Page 49 of Unsteady in Love

“What? You can tell me.”

Prue gave a little scoff. “I was going to say maybe if you’d talk to me and tell me what and how you’re feeling, you’d feel better.”

“It makes me feel like a pussy,” I grumbled.

“You didn’t used to have a problem with talking to me and expressing how you felt,” she said softly, her eyes turning sad.

“I was a stupid kid back then who didn’t have any problems. Now…” I choked on the word.

“Now?”

“Now, I think if I don’t talk about them, they aren’t true, or I can deny them a little longer.” I grumbled bitterly. “I thought if I made it through my deployment, I’d come home and get the girl. And once I got you, I was going to get you pregnant and have a bunch of little Prue’s running around.” I shook my head at how wrong I had been. “Now…” I shrugged, uncertain if I’d ever reach my dream.

“Now, it’s just going to take a little while longer. You’ll get there.We’llget there.” I could feel the conviction of her words through our connection.

“Prue,” I uttered her name so seriously her head swung up, her eyes blazing, “what if you don’t like who I am now?”

“I like everything about you, Holden. Except when you don’t talk to me. As long as you let me in, we’ll be fine. I meant my vows when I said them.” Her eyes grew big. “I’ve got it! We should renew our vows. Then we’ll both know it was done for the right reasons.”

“I’d marry you again, or a thousand times.” My lips tipped up. I’d marry her every day if she’d let me.

“Good. It’s a date. I’m going to guess from all the avoidance that today didn’t go well.”

“You hit the nail on the head. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably have given up. It was…excruciating,” I closed my eyes and melted into the hard bed. “I knew it would be hard.” I opened my eyes for her to see the truth. “That’s why I don’t want you here. For the most part, I’ve been pretty drugged, so I don’t feel much, but today the painkillers didn’t work against all the rubbing and pressure. The bad part is I know it’s only going to get worse.”

I watched as a tear slipped down her cheek.

“I wanted to give up until l thought about you and how you’re waiting on me. Is that open enough?”

“It was perfect,” she choked out. “I want you to listen to me, okay?” She waited for me to answer so I nodded. “I will wait forever for you. I’m not going anywhere. I’d be there if you let me.” She gave me a mocking glare. “Knowing that, don’t push yourself too hard. Take all the time you need. It’s not going to happen overnight.”

“I fucking love you, Prue. So damn much. You don’t deserve this.”

“Neither do you.”

“And Holden,” she brought me out of my musings, “I love you too.”

30

PRUE

Late September

Watching out over the yard,my gaze followed Mason as he chased Atticus, laughing each time he unsuccessfully tried to catch him.

“Are you letting him tire himself out so you can get it on with your man?” I glanced over to Alex as she sipped on her drink. Mason had been running around my backyard for at least thirty minutes.

She shrugged. “He’s having fun, but I bet before we get home, he’ll be asking for a puppy for his birthday. And if we waited until Mason was worn out, we’d never have sex.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luke smirk before he hid it by taking a sip of his beer.

“You should get him a dog. It would help wear him out,” I laughed as her cheeks reddened.

“I don’t know. Would we take a dog with us when we’re in LA for the summers?”

“I don’t see why not, but if you ever need someone to watch your dog, I can always do it. I owe you like a gazillion favors.”

Alex waved her hand at me. “Please, you don’t owe me anything.”

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