Page 205 of Legacy
That hurts more than I expect it to.
But I nod.
Because I deserve that.
“Then let’s not live in would’ve, could’ve, should’ve,” I say. “I’m sorry I didn’t hear you out that day.”
Her eyes widen slightly.
“I’m sorry I called you a mistake,” I continue, voice thick. “You never were.”
She doesn’t blink. Those beautiful brown eyes, glass under unshed tears.
“I was an idiot. With a chip on my shoulder and something to prove. But I’m not that man anymore.”
My throat tightens.
“I want you, Adriana Scarlet Castillo. I’ve wanted you from the minute I saw you.”
She stares at me, breath caught between what was and what could be.
“Will you stay?” I ask, softly.
She doesn’t answer right away.
She just watches me. Long enough that I start to think she won’t answer at all.
Then, she moves.
Sliding closer across the couch, slow and deliberate, until she’s next to me as we face each other.
So close I can smell the lingering cherry of her perfume.
Her eyes are wide, a storm brewing behind them.
She lifts her hand.
To my face.
Her fingers trail along my jaw, featherlight.
Reverent.
Like she’s remembering me through her fingertips.
Like she’s checking to see if I’ll flee.
Her touch is so gentle, it hurts.
It undoes me.
Because five years ago, that was how she always touched me. Soft. Slow. With a kind of fragile awe like she couldn’t believe she was allowed.
It was never just touch. It was devotion.
And I broke that.
I crushed it.
