Page 69 of Embattled Ever After

Alex was a different woman. No, Alex hadn’t gone through the same waiting game for him that Melanie had, but to some extent, she’d grown up with it, having experienced it with her father. He knew in his gut that she’d never have given up on him, onthem, the way Melanie had.

And Alex wasn’t the type of woman to just wait around on a man. She had her own life and her own career that she was very proud of, and should be.

There was a knock at his door, and his heart began to race. Some sixth sense told him it was Alex. Walking across the room he opened the door.

The cold swirled in and she peered up at him, a pale toboggan pulled low over her ears. “Can I come in?”

He stepped back without a word.

“I’m sorry it’s so late.” She glanced at the clock in the dining room. “Shit, it’s really late. I can talk to you in the morning if that would be better.”

Duncan closed the door firmly behind her. “You’re fine. I wasn’t asleep.”

Frowning, she shrugged out of her coat and hung it on the hook by the door, then straightened her clothes. At the last minute she jerked the cap off her head and hung it up as well, then smoothed her hair down. Then, as if she couldn’t help herself, she turned and walked straight into his arms.

Duncan swallowed hard, his throat tight with yearning. Within seconds she had his emotions totally in knots. How the hell did she do that? Then, he realized she was crying, softly, her tears soaking into his shirt. “Hey, you’re okay, babe. You’re okay.”

They stood there in the entranceway just swaying a little, connecting. When she finally pulled away, she leaned up to give him a kiss.

Wild, salty ocean and sunshine, that’s what she tasted of. But he could feel the heartbreak in her and he felt guilty. “You know,” he told her gruffly, “you kind of knocked me on my ass. I didn’t expect you at Christmas, and I certainly didn’t expect what you did to me the few days you stayed here. I thought I was okay being alone, but you made me want things I hadn’t wanted before. That I still want.”

Some of her vibrant hair was stuck to her cheek. He pulled it free and tucked it behind her ears. She leaned into his touch and he wished he were strong enough to swing her up into his arms and carry her to the couch. Instead, he tugged on her hand, gently. With a heavy breath she followed him to the couch. Once he sat, she settled into his side. Duncan wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close, then he propped his feet on the coffee table to get comfortable.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t stay away.”

He chuckled. “I’m not. I was just wondering how the hell to find you. You didn’t tell me where you were staying.”

“I know. I did that on purpose. I didn’t think I wanted to see you tonight, but we need to talk.”

“We do. But I think I just want to hold you for a minute. Is that okay?”

She nodded, sagging into him. The clock on the wall ticked steadily on, and he was content just sitting there, listening to her breathe. Her body was incredibly warm next to his own, and it was easy to imagine this going further, but she seemed a little reserved. Maybe she was just still hurting over their breakup.

After a few minutes, Duncan leaned down to press a kiss to her hair. Damn, she smelled good. He wanted to see her and feel her and smell her every day if he could. “How can I get you to stay?”

“Hmm…?” her voice was drowsy, but she looked up at him.

“How can I get you to stay? I miss you, Alex. I saw you tonight and I wanted to jump up and down and cheer. Not my normal reaction to people, I might add.”

She chuckled. “I felt the same way. When the doors opened, I thought I was imagining you standing there.”

He gripped her hand in his own, marveling at the chance meeting. “I didn’t handle the breakup well. I should have chosen my words better and been more careful of your feelings. I’m sorry about that.”

“I’m sorry too,” she told him softly. “I could have not reacted so harshly. Everyone is allowed to feel the way they want to feel. You don’t want kids. I get that now. But I think I still want to see where this relationship goes.”

Duncan pulled back to look at her. “You would stay with me even though I told you I don’t want kids?”

She shrugged, looking away.

“What if I told you I think you could change my mind?”

Alex looked up at him sharply. “What?”

“I had a lot of long nights thinking about where we’d gone wrong,” he told her softly, “and I’m not sure anymore that it’s the kids themselves that I object to. I think it’s just the responsibility in general.”

“Are you serious? You’re one of the most responsible men I know,” she told him firmly.

“I am,” he agreed, “but what if a child is the one thing that comes along that I’m not good at handling?”

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