Page 86 of Steal My Breath Away

“Wait. What?” Paige frowned. “You and Ace?”

“I wish.” Jessica shook her head and laughed lightly, seemingly unaware that Paige was only seconds away from defending my honor with a well-aimed punch. “He’s my bodyguard and, unfortunately, a consummate professional who would never cross that line, especially because he’s in love with someone else.” She sighed. “I thought maybe I’d have a chance when he came back after his emergency trip to Virginia, but then he played your song for me, and I knew he wouldn’t be staying for long.”

My face heated to what felt like one hundred degrees. “I don’t think that’s—”

“He arranged for another bodyguard to take his place when we got to Chicago,” she said. “I think it’s because he wasn’t planning to take his eyes off you for the rest of the night. You’re a lucky girl. When a guy like that falls, he’s yours for life.”

Jessica’s assistant whisked her away to talk to the press and I tried to get back to the celebration, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t focus. My mind kept wandering. Kept pulling me back to Ace. His presence was a constant, a reassuring weight in the back of my mind, but tonight, it was more than that. Tonight, it felt like something had shifted between us.

When Ace finally caught my eye from across the room, there was something in his expression that made my chest tighten—his walls were down, and for once he looked… exposed. He nodded toward the door, a silent signal, and I followed him out into the alley.

The cool night air hit me like a splash of water, grounding me after the chaos of the bar. Ace led me to a quiet corner where the glow of the streetlamp cast a warm circle of light around us. I stuffed my hands into my pockets, unsure of what to say.

“That was you,” he said after a long silence. “You were incredible.”

“That was me.” I didn’t want to dance around our issues anymore. Getting my songs out there had freed me from the past and I wasn’t holding back my emotions anymore. “Why did you leave?”

He hesitated, eyes searching mine as if trying to gauge whether I was ready to hear what he had to say.

“I thought you’d be better off without me,” he said, finally.

My heart squeezed in my chest. “But I told you—”

He cut me off with a shake of his head. “I’ve carried a lot of stuff with me. Growing up… my parents didn’t justignoreme—they straight up told me they didn’t want me. They told me again and again that if not for the money they got from the state, they would have given me away. You hear something like that enough times, you start to believe it. That you’re a burden, worthless, that your existence is some kind of mistake. And it messes you up. I spent my whole life feeling like I was nothing. Disposable.” He looked away, his jaw tightening for a moment before he continued.

“When I came to Riverstone, everything changed. I loved my grandmother. She saved me from a terrible situation and gave me a home, but you and Matt and your parents, you gave me a family. You shared all your love and joy with me. You made me feel useful, needed, wanted, and valued. Being part of your lives—it was the first time I felt like I actually belonged somewhere. Like maybe I wasn’t as worthless as I thought. But even then, I couldn’t shake that feeling. That voice in the back of my head telling me I didn’t really deserve any of it.”

“Ace…” I moved to touch him, and he backed away.

“I won’t be able to finish if you touch me. It’s a lot to get out but I need you to know who I really am.” He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration evident as he wrestled with the demons that haunted him.

“When I fell for you, I was terrified. I was afraid that if I told you how I felt, I’d ruin everything. I didn’t want to lose our friendship. I didn’t want to come between you and your brother. I didn’t want to mess up your family dynamics. But more than that, I didn’t feellike I was good enough for you. I looked at you—this bright, beautiful, talented girl—and I thought, ‘There’s no way someone like her could ever really want someone like me.’ I didn’t even believe I was worthy of loving you.”

His voice softened, the raw honesty in his tone making my heart ache. “And then that night before I deployed… I was ready to die for my country, to do something honorable and meaningful and worthy with my life. I was sure I would never come back, and I just wanted one thing for myself. I wanted you.”

“I wanted you, too,” I said quietly. “I always did.”

“I thought I’d be able to kiss you and move on.” His voice wavered. “But I couldn’t. From the moment I held you in my arms, I knew that you were the only one for me. That I’d never want anyone else. But that scared the hell out of me too. Because if I let myself feel that, and you realized I wasn’t enough… it would destroy me.” He glanced down at me, his expression conflicted, as if sharing his heart with me was both a relief and a burden. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Haley. It was the last thing I ever wanted to do, and it made me feel even less worthy of you.”

A wave of raw emotion swelled up inside me, and before I could stop myself, I put my arms around him and pulled him close, pressing my cheek against his chest. “I’m going to hold you now. You don’t have to look at me, but don’t stop. I’m not going anywhere.” I felt his lips brush the top of my head, his body shudder in my arms.

“When I came back for Matt’s funeral,” he continued, “I was a mess. I couldn’t even look at you. I felt responsible for what happened. I thought I’d talked Matt into joining the air force instead of pursuing his dream of becoming a dentist. I kept thinking, if I hadn’t pushed him, maybe he’d still be here. And then… there you were, sobbing, utterly wrecked, and all I could feel was guilt. You’d lost your dad and I’d taken Matt away. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to face you.” He put his arms around me and held me against him. “So, I did the cowardly thing and ran away, and then after we found each other, I ran again.”

“But you’re here now,” I whispered. “What changed your mind?”

“I read Matt’s letter.” His arms tightened around me. “He said what you said. That he’d always wanted to be an airman, and instead of pushing him, I’d helped him find that dream. He told me he was exactly where he wanted to be, and he told me where I needed to go.” His voice thickened. “He told me to go to you.”

I swallowed hard, blinking away the tears. “Sometimes he wasn’t a bad big brother.”

Ace’s tone lightened just the tiniest bit. “Being back in your life, spending time with you again, I see you for who you are. Not just the girl I kissed years ago, but the strong, amazing woman you’ve become. You don’t need me to protect you but I want to. Not because I think you can’t handle yourself, but because I care about you more than anything else in this world.” He released me and pulled back just enough so I could see his face. His eyes met mine, and there was an intensity in them, a vulnerability I’d never seen before.

“I love you. I’ve always loved you. And I’m done running from that. I’ll be here for you, no matter what happens and for as long as you’ll have me.”

“That would be forever.”

And then he kissed me. Free of guilt and pain and the burden of the past. It was wonderful and beautiful and perfect. Just like I’d always imagined.

EPILOGUEHaley

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