Page 98 of Forgotten Pieces

“Mostly. She says we’ll discuss it when she gets home. But I told her that I don’t see us in a relationship anymore and I will not let that get in the way of me living my life here.”

Now I am confused. If he broke up with her, why was he so upset when he walked in? “So you aren’t together?”

He shakes his head.

“Why did you look upset when you walked in?”

He sighs. “I wasn’t upset. I was scared. Scared about telling you about my possible deployment.”

I put my hand on his chest. “The Marines are your life, Ry. I can’t be upset if you want to go back overseas. It’s where you find your stride. That’s been you your whole life. I knew it eight years ago just like I know it now.”

“So you aren’t upset?”

I shake my head. “Not at all. I would never hold you back from what you want. And I will be here waiting for you when you come home.”

A smile breaks across his face. “That’s the difference between you and Shell.”

I smile back at him. “There are a lot of differences between me and her. I’m prettier,” I joke.

He pulls me close to him. “You are. But you are also kind and wild. You can bring a smile to anyone’s face even when you are hurting inside. You are selfless even when you think you’re selfish. You are the greatest listener and the gentlest soul. You are never afraid to put someone in their place and can take shit as much as you can give it.”

“You make me sound like I am more than I am.”

“You are. You just don’t see it.” He leans down, pressing his forehead against mine. “I was also scared for another reason.”

“What was that?” I ask, my eyes dropping to his chest.

He lifts my chin so I meet his intense stare. “I was scared that when I told you something else, you would run away.”

I search his eyes for something that might hurt me, but I can’t find anything. “What is it?”

“Seven for a secret?”

I nod at him, my hands gripping his t-shirt in anticipation.

“I never thought we would find our way back to each other. Never thought I would find you again. But I did. And I am so glad because I never told you something. I never said these words to you eight years ago. And for the last eight years I have been beating myself up for it. For not letting you know how I really felt, for making you think you weren’t the single most important person in my life. But I am making up for it now. Making it all up to you.

“I love you, Tacoma. I’ve loved you for eight years. And even though I thought I could make my heart stop loving you, it never did. And when I saw you at that wedding seven weeks ago, every feeling I had came flooding back to me. I wanted to grab you. Kiss you. Find a way to make up for the last eight years that I left on the table. But I couldn’t. Not anymore. Now I am telling you. And I want to make up for everything I never let you have.”

Tears slide down my face as I listen to Ryder’s words. I can’t even respond as I pull his head down to meet mine. I kiss him with a passion I’ve been holding back. And he kisses me back with the same fervor. All the times before weren’t like this. I can feel it in every nerve ending, every bone, every cell of my body. This is a kiss that is making up for eight years of lost time. A kiss that could go on forever.

He pushes me against the bar as our passion quickly turns to fire. I barely know what I am doing as I unbutton his pants and push them down. His hands work quickly on my jeans and within seconds he is inside me, loving me in a way we have never done before. With every thrust we stare into each other’s eyes, finally giving in to the love we have shared for years. It’s the most intimate experience I have ever had.

When we finish, I rest my head on his shoulder, his body still connected with mine. “Did we really just profess our love for each other and then have sex against the bar I work at?”

He chuckles and pulls my head back to meet his gaze. “I professed my love. I don’t know about you.”

That’s when I realize I never said it back to him. “Ryder, I am more in love with you than I have ever been with anyone in my entire life. And I want this, all of this. I want to give it all to you. I want all of you.”

“You have me. All of me. I love you, birdie.”

He finally pulls out of me and we clean up the glasses from the bar and head upstairs where we spend the night showing each other how much we love the other.

I wake up the next morning with a smile on my face and Ryder’s arms wrapped around me.

He nuzzles his face into my neck so I roll over and face him. “Should we keep this a secret still?”

He looks at me confused.

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