The intensity of the look he gave me almost sent me slamming back against the bedhead. There was pure passion in his eyes, bright and roaring like a forest fire in the night.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “You’ve been through so much in your life. The kind of things you’ve experienced can wreck some people. It can shatter them into a billion pieces and shuffle them all around until they’re unrecognizable; make them a totally different person. But you… you’ve just become stronger instead. You bend but you don’t break. You’re incredible, and you should know that.”
I stared at him with my lips parted as he delivered his tender speech. I’d never thought about myself like that.
“I don’t think I’d be able to do it all without you,” I said quietly.
He shook his head. “I think you could. No, I know you could. You stayed strong long before I was in your life. That’s why I’m so proud.” He pulled me close and smoothed my hair. “But you won’t have to do it all on your own anymore. Not as long as I’m here.”
I closed my eyes and leaned into the warm glow of his embrace. “Thank you,” I said breathily. The pain in my back was starting to fade again. He always knew how to make it go away.
“For what?” he asked, weaving his hands through my hair now.
“For doing what you’ve done.” I bit my lip for a second. “For taking me. Being here for me.”
“I always will be. I’m never letting go.”
“Good,” I whispered. “I don’t want you to.”