Page 70 of Harmony Island Gazette
I shook my head. “They discharged me. I’m okay.” I swallowed. “The baby’s okay.”
His gaze made its way back to mine, and he held it for a moment before he looked away. “Why are you here?”
He felt a million miles away even though he was sitting right next to me. “I didn’t want you to be alone,” I whispered.
He closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them again. “I’m always alone.” He stared down at the fabric in front of him. “That’s what I deserve.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t going to let Boone believe that anymore. He deserved to be happy just like I deserved to be happy. We were two lost souls, drifting in the night. All we needed was for one of us to reach out and grab the other.
I would be that person if that was what he needed.
“That’s not true, Boone,” I said as I bent forward to catch his gaze. “You deserve the world.”
He didn’t look over at me. Instead, he just shook his head. “No. I don’t. You don’t understand what I’ve done.” He paused as he stared at the blanket in front of him. “I failed her.”
“You didn’t fail her.” I reached out and cupped his face with my hand. Then I slowly tilted his face, forcing him to meet my gaze. “You were just a kid.” I held his gaze, hoping he could feel what I felt for him. “You are a good man. Your mom would be proud of you.”
His eyes brimmed with tears as he stared at me.
He wasn’t pulling back, so I was going to keep going. This was my chance. Boone was drowning, and I was going to do everything I could to reach out and grab ahold of him.
“Your mom loved you. My parents love you.” I paused as I held his gaze. “I love you.”
His entire body stilled as he stared at me. His gaze searched mine in a sort of frenzied way. I could see his doubt. Then he dropped his gaze. “Don’t do that. I don’t deserve your love.”
I hated that he couldn’t see what I saw. I slipped my hand from his chin as I reached up and gingerly touched the bruised and broken parts of his face. The wounds he got from protecting me. “I don’t deserve you,” I whispered.
My words had his gaze snapping back to mine. He stared at me, and I could see anger build up inside of him. “You deserve the world, Juniper. You’re beautiful and funny. You’re so full of life, and I’m…” His voice drifted off. “I’m dead,” he finally whispered. “I can’t pull you into my hell.”
Tears were brimming my eyes now. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.
He stopped talking, and I could feel his gaze on me as I pulled back just enough so I could see his lips.
“Did you feel that?” I whispered, flicking my gaze up to his.
He nodded.
I leaned in, this time letting my lips linger on his for a few seconds before I pulled back once more. “What about that? Did you feel that?”
His gaze turned dark as he murmured, “Yes.”
I flicked my gaze down to his lips once more before I sat back on my heels. “Then you’re alive.” I reached forward and rested my hand on his. “If you let me, I’ll remind you that you’re alive every single day for the rest of your life.” I shook my head. “I won’t let you die. I can’t let you die. If you do, I don’t know…” My voice cracked, and suddenly, his hand was covering mine, and he pulled me into his arms. He crushed me to his chest as he held me. His hand moved to my head as he cradled it against his shoulder.
“I love you, Juniper,” he whispered, his warm breath tickling my skin. “I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you at the store and you thought I was stealing garbage.” His lips found the hollows of my neck and he pressed a kiss to my skin. “All I’ve wanted to do was protect you even when that meant protecting you from me.” He pulled back, his gaze meeting mine before it drifted to my lips.
I nodded, loving his words and willing him to keep going.
“I was lost, and you were a beacon of light, guiding me to safety.” He reached up and cradled my cheek with his hand. His thumb gently brushed the broken part of my lip, and his entire body stilled. “I’m not the man you deserve, but I promise I will spend my entire life trying to become him if you let me.”
I smiled at him as a tear rolled down my cheek. “Okay,” I whispered.
His gaze met mine, and I leaned in, welcoming the kiss I could see he wanted to give me. He pulled me in, and I closed the gap. My lips met his, and this time, I was going to show him exactly how I felt.
Our lips. Our breath. Our bodies fell into unison. I rose up onto my knees and moved forward, straddling him as he sat on the floor. His hand moved to my back as he wrapped his arms around me and held me so tight that I feared I might not be able to breathe. He tipped his head back and my hair fell around us, caging us in.
The heat of our bodies and breath caused my head to swoon. His tongue teased my lips open, and I obeyed. I was meant to kiss Boone.
Never in my life had I felt so complete kissing someone as I did in this moment. Everything I experienced with Kevin paled in comparison to what I felt when I was with Boone.
