Page 148 of You're The One
I sniffle. “I’ll give you one more chance for an out?—”
“Not taking it.”
“Are you—” I can’t get my next rebuttal out because his thumb presses over my lips.
“I love you.”
Who knew three little words could wreck me so completely?
“I’ll love you on your good days. On your bad ones. And all the days in between.”
I cry harder, my body shaking with it.
“I’m a mess,” I mumble. “I’m… broken?—”
“You’reperfect.”
“You’re delusional,” I say through a watery laugh. But I lean into him anyway. Because maybe being loved by Dominic Fox isn’t a delusion at all.
He smiles, tucking my hair behind my ear. “It’s fitting that you’d fight me, even over my love for you.”
I close my eyes and rest my forehead against his. His breath is slow and steady. And mine starts to match it.
“I love you, too,” I whisper.
His hand stills on my cheek. “Yeah?”
I nod, easing back to meet his gaze. Something in his expression—relief, maybe—makes me feel less alone in this overwhelmingwant.
My chest aches, but not in the anxious way that makes me want to run.
This ache is different. This is one I want to hold on to.
I wake up warmer than I’ve felt in days.
Blinking into the dark, I find the night sky outside the windows instead of the morning light I’d expected.
The heat makes sense when I realize I’m wrapped up in Dom. All of him. His chest pressed to my back, legs tangled with mine, one arm draped heavy over my waist. Calling myself the little spoon would be generous; I’m a teaspoon at best.
“You’re awake.” His voice rumbles in my ear.
“Have you been up?”
“For a while.”
“What time is it?” I manage to flip over when his hold on me loosens.
He checks his watch. “Almost nine.”
Somehow, wasting another day in bed feels less guilt-inducing when I’m sharing it with him. After our bath, we agreed to lie down justfor a bit, which turned into cuddling… which apparently turned into a very long nap. He actually needed the rest. But maybe I did, too.
His hand drifts down my side, gripping my hip. “How’re you feeling?”
“A bit better, actually. I think crying helped.”
“Good.”
“Yeah…” I hesitate, my fingers tracing the curve of his shoulder. I shouldn’t bring this up now, not when everything feels so right, but I don’t know how much longer I can carry the question. The one that’s been playing on my mind since I left Hawaii slips out. “Why were you with her?”
