Page 176 of Drop Three

Tears fill her eyes. “It was because of Callaway, wasn’t it?”

My stomach drops. I know what she’s referring to and I expected this conversation, but seeing how upset even the thought of Fiji makes her, it fucks me up inside.

“It was.” I nod, feeling ashamed. “Cal is my best friend. He was there for me when I had no one. He visited me every day in prison and he looked out for Penelope.”

Uncertainty crosses her face. “I didn’t know that.”

“Which part?” I ask her.

“That Cal looked out for Penelope, too.”

I nod. “He did. He made sure I had a job in the League to come back to. Shit, I owe him everything. He texted me when we were in the shower in Fiji and I panicked.” Navy nods like she figured as much. “I didn’t know if he was joking when he said to make sure you were untouched and unharmed, but I knew it was wrong of me to have already put my hands on you. I didn’t want to blame him, so I made you hate me.”

Her face crumbles. “You succeeded…until you didn’t.”

I lift my ball cap and run my hand through my hair. “Yeah, turns out I suck at staying away from you.”

“I’m glad you came to your senses.” She smiles at me with so much love, and I feel unworthy. There’s no hesitation in her forgiveness. There’s no trial run for me, just unequivocal trust.

Fuck, she’s too good for me.

“I hope you know how sorry I am for the way I reacted and treated you. You never deserved that,” I tell her, hoping she hears the sincerity in my voice.

“I forgive you,” she says without hesitation.

My heart threatens to beat out of my chest.

“You shouldn’t, but I’m glad you do.” I kiss her forehead.

“I know your heart, B. You don’t have a hateful bone in your body, especially for the people you care about. I knew I was one of those few even before Fiji. I think that’s what surprised me the most.”

“Yeah, well, I surprised myself and hated myself every day for it—still do.”

“I forgave you a long time ago. But it’s nice to hear it from you.”

I need her to know the value she has in my life. I stroke the side of her head, gazing into the eyes of the one my fucking soul will always choose.

“Remember how I told you I was in therapy?” I ask Navy.

She nods.

“I know it was never a secret, but I was fucked up when we first started getting close. I swear to god, Navy, you saved me. My nightmares have been almost nonexistent, I feel happy…and it’s the weirdest thing to say. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the feeling. My therapist, Dr. Banks, even confirmed it.”

Her hand reaches to stroke the inside of my wrist. “Confirmed what?”

“The magnitude of your love in my life.”

Tears pour down her cheeks and a sob escapes her lips. “B.” She kisses my wrist before I lift her to sit on my lap.

“My mother called my dad her terremoto—her earthquake. Although my relationship with her is tainted, I remember the love my parents shared when they were happy. My dad would light up when she called him that. That’s what you are to me, my love. You came into my life roaring with passion—the opposite of me. It’s almost like you shook me by the shoulders and brought me out of my misery—back to life. Fuck. I’m finally not struggling to feel deserving of good things. I know you’ll always be out of my league, but I refuse to give you up. Even if I have to battle myself every day for the rest of my life.”

Navy’s arms wrap around my neck, consuming me in her warm embrace.

She’s calming.The eye of my storm.

It sounded so tragic when Dr. Banks used a hurricane as an analogy, but now, it makes perfect sense.

Her hands draw to the sides of my face, focusing all her attention on me. “Listen to me right now, Bodhi St. James. I’m gonna take your last name someday. I don’t know when, but you better be ready to share it with me, because just like today, I’m gonna look hot as hell cheering you on from the sidelines—as your wife. We’re gonna get lots of filthy sex in before we have little catcher babies. You are going to be the world’s best dad and I will stop at no expense to tell the world that. You may have hurt me in Fiji, but I’m a Hayes and we don’t break that easily. I’ve recovered and I’m ready to forget about the sad shit we’ve been through and enjoyright now. I love you and you love me—that’s enough.”

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