Page 124 of The Truth Serum
“There are things unmarried women can do. Becca, you are an independent woman now.”
“Only for three months!”
“Tell me you can’t convince Henry to make it permanent. You have been managing the household money since you were a teenager. The real question is how Henry will manage without you.”
Well, that was true.
“You are free, Becca. You can be alone if you want to be. Or not.”
She lifted her face to his. “Not.”
“But you are afraid.” It wasn’t a question.
She nodded.
“Because you don’t know if you can trust me. After all, you trusted Henry and your mother, and neither one paid any attention to what you wanted. You trusted Fletcher and discovered a million lies.”
Perhaps not a million, but close.
“And even I left you when you were sixteen. We were caught—”
“Papa died, and you disappeared.” She squeezed his arm. “That wasn’t your fault.”
“No, but the truth doesn’t change. I left.”
“So I went my own way, however I could.”
“So you have been betrayed by everyone. I suspect trusting me now would be hard.”
“But I do trust you!” she cried. And though part of her knew it was the truth, there was a small part who still wondered. Who feared.
He stroked her chin, pulling her gaze up to his. They stayed there, eye to eye for a long moment. Neither said a word, but she felt so many things.
She felt his arms around her as he supported her.
She felt safe here and cherished as she had never been.
She felt his desire for her, slowly climbing as was her own.
And she felt her defenses crack. Bits of the wall she’d built between them—between her and any man—began to break.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I guess I don’t completely trust you.”
He accepted it without complaint. Indeed, he didn’t seem surprised. “How can I prove myself to you? What do you need from me?”
Love.
The word reverberated in the air between them. She hadn’t asked for it or even said the word out loud. Perhaps he was just offering it. Either way, she felt tentative as she reached for it. Nothing was said, but she felt the decision nonetheless.
Imagine having to choose to accept love. Shouldn’t that be easy?
It wasn’t. And yet, he was worth it.
So she let her defenses crumble. She allowed her heart and mind to open to his love. She felt it slip in quietly through the cracks. And then it became everything. It filled her. It warmed her. It was…
Perfect.
“No more lies,” she said, meaning she would not lie to herself anymore. Of all the people in her life, he had been the most consistent. He’d tried to protect her. He’d given her his trust. And even if he hadn’t shown her everything he was, she knew enough. And there would be time to learn everything else.
