the remote and flipped through the streaming services, looking for something to watch. We finally settled on a movie, and she cuddled into my side. This time, she came easily. I hoped with time she’d relax around me.
I couldn’t blame her for being slow to trust my intentions. It also meant I needed to figure out what I wanted before I took our relationship past these few days.
Within a few minutes, Marley was asleep. Her expression was peaceful as her eyelashes fanned over her cheeks. She was gorgeous, even in my oversized shirt and sweats.
I couldn’t get the image of her going down on me out of my head. Being with her again exceeded all my expectations. She was a little uncomfortable with intimacy. But again, it all came down to trust. I’d need to earn it back, and it was something I was more than willing to do. I just had to be sure she was what I wanted before we got too deep.
I had a feeling she was it for me, which meant I’d need to deal with her brother at some point. I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation.
I woke to the light streaming through the windows. When I opened my eyes, Marley was facing me, her hands under her cheek.
“Were you watching me sleep?” I asked, my voice gravelly from sleep.
She smiled softly. “Yes.”
I couldn’t resist leaning closer and kissing her softly on the lips.
When I pulled back, she slapped a hand over her mouth. “I need to brush my teeth.”
“Sorry. I couldn’t help it.” I grinned, not sorry at all.
Marley moved to get out of bed, and I stopped her with a hand on her wrist. “Don’t go. Not yet.”
She nodded. “Any regrets?”
“No. You?”
“Last night was a dream come true for me. I always wanted more with you.”
“I didn’t walk away because my feelings for you lessened. It was the opposite, and it scared me because I knew I couldn’t have a future with you. You weren’t just some girl I’d spend time with and easily walk away. It always felt bigger than us.”
Her shoulders seemed to relax. “For me, too. That’s why I never understood how you could break things off so easily.”
I reached over to touch her shoulder. “Trust me. It wasn’t easy. My brothers complained for months that I was a bear. Impossible to live with.”
“I put my head down and focused on graduating.” She moved closer so that she was resting her head under my chin.
“You always wanted to get out of here.” I wouldn’t have held her back. It was one more reason why breaking up made sense at the time.
“I wanted to go somewhere where no one knew my history. College was a reawakening of sorts. I could be anyone I wanted. I was far away from home, my parents never visited, and my brother was deployed. I was invited to other people’s holidays, and I always declined, saying I was going home to visit my parents. I did travel on occasion, but it was to see Gram.”
I moved back slightly so I could see her face. “You haven’t told anyone the truth about your past?”
“I haven’t been close enough to anyone to want to share that side of me. They don’t need to know my past to have a relationship with me.”
“I think they would.”
“Why is that?” she asked, looking up at me.
