Chapter 25 #2
I took her hand and led her out of my office. Rosie was beaming up at us, and I winked at her. Henley grabbed her purse, and there were a few people saying congratulations as I led her right out the door. I insisted she get in my car, as she wouldn’t need hers tonight.
“Where are we going?” she asked as I drove to her house.
“It’s a surprise. Get changed into something comfortable, and bring a sweatshirt. We’re going out on the river. I’m taking you to my favorite spot.”
“Aren’t we going rafting tomorrow morning before the party?” she asked as I pulled into her driveway.
“Yes. But this is different.”
I walked her inside and waited as she slipped into some jeans, tennis shoes, and a hoodie, as October in Rosewood River was starting to get chilly. We were on the way to my house in no time. I quickly changed into a pair of gray joggers and my gray pullover.
I stopped in the kitchen and tossed a few things into a bag, and she just watched me curiously.
Then I took her hand and led her out to the backyard.
I helped her onto my boat and then climbed on after her.
It seated six people comfortably, but that didn’t stop me from pulling her onto my lap, as her back rested against my chest, and I drove us out to this spot that I’d found years ago. I’d never brought anyone here.
I pulled the boat into a little cove overlooking the falls. The sun was just going down, and the surrounding trees created a canopy around us.
“Oh, my gosh, what is this place?”
“It’s a spot I found when I was in a bit of a dark place years ago. I’d come here to get away from everyone. Everything. Just clear my mind and be alone,” I said, my voice low and quiet.
She turned a bit in my arms. “Is this where you came to grieve?”
“Probably. When I needed to be by myself. I’d go rafting all the time, and I was reckless.
My family was worried about me, of course, and Emerson begged me not to go out rafting for a while.
I’d given her my word, so I’d take the boat out.
The water is where I did my best thinking, and I found this spot.
I’d hide out here for hours. I could be angry.
I could be sad. I could just work through it, you know? ”
Her hands were on each side of my face and she smiled. “I’m glad you listened to Emerson and didn’t go rafting to take out your anger. Because I kind of like having you here, Chadwick.”
“I never thought I’d get a second chance at this, Henley. That’s the truth. So I’m sorry it took me a while to figure it out, but I wasn’t lying when I told your dad that my heart is yours. I haven’t dated for years because no one made me feel the way that you do.”
“How do I make you feel?” she asked, her gaze locked with mine.
“Alive. Like there is more to life than my job. Like there’s a future out there that I didn’t see before now.”
“I see it, too,” she whispered. “And my heart is yours, too. It happened before I even wanted to admit it to myself.”
“I love you, Princess. I never thought I’d say those words again, but I can’t hold them in anymore. I. Love. You.”
She nodded. Tears streaming down her beautiful face. “I love you, too.”
She leaned down and kissed me. It wasn’t frantic or needy. It was different.
As if we knew there was no urgency.
We were both in this.
“Come on. Let’s watch the sun go down.” I helped her to her feet and led her to the back of the boat, where we settled on the white leather seats.
I opened a bottle of wine and poured us each a glass, setting them on the little table in front of us.
Henley took out the cheese and crackers, placing them on the paper plates I’d tucked into the bag.
And we sat there eating and sipping our wine and looking up at the sky together. She rested her head against my chest, and I just breathed her in.
“It’s so peaceful out here. I see why you like this place,” she said, bringing her wineglass to her lips and taking a sip. “Is it hard for you to be here? You know, since this was the place where you grieved?”
“I never thought I’d bring someone here. I never thought I’d tell another woman that I loved her. But when I met with Dr. Langford this week, I told her I didn’t want to hold back anymore.”
“What do you mean?” She tipped her head up to look at me.
“I don’t want secrets from you. I want to share all the things that led me to you—the good and the bad.
And yes, I used to come here to grieve, but it doesn’t mean that it has to be a place where I grieve forever.
Now it’s the place that I told you that I loved you.
The place where you told me that you loved me.
The place where we left our fears in the past and decided to move forward. So now, it’s our place.”
“I like that. And I’m sorry that I was afraid to tell everyone that we were together. And I’m sorry that I was insecure and thought you were flirting with Katrina. Those are me issues, and not you issues, Easton.”
I stroked her hair away from her face. “You had reason to hold back. I was all over the place with you for weeks because I was afraid. And I understand you being apprehensive. I knew you’d come around, my brave warrior princess.”
She snuggled up against me and chuckled. “We’re both brave. Giving your heart to someone is a risk. Loving someone is a risk. But I think we’re worth it.”
“We’re definitely worth it. And I’m not going anywhere.”
And that was the truth. It had taken me a long time to find someone worth taking a risk for.
And I was going to hold on tight.