Page 91 of Hold the Line

Her eyes narrowed. “Only one of those is true, and they don’t hold it against you. You have to know that.”

“Knowing a fact and taking it to heart are two different things.” I sucked in a breath. “I get it now, Phoebe. I was wrong. Hailey told me to use my critical thinking skills, and dammit, the kid was right. You know all the bad I’ve got behind me, and you’re still here. I need to stop questioning it and count my lucky stars.”

“That’s right, you do.” Her hands trailed down my arms, stopping to curl around my wrists. “You’re finished with that now, aren’t you?”

“I am. I might get dark, but I won’t let it keep me from you.”

“You better not.”

I took her to her bedroom, and we made love, slow and sweet. Sliding over her, into her, holding her face in my hands, whispering I loved her. I said that again and again, and she answered, feeling the same. She loved me too, and she repeated it until the words blended, mine with hers.

After, we lay tangled in her floral sheets and each other. I told her I’d spent most of my life in places made of concrete and sharp edges—not just in prison but long before. Now, I was learning to live with comfort and softness, with sugary kisses and words as gentle as her touch. It wasn’t always easy to believe it was mine—to trust it wouldn’t be taken away. My mind knew how to survive in the rough and unforgiving.This, her, was so new, I had to rework some of my wiring.

She brushed her fingers through my hair and told me she had all the time in the world. Patience, she’d said, was her strong suit. She’d always been a little whimsical. Had always found magic in places others overlooked. Her hope was that someday, I’d learn to see myself the way she did“and finally understand why she loved me so.”

I wanted that too.

When we were close to falling asleep, she rolled to her side, and I curved around her. She lifted her nightgown, allowing me to slip inside her. And there it was. The comfort and security she handed to me without question. Giving me her very body to help me fall asleep.

How could I even question if she really loved me?

I couldn’t. I didn’t. Maybe I didn’t understand it, but I knew it to be true. Phoebe Kelly loved me.

“It was a good night,” I said on the edge of sleep.

Her fingers threaded through mine, and she sighed. “A really good night, honey.”

With my eyes closed, I kissed her shoulder.

Sugar.

Chapter Thirty-eight

Phoebe

Ilovedthesteadyclap of boots on a worn wooden floor. The air inside the Boots Up Bar was thick with the scent of whiskey and beer, heated bodies, and an underlying trace of sunshine from too many cowboy hats packed in one space. The rhythm of the music blasting through the speakers settled in my bones and stirred my belly.

Tilly and Chris had disappeared onto the dance floor a while ago, but Deacon was still nursing a beer and eyeing the crowd warily. I was itching to move, but I could wait until he was ready.

Coming to Boots Up had been his idea—we’d been supposed to do this a couple months ago, after all—but now that we were here, he didn’t seem too sure about actually dancing in public.

Deacon turned to me. “Did I say you look beautiful?”

I grinned. “About a hundred times.” I’d never get tired of knowing how much he appreciated the effort I’d put into looking good for him.

He leaned into me, touching his lips to my cheek. “I’m gonna enjoy the hell out of sundress season.”

I’d worn my favorite one for him. Red, with little white flowers all over it. It buttoned down the front, and as soon as he’d seen me in it, he’d undone a few to peek beneath.

“I guess it’s a good thing I have a collection of them to wear for you.”

From the throngs of dancers, Tilly appeared and grabbed my hand. “Come on, girl. If Deke won’t dance with you, let me take you for a spin.”

I glanced at Deacon. “Do you mind?”

He lifted his chin. “Go. Have fun. But don’t wander too far. I don’t want to lose you.”

“Not a chance of that," I called as Tilly pulled me into the crowd.

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