Page 123 of Revelry
Gertie
I love you. I’m so proud of you.
I struggled to hold the words back, tears springing to my eyes from the force of trying to keep them in. I clicked my seatbelt into place. I fixed my stare through the windshield, my mind racing with everything I was locking inside.
It wasn’t until I felt Tate’s stare on me that I reluctantly met his eyes. He seemed lighter, the strain in his shoulders eased, the lines around his eyes and mouth smoothed. He didn’t feel coiled tight with tension. He was in full bloom and more stunning than any man I’d ever seen.
He tilted his head back against the headrest. “Thank you for coming with me. I don’t think I could have done that without you by my side.”
I shrugged. “Sure you could. I probably just pushed you to do it sooner than you would have.”
“Then you’ve saved me an awful lot of heartache,” he said softly.
Our eyes held, his swirling with something that I couldn’t identify. I needed to stop looking for meaning where it didn’t exist. I’d held back, refusing to rush into another love story when he needed to work on himself.
And work on himself he had.
When I spoke to him in the stables, he’d seemed like a different person. I was so proud of him for facing his biggest fear this evening. He was so brave and I was in pure awe of him.
Tonight, he’d done everything I’d needed him to. Hell, he’d even mentioned potential future children to his father and my silly heart had galloped away at the idea that the stars were finally aligning for us. We could have a future.
But I was hoping too much. My damn romantic heart was full to bursting with hope and it was a cruel emotion.
He sighed and shook his head, squeezing his eyes closed.
“That’s it. I’ll take you however I can get you, Gertie. As a lover, as a friend, as an acquaintance that I get to say hi to and talk about the weather with.” He twisted his hands, his voice growing hoarse. “I just want you in my life and I’ve never wanted anyone in my life the way I do with you. No, scratch that. It’s not a want, it’s a need and I love you. I love you so much that I—”
I couldn’t take anymore.
With a sob, I pulled him to me, crushing my mouth to his. He sighed as he opened wide to let me in, bringing his big palm up to cup my jaw and stroke a thumb over my cheek. It felt different than all the other kisses we shared; this was a kiss full of love, desperation and passion. It imprinted itself on my heart.
When we pulled apart, panting, he didn’t release my jaw, just continued to stroke my cheek.
“Gertrude,” I murmured, realizing he called me Gertie for the first time. I preferred it when he used my full name.
Only him.
He stared at me a beat before barking out a laugh that echoed around the car. “Gertrude it is.”
Our laughter subsided and I covered his hand with mine. “I love you too, you big dummy. I just needed you to pick me, but foryou. And you did.” I smiled wide. “I’m so proud of you for what you did in there, you were incredible. You’ve come such a long way.”
“Well, I have you and our Fagenda to thank for that,” he winked.
I laughed again. “The Fagenda doesn’t stop, you know. We have to keep adding to it.”
He dropped his hand. “I know, and I’ve got the first thing to add to it.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?” I asked. He leaned forward, rummaging in the glove compartment and pulling something out.
“You’ve done so much for me, had so much faith and trust in me. And I have the same in you. I want to push you to do something now.”
My stomach clenched with unease. “Riiiight.”
Like he could sense my discomfort, he leaned close and kissed my cheek, my eyes sliding closed as he whispered, “Hold out your hand.”
I did and felt something small and heavy settle in the palm, the edges sharp.
“Open.”
