Page 77 of Dust and Desire
I stared at him, seeing something I’d never fully recognized before, the depth of his own pain, carefully masked beneath his quiet demeanor.
“The difference is,” he continued, “I had the privilege to hide. You didn’t. You were thrown into survival mode before you were even an adult. You were forced to do thingsnobodyshould have to do.”
My legs felt weak, and I sank down onto a bale of hay, my hat falling from my trembling fingers. “I was so sure you’d hate me if you knew. Or that you’d see me for what I am…damaged goods.”
Dustin knelt in front of me, taking both my hands in his. “Alex Reyes, I could never hate you. Especially not for surviving. And I don’t think you’re damaged goods.” His grip tightened. “But I am furious that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me. That you were going to throw away everything we have because you were too afraid to be honest with me.”
“I was trying to protect you,” I repeated, the words sounding hollow even to my own ears.
“No,” Dustin said firmly. “You were protecting yourself from having to be vulnerable. From having to trust that I would love all of you, even the parts you’re ashamed of.”
The truth of his words hit me like a physical blow. I’d spent so long running, so long hiding pieces of myself, that I’d never learnedhow to be fully seen. Even with Dustin, who’d opened himself to me so completely, I’d held back the darkest corners of my heart.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, the words inadequate for the pain I’d caused. “I was so scared…”
He didn’t say anything. Instead, Dustin just pulled me into his arms, rocking me back and forth as the tears continued to flow. His hands held me tight, their strength reassuring me that he wasn’t going anywhere, that he loved me, and that… I was home.
“I know you were scared,” he murmured against my hair, his voice thick with emotion. “But you don’t have to be scared anymore. Keith can’t hurt us. He can’t hurt you.”
I pulled back slightly to look at him, searching his face for any sign of doubt or disgust. Instead, I found only love and determination, the same expression he’d worn when he’d first told me he loved me.
“What happens now?” I asked, my voice raw from crying. “With Keith, I mean. Can they charge him with anything?”
Dustin’s jaw tightened. “Marcus said they got him on stalking, harassment, and breaking and entering. Apparently, he’d been staying in one of Dolly’s rental rooms, watching us. When we went looking for you, he tried to run and Dolly... well, let’s just say she’s not someone you want to cross when she’s protecting her own.”
Despite everything, I couldn’t help but smile at the image of tiny Dolly holding Keith at gunpoint in her apron with red acrylic nails. “She really caught him?”
“With her shotgun pointed right at his balls,” Dustin confirmed, a grim satisfaction in his voice. “Caroline said she’s never seen anyone surrender so fast. Turns out rich boys from Louisiana don’t handle Texas hospitality very well when it comes with the business end of a twelve-gauge.”
“And the evidence he had against me?”
Dustin’s expression softened. “Marcus seized his phone. Whatever messages he had, they’re evidence now. And even if they weren’t...” He cupped my face in his hands again. “Alex, you were atraumatized kid. Anyone with half a brain would see that. Those weren’t the words of a dangerous person, they were the words of someone who was hurting and had nowhere else to put that pain.”
I leaned into his touch, finally allowing myself to believe that maybe, just maybe, this nightmare was really over. “I should have told you from the beginning.”
“Yes, you should have,” he agreed, but his tone was gentle. “But I understand why you didn’t. Trust doesn’t come easy when people have let you down before.”
We sat there in the dusty barn, wrapped in each other’s arms as the last rays of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the wooden walls. I could hear the distant sound of cattle lowing and the rustle of wind through the grass outside. Normal sounds. Safe sounds.
“Dustin,” I said finally, pulling back to meet his eyes. “I need you to know something. What I felt for Keith... it wasn’t love. It was never love. It was desperation and loneliness and mistaking intensity for connection.”
“I know,” he said simply.
“How do you know?”
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Because I’ve seen you love someone, Alex. I’ve been on the receiving end of it. What you and I have... that’s nothing like what you’ve described with Keith. That was obsession and manipulation. This is…real.”
He leaned forward and kissed me softly, his fingers on my jaw. I let him in, savoring the taste of him. This was who I wanted, who Ineededmore than anything else in the world.
“I love you, Alex,” Dustin said, pulling away at last.
“I love you too, Dustin,” I replied, my eyes still swollen and my cheeks burning.
He took my hand, pulling me toward the barn doors. “Will you come home with me now?”
I nodded.
“And will you stay with me?” he asked in a softer tone. “I’d like to keep you… well,forever, if I can.”
