Page 131 of Stroke of Fate

“Just tell me, Levi.” She pleads. “No more secrets.”

“Sadie and I hooked up.” The words taste acidic as they pass my lips.

Bear’s eyes widen a fraction, but other than that, her face remains guarded, so I push through.

“It happened months before you and I even met. It was a one-time thing, I swear.” I rush out. “There weren’t any feelings involved, at least not from my side.”

Bear stares at me for the longest time, my confession hanging heavily between us.

“Please, say something,” I beg when I can’t take the silence anymore.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay,” she repeats with a slight nod. “The night she came up to you at Static, I figured there was some history there. I’m not going to hold your past against you, Levi.”

My shoulders sag in relief, and I pull her toward me again.

Burying my head in the crook of her neck, I whisper, “I thought I lost you.”

The pressure behind my eyes builds, but I refuse to cry—too many tears have already been shed these past few days.

Bear pulls back just enough to look at me.

“I’m right here with you, I promise.” A small smile touches her lips.

“What did I do to deserve you?” I ask around the lump in my throat.

Her eyes soften as she presses one of her palms against my chest, right over my heart. “You made it hard for me to let go.”

“Will you stay with me tonight?” I know it’s a long shot, but I’m terrified that spending more time apart will make her change her mind about us.

Bear shakes her head and steps out of my embrace. My heart drops to my feet, and my arms fall limply to my side.

“I—I don’t think we should. Not yet.” She wraps her arms around her waist. “These past few days have been an emotional roller coaster, and I need a moment to process everything. Just give me tonight.”

I don’t want to let her go again. And, even more selfishly, I don’t want to spend another night away from her.

Whatever she has to do, she can do it with me next to her. But I’ve taken enough from her already, and I won’t demand she give me more.

“I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

“I want to be with you when you get the results,” she blurts out. “To be there for support.”

“You’ll be the first to know when I have them,” I promise.

Her posture relaxes, and it’s an instant relief to my tense muscles.

“I love you,” she says, and those three words cause all the stress and bullshit from the past few days to melt away.

I frame her face with my hands. “I love you too. So fucking much.”

Her responding smile is like a beacon to my soul, lifting a heavy weight off my chest.

Seeing that video hurt Bear in ways I can’t fully comprehend. I know it’ll take time for her to move past it, but my girl came back to me.

She’s willing to fight forus.

---