Page 132 of Somewhere You Belong

God, it feels so right being back in his arms.

How could I ever think I could live without him?

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Goose. You didn’t do anything wrong.” His lips press against my temple, holding me to him so tightly as though he’s afraid I might disappear.

“But I lied to you.”

“My mother asked you to, baby. And you listened. I can’t fault you for that.”

I lean back so I can see his eyes, wiping furiously under my own. “And I hated that she did, but…”

“She told me everything, Willow, every detail I needed to know about my dad and why he left this house to you.” He brushes my hair from my face, studying every inch of me before sighing out loud. “I get it now. Your parents, the way they died…I can’t blame him for wanting to make things right in the only way he could think of.”

His understanding gives me pause, especially at the mention of my parents. For days, I’ve been ruminating on every circumstance that led me here, and the one emotion I still haven’t come to terms with is my anger—so I let it out.

“ButI’mmad, Dallas,” I say through clenched teeth. “I’m so fucking mad—at my parents for choosing their jobs over me and leaving me to survive without them my entire life, for the hundreds of moments throughout my childhood that I missed out on or were ruined because my parents weren’t here, at your dad for leaving me this stupid house that I went and fell in love with, and for the fact that he hid it from you, preventing you from fulfilling your dream.”

“Willow—” he starts, but I cut him off.

“But most of all, I’m fucking mad that coming here made me feel all of this,” I say, tapping the center of my chest. “Every emotion that I’ve been burying my entire life because I knew what confronting them would mean—it would be like a thousand shards of glass piercing my chest, my eyes burning with tears until I had none left, and agony overtaking me for wanting a life beyond the secluded one I’d built.” Tears start falling down my face, the tears you cry from anger and frustration, not necessarily sadness—but there certainly is anguish inthere too. “I’m mad that I want this life now, but it’s all been tainted by lies, secrets, and heartache.”

Dallas tilts his head at me, cupping my face in his hands. “I want you here, Willow. For days, all I’ve been dying to tell you is that…that I want you to stay with me, and I’m a fucking idiot for the things I said to you. I’m. So. Fucking. Sorry.” A deep breath makes his chest rise. “But Ineedyou. I don’t want to live without you. My father brought you to me, and I’d be a fucking fool to let you go.”

I shake my head at him, sniffling and wiping away my tears. “How can you be sure? How can you trust that the truth behind our connection won’t haunt us later?” I turn my head away from him for a moment. “I don’t blame you for being upset, but I know that this is a lot to take in. Trust me, that’s what I’ve been trying to process for the past five days…”

He cuts me off, gripping my chin firmly and forcing me to face him again. “No. You listen to me, Willow Marshall, and you listen good.” Planting both of his hands on the sides of my face, he forces me to look at him and nowhere else. “You had your chance to talk and now it’s mine.”

Our eyes lock and my heart rate spikes.

This is it.

This is either the end or the beginning.

“I know you’re pissed right now, baby. Hell, I’m fucking mad still too. But ultimately, I realized that none of what happened in the past matters anymore. We can’t change it. We can only move forward. And I want to do that with you.” A soft smile forms on his lips as he says, “I want to be your fucking anchor, Willow.” He takes my hand and places it on his chest, right over his tattoo, making my pulse fire faster. “I want to keep you here, in the same place as me, and build a life withyou. I want to hold you and protect you from any storm that comes our way.”

A smile starts to spread across my face. “And I want to fight off all the geese that try to attack us.” Laughter escapes my lips. “I want to wake up next to you every morning in this house, staring at the ocean, knowing each day we have together is better than the last” He leans his forehead on mine, breathing me in. And I take the same moment to take a breath of relief as well. “I’m inlovewith you, Willow. Every fucking part of you. And no matter how we met, or what brought you here, I can’t deny that. You are the piece of my life that was missing.”

The tension in my shoulders dissipates, the tightness in my chest starts to loosen, and my stomach does a little flip as I whisper, “I love you too.”

Our mouths meet and then I feel like I can finally breathe again. When our tongues touch, my entire body comes alive.

This is where you belong, Willow.

Here.

With this man.

“God, I love you,” he mumbles against my lips again, encasing me in his arms.

“I’m sorry, Dallas. I’m so sorry…”

“Stop fucking apologizing.”

“I just don’t want this to be a sore spot in our future.” I rub our noses together. “Please promise me that we move forward from here. No living in the past…”

He stands, keeping me locked on his waist and in his arms, taking me into the kitchen. He places me gently on the counter and then grabs the framed picture from two weeks ago, holding it up so I can seeit clearly.

“This is the moment I knew I couldn’t live without you.” His eyes flick to the picture and then back to mine. “We were a team that day, Willow, and that’s what I want from here on out—to be someone you can count on no matter what.”

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