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This had to be the hardest thing she’d brought herself to say to someone. Brielle had always prided herself on being the kind of person who didn’t need anyone to make her feel complete. People always left anyway. That’s what they did.
Nothing was forever.
Her mother had died. James was her first serious relationship and that hadn’t ended well. Then Shane was a close second.
Technically the real Tad had turned out wrong, too.
Avoiding attachments was how she managed to stay safe. She took care of herself. That’s the way it had always been.
Brielle swallowed the lump in her throat, her stomach churning as she tried to come up with the words that she wished she could have said about a week ago. Her hands remained around his neck and she forced a small smile. Her voice trembled slightly as she finally said, “I think I will always need someone to take care of me.”
Confusion flitted behind Wade’s eyes. “But you just said—”
“I don’t need a protector. But I want someone who will stay.” She cleared her throat, already feeling the blush creep up her neck and flood her face. “I want someone who will always be there for me. He should be willing to put up with my attitude and offer to get me ice cream when I’m grumpy.” She let out a laugh. “And let’s face it, that might happen a lot.”
She was relieved to see a smile steal across his face.
“I want someone who won’t be scared to tell me when I’m wrong and who will still love me even when I push them away.”
“I think I can handle that,” he whispered.
“I know you can,” she said back. “I love you.” Brielle held her breath. She’d said those words before, but never had the meaning counted as much as it did in this moment.
She loved Wade. Brielle could finally admit it not only to herself but to Wade, too. She was willing to brave a future with him, even knowing she could lose him.
Each second that ticked by, her anxiety rose a notch. Wade hadn’t said he still loved her—well, not in so many words. She wasn’t quite ready to jump in without hearing those three words, and yet she wasn’t about totellhim to say it.
Hadn’t this been her biggest pitfall in relationships? Brielle could pretend she was confident from the very beginning. She had a knack for keeping men at arm’s length. But she hadn’t been happy. Now was her moment.
Wade was the kind of guy she could put everything out on the table for. He was the one she knew she could spend the rest of her life with and not regret a single moment of it.
Brielle took both of his hands in hers and squeezed them. “You wanna know something? When I found out that Clark wasn’t who he said he was, I had the greatest sense of relief—well, that and maybe a little bit of rage.”
He chuckled.
“I realized that while I could spend the rest of my life with him, I didn’t want to. And it goes deeper than not being in love with him.” She flushed deeply, hating how ridiculous she sounded even to herself. “I knew he would be a safe option because he wanted me for reasons that didn’t relate to love.”
Immediately, Wade’s expression faltered. He peered at her like she really was crazy. “You wanted to be with him because hewasn’tin love with you?”
She shook her head sharply. “Boy, I’m not saying this the right way. I used to be so good at this.” Brielle took a deep breath and let it out through pursed lips. “What I’m trying to say is that there are several reasons why I kept men at arm’s length.Onewas Tad.”
Wade had this way of scrutinizing her that made her feel so much more vulnerable than she’d ever felt before. This was what she wanted, though, wasn’t it?
She needed him to know who she was and what drove her to make the kinds of decisions she’d made over the years. “I was so…scared… of getting attached to someone only to have them… leave me.”
His brows creased, and she could see a hint of pity in his eyes. At least, that was what she thought she saw.
Brielle shook her head again. “I don’t want you to think less of me.”
“I could never thinklessof you.”
“Okay, I don’t need you to feelsorryfor me. I’ve done well up until now.”
He smiled at her, taking her off guard.
“Fine. I could have done better.”
Wade laughed, and it had to be the most wonderful sound she’d heard all evening. “But you still could use someone to…”
