Page 147 of Stolen Moments

I lean against the sink, fully prepared to wait for her to use the toilet. Hell, I wasn’t kidding when I said I would handcuff myself to her. I’ll wait forever for her. My beautiful selfless girl.

Her eyes bug out of her head, and she vehemently shakes her head. “Nope. None of that. Out. I need to use the restroom. Alone.”

“Fine. You have three minutes, or I’m coming back in here to drag you out.”

“You’re insane.”

“Insane for you.”

“Charmer.” She smirks, and just like that, the little spark of hope I had for us becomes an inferno.

“Only for you,” I assure her.

When she’s done, I lead her to the patio, where everyone is gathered to begin the countdown. I try to stay close, but I don’t want to push my luck. She might have said I have a chance, but I can still sense her skepticism.

I’m going to take the chance she’s offering me and run with it. I’m going to—as Cameron would say—woo the fuck out of her.I’m going to be right here, showing up every day, taking care of her, and proving that she’s my number one priority.

Emery deserves a man that will be her biggest supporter, a man that will love her no matter what. To be there for her on her darkest of days, showing her how loved she is. That man is me. I let her down before, and I won’t be making that mistake again.

The countdown begins.

Standing on the other side of the firepit, I watch Emery smile at my nephew as he dances around. She looks so fucking beautiful it hurts. I ache to be at her side, but now isn’t the time. She must feel me watching because her eyes find mine.

That’s right, baby doll. I’m right here watching, and I won’t be walking away from you again.

The spark between us crackles like the fire dividing us.

I mouth,Happy New Year.

A smile splits across her gorgeous face, filling the hole in my chest that existed without her.

Chapter forty-seven

Emery

“Five, four, three, two,one. Happy New Year!”

The crowd cheers as the clock strikes midnight. The band starts to playAuld Lang Syneas the entire party of guests fills the patio and surrounds the fire pit, waiting for the surprise Jace and Rylann have planned.

I watch as my little dance partner blows his paper horn and jumps around celebrating, before taking off to find his dad. I shake my head at the adorable display of him jumping into Jace’s arms.

I haven’t been able to shake Rhys all night, and weirdly enough, I love having him at my side. He’s made me laugh and dance, eat about a hundred s’mores, and forget all about my conflicting feelings. He’s been the perfect little distraction I’ve needed. His sweet little face makes me melt. He’s the spitting image of his daddy and his uncle. The man that, for the past few months, has been the source of my chagrin.

The hair on the back of my neck stands at attention, and I know he’s watching me again. He hasn’t kept his eyes off of me all night.

I lift my gaze to his and my stomach flips, anxiety and lust swirling in my belly. His eyes smolder with desire, heating me to my core, as he mouthsHappy New Yearfrom the other side of the fire pit.

I can’t look away or stop the smile that creeps across my face. I give him a finger wave and his smile matches mine.

In the past few hours I went from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. I still can’t believe he followed me to the bathroom and fell to his knees, begging me to forgive him. Even though I vehemently denied it to everyone, I dreamed of Mason coming back to me since the day he walked away.

When we danced by the fire, I was certain he was telling me it was over for good. It shocked me to my core to see Mason, who is a stubbornly proud man, on his knees in the bathroom, professing his love for me as he wrapped his arms around my legs, clinging to me like I was his lifeline. The paper-thin walls I built back around my heart shook loose with every one of his heartfelt and genuine words.

He sounds certain that this—us—is what he wants, and while his confession of love and apologies glued slivers of my heart back together, I need him to show me he loves me. I need action. I won’t let myself fall completely back into him without being sure of us. I made mistakes, but he hurt me too deeply by cutting me out of his life so quickly. His actions spoke more loudly than his words of love. I’ve been let down so many times by the people that claim to love me that I’ve lost my faith.

Forgiveness isn’t the only hurdle we face. I don’t want to go back to only spending a few days here and there together. I want more. I want him to want more. What we had before was amazing, but it’s no longer enough for me. I want a better version of us to rise from the ashes because, let’s face it, he burnt us down to the ground. It’s been months since we’ve spoken, and our last union didn’t end on the best of terms, so it’s hard for me to wrap my head around his proposal to try again.

Mason’s eyes stay locked on mine as I point up. He follows my directive, tilting his chin up as fireworks light the night sky. Memories of him walking away on the Fourth of July hit me as the explosive display shoots off overhead. Red light floods the patio as our gazes return to each other.

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