Chapter 26 #2
There was no way in hell I could go back into that ballroom and pretend everything was all sunshine and rainbows, so I’d made a lame excuse about having a headache that Tessa saw right through, and bolted for the sanctuary of my hotel room.
I would have given anything to be back in Hope Valley, somewhere that felt comfortable and safe, but I was stuck here for one more night.
As soon as I got to the room, I stripped off the dress I’d spent two days trying to find in order to impress a man who’d been in love with someone else this whole damn time.
God, I was such a freaking idiot.
I turned the shower to hot and climbed in, standing under the steady spray until my fingers turned pruney, then I scrubbed the makeup from my face and washed my hair clean of all the product I’d used to make it look nice.
The bathroom was full of steam and the mirror fogged over, by the time I climbed out and toweled off. I twisted my wet hair into another bun and wrapped the lush hotel robe around me before opening the door.
And as soon as I stepped out into the bedroom, the sight of Hunter sitting at the foot of the bed gave me a start.
He’d lost the jacket at some point, rolling up the sleeves of his button-down and showcasing those arms I loved so damn much.
“W-what are you doing here?” I stuttered, clutching the towel tighter.
“Waiting for you,” he stated plainly. “Two more minutes and I would’ve busted into that bathroom to get to you.”
I tried not to let his comment affect me, suppressing the shiver that skated down my back, but it was pointless. I was so gone for this man, there was no bother trying to deny it. Instead, I let out a sad sigh, and moved to where he sat, collapsing down on the mattress beside him.
“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” I asked. It was a question I didn’t want the answer to but needed all the same. I stared straight ahead as I waited for him to answer, unable to look at him. Finally, he spoke.
“I was. Once. Or at least I had convinced myself I was.” That confounding statement was enough to yank my attention in his direction.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’ve spent nearly half my life thinking I was in love with a woman I could never have.
But then I met you, and I’m starting to think it was all a figment of my imagination.
” He turned those glacier eyes on me, and there wasn’t a single storm cloud or shadow in sight.
“Because what I feel for you is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. ”
My lungs seized and my heart begin to beat staccato against my ribs, pounding so hard it was a wonder it didn’t sound like thunder crashing in our room.
“What are you saying?”
He shifted on the mattress, turning to face me fully, and reached out to cup my cheek in his large, strong hand.
“I think you know what I’m saying, but if you need me to spell it out, I’m more than happy to do that.
I’m in love with you, Serenity. You told me earlier that I make you happy, and what I failed to tell you at the time, but should have, was that you make me happy too.
I haven’t felt that in so long, I nearly forgot what it was like.
Then you crashed into my life and lit it up with your sunshine.
I thought I didn’t deserve you. I’ve carried around so much guilt for so long.
Guilt over not being there for my sister and parents, for not being able to save my team.
I felt like I let everyone in my life down, and I couldn’t stand the thought of letting you down too. ”
God, he was killing me. “Hunter, none of that was your fault. You didn’t let anyone down. You see the scars on your body as damage, but that’s not what they are.” I couldn’t sit there for another second and not touch him.
Reaching out, I placed my palms on the sides of his neck and slid my fingers into the short hair at the nape of his neck. “I see the scars on your body as a map of everything you went through, everything you endured in an effort to save those you cared about.”
“Christ,” he grunted, squeezing his eyes closed and pressing deeper into my touch. “I don’t think anyone has ever seen me the way you do.”
“That’s their loss,” I said in a barely-there voice. “Because you’re the best man I’ve ever met, and I’m grateful each and every day that I get to have you in my life.” I smiled then, a teasing smile that stretched my cheeks wide. “Even when we were pretending like we could only be friends.”
I let out a yelp when he grabbed hold of my waist and tossed me onto the bed like I was as light as air.
“I don’t want you to go back to your apartment,” he said once he was hovering over me, the weight of his strong body pressing me into the mattress and making me hot everywhere.
“And not just because Cyrus is still out there. I don’t want you to go back because I can’t stand the thought of coming home from work every day and your face not being the first thing I see. ”
I pulled in a sharp breath as his beautiful words washed through me.
“You chased the nightmares away, Wildcat.”
It took a great deal of effort, but I managed not to burst into ugly, happy sobs. “Then I guess I better stick around to make sure they don’t come back,” I said on a sniffle.
At my response, the smile he gave me was so gorgeous it stole the air from my lungs.
“I swear to you, I’ll make your sacrifice worth it.”
I laughed and wrapped my arms around him. “Oh, I have no doubt about that.”