Page 49 of The One for Forever

“Maybe we got carried away, but it was nothing I didn’t want. You decided it was a mistake.”

“In the moment, I thought it was.”

In the moment?I repeat in my head. Does that mean he feels differently? I don’t want to hope. It hurts too much. But I can’t stop myself from asking.

“What about now? Do you regret it?”

“I’ve been beating myself up over it, that’s for sure.” Rex sits on the bed beside me. His eyes search mine. He runs his thumb below my lip like he’s recalling the same thing I am. How it felt when our mouths were entwined, sharing the same air. “But the truth is that I don’t want to regret it. Unless it hurt you.”

“It hurt when you took off the way you did.”

Anguish flashes in his eyes. “I left because I knew if I stayed, I’d end up kissing you again. I was afraid of what Cliff would think if he found out. And that’s never a good sign. I’m not the kind of man who does things in secret, behind closed doors.”

“You think we’rewrongtogether.”

He tips his head back to glare at the ceiling, running his fingers through his hair. “We’re complicated. I’m still worried about how Cliff would react to…us. But Quinn, when I saw you collapse on the ground… It made me think of when Lydia died.Thatis true fear.”

“Because you’re not over Lydia’s death.”

“I am, though. It’s been eleven years. I’ve witnessed plenty of traumas since then. It was seeingyouhurt. The thought of losing you like I lost her.” He rubs his eyes. “Dammit, I’m not good at this. Explaining my feelings. I’m out of practice.”

“Keep trying,” I deadpan. “You’re a capable guy. You’ll get the hang of it.”

A smile sneaks onto his lips.

Then he lifts my hand and presses a kiss to my palm, his gaze locked on mine. And despite how much I’m aching right now, in so many ways, desire flares low in my belly. The hitch in his breath says he feels it too.

“I didn’t always see you this way,” he says. “Not at all. But I’ve cared about you for a very long time. And now that Idosee you, all of you, you’re the only woman I want.”

“Oh.” That’s all I can manage. I can barely breathe, much less come up with an adequate response to that.

Voices come from the hallway, getting louder. Rex lets go of my hand and stands up just as the door bursts open. Cliff barrels inside, followed by Lark.

Worst. Timing. Ever.

Lark takes one look at me and scowls. “Sorry, I just have to say this. I really want to punch that Amber Printz bitch in the face.”

I have to stop myself from laughing because it hurts to move that much. But between Rex’s declaration, Cliff’s golden retriever energy, and Lark’s fierce attitude, I feel light-years better than I did half an hour ago. I do love my friends.

If I could just go back to that moment with Rex. We were kinda in the middle of something.

Lark comes over and gives me a gentle hug. “I brought ice cream. The nurses let me put it in their break room freezer. How are you doing? With…everything.” She subtly nods her head toward Rex and Cliff, who are chatting by the door. I know what she means, and it’s not just a reference to my injury. I’m sure Cliff already updated her on that.

“I’m better. A lot better. Actually.”

What happened?Lark mouths silently, her expression morphing into a huge grin.

“Be cool,” I mutter. “They’ll hear.”

“But I have to know everything,” she whispers back.

Where to even begin? I can barely process it myself. “We’re still trying to figure it out.”

“Oh crap, did I interrupt the declarations of undying love? Or at least lust?”

I clench my teeth, checking over her shoulder. No sign the guys are listening. “Maybe?” Way too soon to think a word like love. It’s so big I can’t get my head around it.

But it seems like it’s more than lust. Isn’t that the point of what Rex was trying to tell me? That even if we’re complicated, this could be worth the risk?

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