Page 55 of Dare to Need

Garth brought his forehead to mine once again, and said, “Eva, I will choose you today and every day, until there is no more breath in my lungs or light in my eyes. And even then, I will choose you when our souls meet again to dance across the stars above.”

ChapterTwenty-Three

Darkness shrouded my vision. I grasped onto the back of the hands that were shielding my eyes from view as a gust of wind threatened to topple me over.

“Garth! I don’t think this is a good idea anymore.”

The warm scent of sandalwood wrapped around me as he leaned down to whisper in my ear, “I thought you said you trust me, doll face.”

I rolled my eyes, even though they were closed. “In theory, I did trust you. Now, I’m not so sure.”

“I promise the view will be worth it. Just a few more steps and we’re there.”

I swallowed hard against the dryness of my throat and tried with all my might to settle the banging of my heart, but there was no use. I was going to have to do this scared and just hope that my heart wouldn’t explode out of my chest.

Garth’s body was flush against my own as he guided me forward five more steps. The blood in my veins pulsed like a hummingbird and I was sure I would faint at any moment.

“On three, I want you to open your eyes.”

I shook my head, his hands remaining firm across my eyes. “No! No, I don’t think I can do this. I want to go back down.”

“Stop, Eva. Don’t let the fear take over you. You are so much stronger than that. Don’t cheat yourself out of this moment. Just take a deep breath in and tell me when you’re ready.”

I wanted to fight him on it. To tell him to shove his pep talk straight up his ass and bring me back to the elevator. But the stronger part of me wanted to face the fear that had crippled me my entire life. And so I took a deep breath in, and another and another until I finally felt my heart slow and could sense the sturdy ground beneath my feet.

“Okay,” I stammered. “I’m ready.”

“One.” Garth kissed the side of my cheek. “Two.” He planted another kiss to the back of my head. “Three!”

As his hands dropped away from my face and moved down to circle around my waist, my breath was stolen from the view laid out before me.

“Oh my gosh!” I covered my mouth with my hand as I jumped up and down. Garth’s hands slid along my biceps, matching the pace of my jumps.

“It’s so beautiful!”

I looked out over the twinkling lights of New York City. It looked as though the blanket of stars from above had fallen gently over the city below. For the first time, I let my fear of heights fizzle into excitement as I neared the fence that kept us a safe distance from the edge. Garth was right behind me, his hands settling down on my hips while he gave me the space to conquer the fear on my own.

Slowly, I inched my way around the perimeter of the roof of the Empire State Building. Letting the fence be my guide as I took in the incredible views. The only sounds I could hear were the slapping of my hair in the wind and the rustling of Garth’s leather jacket from behind me. While the city below us bustled with life and noise that didn’t reach our ears, I imagined this was the view birds always got to see. A different vantage point of life itself, witnessing the grander picture in a moment of stillness.

It all seemed so small and trivial when I thought about the worries that plagued me just a few days ago. Life was so much bigger than the day-to-day troubles we often found ourselves burdened with.

As I continued to make my way around, I could see the tops of the trees in Central Park and the glistening water of the bay that reflected the moonlight with each gentle wave.

I was reminded of all the possibilities ahead. And for the first time in what felt like forever, I remembered that this would be my home. This gorgeous city, brimming with life and opportunities. It would all be mine for the taking in just a few short months. I would set out on making my dreams come true, I would spend countless hours honing my craft, and Garth and I would go on adventures together, taking any chance we could to deepen our bond.

“I knew you would like it.” Garth’s warm breath against my ear sent a trail of goosebumps down my arms.

I turned around, his hands shifting to the small of my back, pressing me against him and the all-too-familiar heat began to simmer in my core.

“Move in with me,” he breathed in the small space between us.

“What?” I blurted out, sure that I had misheard him.

The sultry look that settled in his eyes and the lazy smile he gave me told me I heard correctly.

“Move in with me,” he repeated.

“No.” The word was out before I realized what I was saying.

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