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I burst into laughter, and so does Nancy.
“I like you,” Nancy says with a wink.
Vanessa’s grin widens. “What’s not to like?” She flips a lock of hair over her shoulder, and we laugh harder.
“I’m guessing you don’t have any new information?”
Her gaze locks on mine, all the happiness draining from her face, knowing instantly who I’m referring to. She releases a long, mournful sigh, her normally twinkling, emerald eyes becoming dull and murky. “No, unfortunately. I still have my friend digging, but other than what we knew two days ago, nothing new has surfaced.”
My heart sinks and I swallow hard, my breath hitching inside my chest. The nurse’s eyes draw up to my face sharply, and I give her a meek smile. “I’m fine,” I whisper, not wanting her to think my reaction is from my wounds being more painful than I’m letting on.
I’m feeling a whole other sense of suffering and agony, and it’s not from being shot twice and nearly blown to pieces.
Irelynn’s gorgeous face floats through my mind and I sink my head into the pillows, aching to see her, but settling for the memories that float through my head. We’ve spent nearly every day together since the moment I laid eyes on her when William… my hands clench into fists.Don’t think about him right now.
My hands unclench as the nurse changes my bandages, and I flashback to a warm night in September, when I danced beneath the stars with Irelynn in my arms.
The light floral scent of her hair floats in the air as I lead her to my French doors, leading to my outdoor patio, her petite hand grasped snugly in mine. My eyes trail down her body, her skinny jeans clinging to her curves, the hint of her bust pushing against the long-sleeved t-shirt she’s wearing.
“Where are we going? To the hot tub?” Her chocolate eyes twinkle with amusement as they lock on mine.
I grin at her. “Close, but not quite. Though I may add that to my plans for you this evening.” Stopping in front of the door, I pull her into me, her hands sliding to my chest. Her fingers glide over my muscles, covered by my t-shirt, her touch reverent. She bites her lip, her gaze moving from my chest to my face. My head lowers to hers, feeling her warm breath on my face. Intense satisfaction hits me hard, starting at my chest and radiating through every part of my body.
We bask in the aura of each other, enjoying the simplicity of being together, holding onto each other.
I want to hold her like this every day for the rest of my life.
“You have the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen, Max. It warms me whenever I see it, turning my happiness to euphoria. You should always be this happy. Every single day.”
Her words make my smile widen, my heart pounding faster in my chest. “As long as I’m with you, I’ll always be ecstatic, baby.” Pressing my forehead to hers, I release a sigh full of contentment. “There is nothing in this world that makes me feel as elated as you do.”
Her sweet lips press against mine and I close my eyes, losing myself in our kiss. She tastes like every wish I have ever wished for, like every prayer I have uttered to the heavens above.
She tastes like my salvation and future. Her love repairs all my broken pieces, making me whole again.
We are breathing heavily when we pull apart. I give her a slow smile, pulling away and opening the door. I step onto my stone patio, grasping her hand as she follows me, her chocolate gaze widening when she takes in all the twinkling lights I strung up on my patio. Pointing at the clear night sky, her head tilts up to view the thousands of luminous stars shining overhead.
I’m delighted when I hear her suck in a breath. “Max, this is positively stunning.”
“It pales in comparison to you, beautiful.”
Her eyes shimmer with moisture, her face full of gratitude. I brush a lock of her hair behind her ear, my heart melting when her luminescent, angelic face raises to mine, the glow of the fairy lights enhancing what she naturally possesses. “Do you know you possess all the beauty and grace of an angel?”
She chuckles. “I don’t know about grace… I can be pretty clumsy.” She moves closer to me, floating into my arms. Her voice quivers with emotion. “You are incredible, Max. Sometimes it’s hard to believe I’m not dreaming when I’m with you. That any moment, I’ll open my eyes and all of this…” She pauses, then gestures between us, swallowing hard. “Will be nothing more than a fantasy. And a cold, empty reality will set in, leaving me bereft, something I could only imagine, but never have.”
I’m shaking my head before she finishes her words. “I’m real, baby. One hundred percent genuine. Trust me, I have more flaws than you can imagine.” I nearly choke on those words as images of my past float through my mind. But I quickly push it away, focusing on her. “While everything about us feels magical, what we have is honest and true. Rare and precious, just likeyou.”
I tighten my grip on her, worried that one day she’ll see me for who I am and vanish from my world. I can’t fathom that devastation.
Despite the lack of music, we are swaying and moving to the rhythm of our heartbeats that thrum in unison, completely in sync. The warm September breeze caresses our skin, our hair softly blowing. Crickets chirp nearby, providing us with a musical staccato as our feet glide over the stone patio.
Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I locate the playlist of songs I created earlier. Pressing play, music wafts into the night air as I shove my phone into my pocket and wrap my arms around her.
Her smile widens as I dance with her, our movements in perfect time to the beat of the music, our bodies swaying in unison. “I never get tired of dancing with you, Max Devlin.”
My smile is soft as I twirl her away from me, then pull her into my chest, making her laugh. “Same, beautiful.” I wink at her. “We will never stop dancing.”
When the playlist finally stops, I dip her one final time, then pull her back up, mesmerized by the glint of the moonlight in her eyes.
