Page 84 of Never Really Over

“She came by last night. She’s always been an old soul, you know? She has this way about her that sees deeper into people than the rest of us can. She reminded me that the time we spent apart wasn’t a reflection on who either of us are, but rather the growth that needed to happen when we were on our own. She wasn’t surprised when you moved to Chicago, not like the rest of us were.”

“Well, she might be the only one because I even surprised myself with that decision.”

He looks away from me for a moment and my heart feels like it’s bleeding from the pain I see reflected in his eyes. “Definitely surprised me.”

“And I hurt you in the process. I feel like we have so much to overcome and it’s a mountain in front of us, Colt. How can we possibly climb it?”

“By letting it go.”

“That simple, huh?” I laugh. It’s hardly simple.

“No, it won’t be easy but is anything in life worth having ever easy? You think being the guardian to that little girl in there is easy? It isn’t, but it’s worth every single second of it. I have an idea and I don’t know if it’s stupid or not, but I think it’s worth a shot to try.”

“What is it?” I ask.

During our conversation, I didn’t realize we’d both leaned toward each other, our hands centimeters apart. I inch closer so our fingers are touching, that familiar spark lighting between us.

“We’re going to write down every single thing that’s on our minds, and burn them. It doesn’t matter if it’s something that we are angry or sad about. If it’s holding us back, we write it down. We don’t share them with each other unless it’s something we want the other to know. Then we’ll take those ashes and scatter them in the wind. Get rid of them for good.”

I squeeze his hand and scoot my chair closer to his. “I actually love that idea.”

“Yeah? I can’t take the credit. Missy recommended it and at first I thought she was crazy, but then I let the idea settle in and I kind of love it, too. If we keep looking to the past, we won’t go forward and, Layla? I want to move forward.”

“With me?” I dare ask.

“If you’ll have me, yes. But having me isn’t like it was all those years ago. I come as a package deal so if we’re going to do this, you need to understand going in that Poppy is my priority, too, and I won’t ever apologize for that. You also need to know that if I’m letting you in, it’s not temporary. I can’t let someone else into Poppy’s life that won’t be around for a long, long time. She’s lost too much already in her short life and needs stability. That might seem like something that’s too soon to talk about, and if it is, I understand and we can slow down and step back a little bit until you’re ready for more, but if it isn’t…”

I interrupt him by saying, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

With lightning speed, he pulls me out of my chair and onto his lap.

“Enough talk of the past, yeah?”

“Definitely,” I agree.

Our lips crash together, mouths immediately opening so we can taste each other. Saltiness from my tears I barely recognized were streaming down my face combines with the lingering taste of strawberries and chocolate from dessert.

His fingers thread through my long blonde hair and I scratch at the back of his neck. The short hair sharp beneath my nails stimulates all my senses, setting them on fire.

I could kiss this man forever and it wouldn’t be enough.

We definitely have enough sexual chemistry between us to keep the fire going the rest of our lives, but that’s not all we have. Our attraction to one another runs far deeper than physical.

Far too soon, he pulls away, both of us breathing heavy. Beneath my legs, I could feel him growing under his shorts.

“You make me crazy,” he growls.

“Feeling’s mutual.”

“Fuck, Layla, I missed you. Do you have any idea how much?”

“I’ve got an idea, because I missed you, too. No one else compares to you, Colt. You’re the best man I’ve ever known and I was a fool to leave you.”

“The fool was me, not chasing after you.”

“I thought we weren’t going to keep revisiting the past?” I tease.

“Let’s take care of it once and for all. I’ll go get some paper and pens and a lighter. We’re doing this so we can get to the good stuff.”

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