Page 83 of Burned

“Sadie you’re really being dramatic.”

“How could you do this to me? What do you think you’ll accomplish by setting this thing up?”

“I think that you’ll finally be able to get whatever it is off your chest so you can stop being so miserable. You know you’re still in love with that man and he loves you. Look, I understand that you’ve been through a lot but Rhys isn’t Terrell or Jordan. Yes, Rhys made some mistakes, and I was mad at him on your behalf as well, but anyone with eyes can see that you two belong together. Love isn’t always perfect and it won’t always go the way you plan it to but when it’s the real thing, you have to fight for it. He loves you and he’s a good father. When I see him hold Ellie, there’s so much love and adoration in his eyes. But when I saw him look at you, it was tenfold. I know you don’t want to be hurt again but I think if you don’t at least talk to the man, you’ll end up hurting yourself in the long run.”

“And what if it doesn’t work out? What if he decides somewhere down the line that he doesn’t want me anymore?”

Lily placed her hand on Sadie’s shoulder. “Is that it? Are you so afraid of giving Rhys another chance that you’re already thinking about losing him? You can’t live like that for the rest of your life. At the very least hear him out and maybe tell him how you feel. He might understand where you’re coming from.”

Sadie wanted to dispute what her sister had just said but she couldn’t come up with one good argument. “Fine. But don’t expect miracles.”

“All I’m asking is that you two talk. And by the way, if it progresses to anything more, please use the guest bedroom. I don’t want any spooge stains on my sheets.”

Sadie grimaced. “Eww, do you have to be so graphic?”

“I’m just being practical. Okay, sis. I gotta go.” Lily leaned over and kissed Sadie on the cheek before heading out. “Be good, kiddo and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“So basically I can do anything I want?”

“I’ll pretend that you didn’t say that.” Lily chuckled as she walked away.

Sadie wanted to strangle her sister but she was sure Lily’s heart was in the right place. It took her serval moments to get her heart rate under control because she knew Rhys was waiting for her in the living room. After a few deep breaths and counting backward from twenty, she left the kitchen to see Rhys sitting on the sofa with his hands folding in his lap.

When he saw her, he stood up.

“Sadie. I’m sorry that I ambushed you like this but I didn’t see any other way. I was getting pretty desperate.”

“Obviously since you got my sister involved.”

“And my brother too. He’s the one who called her for me.”

“She hates your brother. Wow, if those two put aside their differences to get us together I guess I owe it to them to hear you out at least.” She took a seat, strategically choosing the armchair so that there was no room for him to sit next to her.

Rhys took the space at the end of the sofa that was closest to Sadie. “I’m not really sure where to begin.”

“How about from the beginning?

“Well, you pretty much know my story. I haven’t exactly been lucky in love and things didn’t really go well with Carys’ mother, in fact, it was a disaster. It frightened me to start over again, so I devoted all my love and attention into my daughter. At the time I thought I was just trying to be a good parent, but in reality, I was spoiling her rotten. But that aside, I think Carys grew up with rejection issues because of her mother. And knowing that I wasn’t her biological father didn’t help matters.”

“I’ve heard all this before Rhys.”

“You have, but not from this perspective. Because I had basically focused on my career and Carys, after a while, I realized I was lonely. I missed the companionship of a woman. Sure, I had the occasional lover, but I was wanted something deeper. I guess from there is when I started my balancing act of trying to please the women in my life and my daughter. Usually, Carys won out, but then again, you and I both know what a good actress my daughter is.”

“It seemed that none of them bonded with her and that made me even more protective of Carys. Maybe subconsciously I knew she was sabotaging the relationships but I turned a blind eye because ultimately, I didn’t love any of those women. So when you came along, something happened. It was like love at first sight. For the first time, I felt something other than just infatuation and lust. I fell in love with you and I didn’t want to lose you but I fell into that old pattern of wanting to keep Carys happy, especially when her mother started giving us trouble.”

“When she’d pretend to get along with you I wanted so desperately to believe it was the truth that I went along with it because if I acknowledged what she was doing then I’d be forced to make a choice between the two of you. And honestly, I didn’t want to lose you. But I lost you anyway because of my inaction. There were times when I felt like a shitty father because there were a few times when I considered sending Carys to my mother in Wales and that made me feel guilty and I forced some unrealistic expectations on you. You had every right to break up with me. But I was a selfish bastard and when it all came crashing down, I lashed out. I hurt you in a way that I vowed never to do. And as a result, I hurt myself even more. I’m a proud man, but not when it comes to you, Sadie. I love you, and I’ll get down on my knees and beg. I’ll do whatever you want to make things right. Please, give me another chance. Tell me that we can work things out.”

Sadie wasn’t sure if there were tears in his eyes because they certainly were in hers. “Rhys, I do love you. I’ve only given my heart to two men before and they crushed me, made me feel like I wasn’t worthy like I wasn’t worth fighting for. They stomped my heart into the ground without a backward look. But even before them, I faced a string of disappointments. And you hurt me too. I felt like I didn’t matter to you and I didn’t want to put myself through that again. But just now, I saw that look in your eyes. You really do love me. And I know you love our daughter. I also understand why you had to protect Carys. I’m sure if I was in your position, I might have done the same. I’m just going to put it out there that I don’t know what I’ll do if you break my heart again.”

In an instant, Rhys was on his knees in front of her. He cupped her face. “Sadie, does this mean you’re willing to give us another chance?”

“Yes, I think I am. I might be making the biggest mistake of my life but I realized something just now that the happiest I’ve ever been was when I was with you. That’s why I was so scared to let you back in. Even though my exes broke my heart, my feelings for them, can’t come close to how I feel about you. We’ll take it slow at first and then go from there. Okay?”

Rhys’ response was to cover her mouth with his. Sadie stiffened before melting into his kiss. He pushed his tongue past her lips and proceeded to devour her. Her body quickened and her nipples hardened. He tasted so good. It had been so long since they’d properly kissed. Sadie had forgotten how skilled Rhys was at it.

He pulled her t off the couch and on to the floor with him. “I know you said you wanted to take things slow but I need you. Let me have you. Please.”

“Yes,” she whispered as she frantically unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders to reveal a toned chest liberally sprinkled with hair. She’d forgotten how sexy he was without any clothes. Rhys wasted no time removing her top, pants and then her underwear. Once she was completely naked beneath his gaze Rhys pulled back and gazed at her body hungrily.

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