Chapter 21 #3
They obeyed, settling into the chairs around the beautifully decorated table beneath the fairy lights.
Gavin asked Brianna about her work, and she answered comfortably – it was a subject she felt no unease with, and she appreciated that Gavin would know that.
Hayden remained quiet, taking sips from his beer as if to keep himself occupied.
Her foot tapped anxiously beneath the table.
She caught her fingers drumming the top, and she forced herself to try and calm down as the scent of slow-cooked lamb, herbs and fresh bread drifted from the kitchen.
In a flurry of hostess excitement, Tilly ferried out dish after dish, the platters of food smelling like comfort and family and home.
Then they ate, passed plates, sipped their drinks and laughed in small bursts.
And with every shared story, every clink of glass upon glass, Brianna felt some small part of her shoulders and stomach unknot.
As if it was a natural progression, of sorts.
Bit by bit, the warmth seeped in, melting the tight ache in her chest, reminding her that she was still here, among people who made her feel herself, and maybe, just maybe, her forgiveness for Hayden’s ridiculous mistake was closer than she’d first thought.
* * *
A few hours later, when the last plates had been cleared and Tilly and Gavin were cuddled up together on a big camp chair near the fire, heads tipped close in quiet conversation, Brianna caught Hayden’s eye as she rose from her seat and turned her head towards the shadowed edge of the yard.
Hayden’s breath hitched.
Was this it? Where she told him things he didn’t want to hear?
His pulse thudded hard as he stood, every step towards her feeling like the first breath after almost drowning.
Part of him feared what she might say, but another part, bigger, louder, fiercely optimistic, hoped like hell this was their moment to put it all right.
So, taking a deep breath of the night air, while making sure to keep a respectful distance between them, he followed her into the hush of the towering golden wattle trees, his racing heart wide open.
Breathing in deep, she turned to face him. ‘I need to say something,’ she said softly.
His heart literally felt as if it skidded to a stop. ‘Anything.’
She took a shaky breath, her eyes searching his.
‘The dare, the bet. It hurt more than I wanted to admit. But it doesn’t matter now.
It can’t. Because the truth is,’ she stalled, looked away, her breaths quickening, ‘in spite of everything,’ her gaze fell back to his, ‘I think I’m falling in love with you, Hayden Pierce. ’
For a split second he swayed, breathless, as relief slammed into him so hard he nearly dropped to his knees in front of her.
One day he might do just that, but for a very different reason.
For now, he caught her gorgeous face in his hands, his thumbs brushing tears from her cheeks, tears he hadn’t even realised had fallen.
‘Bri,’ he whispered, his voice raw. ‘You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to hear you say that. Because I’m not falling in love with you …’ It was his turn to pause now, so he could catch his breath, find his voice.
‘You’re not?’ Her voice was so small he only just heard her words.
Then he caught the look of horror on her face, quickly realising she thought he was saying he didn’t care for her. ‘Bri, no, god, I didn’t mean that. I meant I already love you. I love you so damn much, it terrifies me.’
‘Oh.’ Brianna let out a shaky laugh, but it broke into a soft sob.
She cupped his face between her palms, her thumbs brushing away his tears now.
‘I want forever with you, Hayden. I want the hard days, the quiet mornings, the good and the bad, because from the very first moment I saw you, even if I hadn’t known it then, I know it now, that for me, it’s always been you. ’
He bent closer now, pressing his forehead to hers, his arms sliding around her waist, hands linking at her back, like a promise he’d never let go. ‘I’m yours, Brianna Steele. Every bit of me. And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that to you, if you’ll let me.’
‘I want that.’ Her voice wavered, thick with tears, but her eyes shone with something bright and fierce and beautiful. ‘So stay with me. Be my safe place. We’ll figure the rest out, together.’
And when she rose on her tippy-toes and kissed him for the very first time, slow and sure, but hungry too, like every unsaid word they’d buried had finally found its voice, it felt like every broken piece inside him melted back into place.
Her mouth was soft and warm, tasting of hope, love and every dream he’d buried too deep.
He felt the world tilt on its axis as he matched her kiss, hungry and reverent, desperate to show her without words just how much he was hers as every heartbeat linked his promise to hers.
I’m here.
I’m yours.
I’ll love you until my last breath.
And as her fingers tangled in his hair and she pressed in closer, he knew with every raw, trembling part of him that this was forever, right here, with her wrapped up in his arms.