Page 56 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

“All of these years,” he uttered. “We could’ve been together.” He grunted out a sharp laugh as he rubbed his forehead. “Wow, I guess I’m the idiot here. I’m so sorry,” he said quietly. Regret deepened the faint creases around his eyes.

She cupped his cheek with her palm. “Don’t be.” A smile touched her lips. “No more apologizing, remember?” He nodded in agreement, but she could feel his pain and regret, tying a tight noose around them. She sought for the words to help him understand. “It was for the best. I needed to go away and explore my dreams.” She swallowed the tightness in her throat. “It was easier for the two of us to be on the outs. Had we not been, I don’t think I could’ve mustered the strength to let you go.”

“Why didn’t you come back sooner?”

She lowered her hand as she raised an eyebrow. “I wanted to, but by then, you were dating half the countryside.”

“Only because I couldn’t have you,” he shot back, eyes narrowing a fraction.

“I know that now. Truly.” A mercurial smile moved over her lips. “Don’t you think it’s time to move on—forgive and forget?”

Surprise zinged through his eyes before the tension on his face dissolved into an amused grin. “I think I’ve heard that somewhere before.” He searched her face, his voice growing ponderous. “Speaking of forgetting, you sure you’re not gonna go off again to the big city, forget all about little ole’ me?”

His voice was playful, but she could sense the gravity of his words, could feel his vulnerability.

She looked him in the eye, speaking with a fierce determination so there would be no mistaking her intent. “Never again will I ever forget you—literally or figuratively.”

A large, pleased smile broke over his features. “That’s good to know.”

Her eyes misted. “I love you, Jaxson. I always have.”

“I love you too.” He leaned closer, his voice going husky. “Now, how about giving me one of those dull, boring kisses?”

Gentle laughter rose in her throat, bringing with it a burst of undiluted joy. “I can do that, Mr. Hotshot Cowboy. But only for you,” she quipped as her lips found his.

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