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“She’ll call you back if she wants to talk to you,” I tell her mom firmly.
She starts to protest loudly, but I hang up and stare down at my girl.
As soon as I end the call, panic sets in. Did I just overstep? Is she going to be pissed at me?
“I’m sorry,” I blurt, and she blinks, wiping at the tears.
“Are you?”
I hesitate, and she huffs out a laugh.
“Not really,” I admit, deciding to go with honesty. “I fucking hate seeing you upset.”
She nods, and I study her, trying to decide how she feels about me being here, but I can’t quite read the expression on her face.
“Why are you here?” She asks, and I take a deep breath and launch into my prepared speech.
“I know that you asked for space and time,” I start, and her eyes meet mine. “I tried to stay away, but fuck, Mira. It hurts.”
Her eyes start to get shiny with more tears, and I hurry on.
“I love you, Mira. I can’t be away from you. I need you in my life… so I promise to be whatever you want me to be. I’ll never open a door or boss you around. I’ll let you be independent. We’ll travel anywhere that you want. We’ll go at your pace. I’ll do whatever you want, be whatever you want. I just need you.”
A tear spills onto her cheek, and I hold my breath, waiting to see what she says. It feels like the silence stretches for hours, but I know that it’s probably only a few seconds before she breaks it.
“I thought that you were like my mom,” she admits, and the breath leaves my lungs in a whoosh.
“I don’t mean to be,” I rush to tell her, and she shakes her head.
“You’re not. Not really. You can be bossy with me, but you do it from a place of love. You want what’s best for me.”
“I do,” I promise her.
“My mom has called me a few times the last few days,” she admits. “That was the first time that I’ve answered, but she’s left a couple of messages and each one is her demanding that I do something for her. She doesn’t care about me or what I want or need. All she can think about is herself and her own needs and wants.”
I want to pull her into my arms and tell her how much I love her, but I can see that she needs to say her peace so I remain silent and still.
“I still want to have more independence, but…I missed you,” she says softly, and my knees almost give out in relief.
I brace my hand on the doorframe, and she smiles shyly at me.
“I missed you too. So much,” I tell her.
“I trust you. I know that you’ll work to give me what I want, what I need,” she says, and I nod.
“I would do anything for you,” I tell her, and she smiles softly.
She takes a step toward me, and I can’t hold back any longer. I cup her face in my hands and kiss her. All of the emotions that I’ve felt over the last couple of days are poured into the kiss. The pain and longing, the need and love, it’s all there.
She gasps, and I slip my tongue into her mouth to tease hers. She tastes like chocolate and whipped cream, and I know that she must be drinking hot chocolate.
The wrapper on the flowers crunches as I step closer to her, and I pause, taking the flowers and chocolates from her and setting them on the table by the front door. Then I grab her and drag her body against mine.
“Townes,” she sighs as my lips claim hers once again, and I moan.
“I love you, Mira,” I whisper against her mouth.
“I love you too.”
