Page 102 of Return to Me Always

"I don't think I've ever really thanked you," I said.

I swear his face flushed a little. "You don't have to thank me for anything."

Of course, he would say that. "Yes. Yes, I do."

He shook his head. "What exactly are you trying to thank me for?"

"For everything." And I meant that. "From the beginning, you never hesitated to help me. You always seemed to know what we should do."

His fingers swept against my cheek. "Not really. To be honest, I wasn't so sure about anything."

Really? "But you always seemed like it, though."

"No, I didn't really. I just—"

"You just what?"

Meeting my eyes, he said, "I was desperate to keep you safe."

Oh, damn. As if my heart could take any more. I fought the sudden lump in my throat.

"And I should actually apologize toyoubecause I was so focused on keeping us alive that I wasn't really... well, I wasn't always the best person to be around, I know."

My heart tugged in my chest while that lump grew even larger.

"And along the way," he said, "I'm sure I made you miserable by not telling you anything. I was a total arse."

"No. You actually weren't. Now that we're looking back, I understand why you wouldn't want to confide in me. The whole thing is just so wild. The dreams, the past. Like we can never even talk about it with other people or they'll just—"

"Think we're mental?" he interrupted.

"Yeah. Exactly."

A line formed between his brows as his sweet caresses paused. "I don't know if you remember, but there was a night I had a nightmare in the tent."

"I remember." How could I ever forget that?

"Well, I'd had the nightmare before. Several times. But once I met you, it became even more, um, I guess vivid is the right word."

"What nightmare?" I asked, but I knew what he would say.

"Our wedding day."

My lungs started to speed up. I had been so curious that night about what bad dream could possibly wake Tyler up in the middle of the night, and to know it was that, well, it blew my mind.

"And it scared the hell out of me," he admitted. "To have you next to me but falling off the cliff right in front of my eyes. I'd be absolutely gutted to lose you again, especially after..."

He didn't need to finish the sentence. I knew he meant his parents. The anguish in his eyes broke my heart, and I nestled in closer to his big body, trying to wrap myself around him, ignoring the pain in my shoulder.

"I'm right here. Right now," I murmured near his ear.

I knew we could never predict the future and what life had in store for us. But with Malcolm gone, we at least had a shot this time, in the present, at happiness. And I would grab that chance with everything in my heart and soul.

Tyler's lips came down hard on mine, the fierceness of his kiss telling me everything I wanted to know—that Tyler felt the exact same way. But he pulled away a second later, his eyes narrowed as he glared at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Ryder." His voice was deadly serious. "You're in pain, aren't you?"

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