Chapter 32 Rodriguez #3
“We should sleep.”
“In a minute.” I need to get this out while my head’s clear enough, while I can still find the words. “I love how brave you are. How you show up even when you’re terrified. You did that tonight. Came when Marnie called even though you’re still hurt. That takes guts.”
She’s quiet. I can feel her breathing against my chest, steady and real.
“I love everything about you, Juliette. Even the parts you don’t like about yourself. Especially those parts. And I know I fucked up. Know I hurt you. But I need you to know, it’s you. It’s always been you. From the moment I saw you on that ice.”
“You need to sleep.” But her voice is thick, like she’s trying not to cry.
“Will you be here when I wake up?”
“Yes.”
“Will you be here tomorrow? And the day after?”
“I don’t know yet.”
The honesty hurts but I respect it. She’s not ready to promise me forever. And that’s okay. I can wait.
“Okay.” I press a kiss to the top of her head. “As long as you’re here now, that’s enough.”
We drift off together with her head on my chest and my fingers in her hair.
Six AM.
The alarm goes off and this time I’m the one who reaches over to turn it off.
She’s still asleep on my chest with her breathing even and deep.
I run my fingers through her hair and just watch her.
The way the early morning light catches on her face, the way her lips are slightly parted, the way she looks soft and vulnerable in a way she never lets anyone else see.
I could watch her forever. Would watch her forever if she’d let me.
She stirs and opens her eyes slowly, blinking up at me.
“Hey,” I say softly.
“Hey.” She yawns. “How do you feel?”
“Better. Much better.” I cup her face with one hand. “My head’s clear. I can think straight again.”
“That’s good.” She starts to sit up but I hold her there.
“Wait. I need to tell you something. While I can actually form sentences that make sense.”
“Romeo—”
“Please. Just let me say this.”
She settles back down and watches me with those eyes.
I take a breath and try to find the words that will make her understand.
“I don’t remember everything I said last night.
The concussion made things fuzzy. But there’s one thing I know for absolute certain.
” I rest my forehead against hers. “I love you, Juliette. And I know you’re mad at me.
I know you’re scared. I know you’re not sure you can trust me again.
But I would do anything to prove to you that you’re it for me. ”
She’s blinking away tears.
“From the moment I saw you skating alone at that rink, teaching those kids with more patience than they deserved, I was gone. From the first moment you told me to basically fuck off when I tried to talk to you, I was gone. Every moment since then has just been me falling harder, deeper, until I can’t remember what it felt like before you. ”
A tear spills over and tracks down her cheek.
“I fucked up. I should have told you about the coffee. Should have been honest. But I swear to god, Juliette, I didn’t cheat. Would never cheat. You’re the only person I see. The only person I want. And I will spend however long it takes proving that to you.”
She’s crying now, but she’s smiling too.
“You’re such an idiot,” she says through the tears.
“Your idiot.”
“My idiot.” She laughs wetly. “I love you too, you big goon.”
The words hit me square in the chest, stop my heart, start it again.
“What?”
“I love you.” She’s laughing and crying at the same time. “I love you even though you’re ridiculous and you made me wake you up every two hours and you rambled about my shampoo.”
“Best night of my life.”
“You have a brain injury.”
“Don’t care. You love me.” I pull her up and kiss her properly. Deep and slow and full of everything I can’t put into words. “Nothing else matters.”
When we come up for air, she’s still smiling. The real smile. The one that takes over her whole face.
“We’re okay?” I ask. Need to hear her say it.
“We’re getting there.” She touches my face gently. “You hurt me. But I believe you about Sienna. About everything. And I want to try. Want to make this work.”
“I’ll prove it to you every single day. I’ll be so fucking transparent you’ll get sick of me.”
“I won’t get sick of you.”
“You might. I’m very annoying when I’m in love.”
“I’ll risk it.”
I kiss her again because I can, because she loves me, because she’s giving me another chance and I’m not going to waste it.
“Can we sleep now?” she asks against my lips. “For real this time? No more alarms?”
“One more at eight. Just to be safe.”
“Fine. But after that we’re sleeping until noon.”
I laugh and pull her back down against my chest. She fits there perfectly, like she was designed specifically to slot into this space against my heart.
“Thank you,” I say into her hair.
“For what?”
“For coming when Marnie called. For staying. For waking me up every two hours even though you’re exhausted. For giving me another chance when I don’t deserve it.”
“You’re welcome.” She presses a kiss over my heart. “Now shut up and go to sleep.”
We drift off tangled together with the sun starting to filter through the windows. And for the first time in days, maybe for the first time ever, everything feels exactly right.
She loves me.
And I’m never letting her go.