Page 22 of A Secret Promise

Their gazes met as she stood in front of him, and it was like seeing His miracle unfold as she watched Rule's tension ease. The weariness etched on the chiseled lines of his features also faded, and when he finally spoke—-

"Why?"

Emotions of every kind rippled through his voice, and even though he had only a single word, Vixen understood exactly what he was asking.

Because there was a time when she had also been in his shoes, and his questions had been her questions, too.

It was the day God had given Vixen all the desires of her heart, and she had felt so, so undeserving of His blessings that all she could do was ask...why.

Why, God?

Why are You so nice to me?

How can You be so forgiving to me when I've hurt You over and over again?

And His answer then had been so, so heartbreakingly simple.

Because I love.

Love was His answer.

Had always been so and always would be.

And that was why, His answer was her answer as well, not only to Rule but to anyone or everyone else who had hurt her.

We love because He is love.

We love because He loved us first.

Rule slowly reached for her hands again, and her eyes started to sting. His lips grazed her knuckles, and the tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Vixen. I'm sorry."

His head lifted, his gaze once again colliding with hers, and her heart ached anew at the pain she saw. He was hurting because he had hurt her, and she hurt because he was hurting.

"I never meant to hide anything about my past," Rule said rawly. "But I know that's exactly what I ended up doing by not saying anything."

"I have my own past, too—-"

"But not like mine."

She took her hands out of his hold in order to cup his face. "I forgive you, Rule. So please forgive yourself, too."

"Can it really be that easy?" Rule asked raggedly."Shouldit be that simple?"

"If God Himself forgives because He loves," Vixen argued shakily, "and the way He loves means He doesn't ever keep a record of our wrongs—-who are we to do things differently?"

Rule closed his eyes, and a frisson of unease skittered down her spine.

Oh no.

Had she read him wrong then? Was he still not ready to hear the truth about God's love? Had reality finally set in, and Rule no longer felt himself ready to date someone who wasn't "normal" in the eyes of others?

Vixen was just about ready to pull away when Rule suddenly opened his eyes.

"Did you know what I just did?"

Come up with a way to break it to me gently?

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