Page 90 of Tangled Desires

I don’t move. My feet dig into the ground, rooted to the spot. “No.”

“What do you mean no, Imogen?”

“You don’t get to decide this for me. No one does.” I take a slow step forward. My heart hammers against my ribs. “I’ve always made my own choices. You know why?” I’m closer now, so close we’re practically sharing the same breathing space. “Because I had to. My dad raised me that way. My mother walked out and left me to figure it out on my own. My dad?” I press in, a fire burning in my chest. “He taught me how to fight. How to stand up when everything’s falling apart. How to hold my ground. So don’t you fucking dare tell me what I can or can’t do.”

I take a deep breath. “I’m staying, Harrison. I’m not leaving you. Not now. Not ever. You don’t get to push me away.”

“You don’t understand, Immy. He’ll come back.” He shakes his head. “He’ll find a way to fuck with me, and now that he knows you’re mine, that you’re pregnant with our baby, he’ll use that against us, Imogen. He’s a manipulative cunt. It’s what he does.”

Something about the way he says ‘mine’ pulse race. It’s not possessive. It’s not ownership. It’s something deeper, something raw. The way he says it makes me feel like I’m exactly where I’mmeant to be, like I belong with him. And if that’s not a sign of how much I’ve fallen for him, I don’t know what is. His weakness—his fear—is written all over his face. It makes him real. It makes him human. And ifthatalso doesn’t solidify my feelings for him, I’m not sure anything will.

I poke his chest with each word, standing on my tiptoes so our noses almost touch. “I’m. Not. Going. Anywhere.” God, I’m trying to sound all tough, like I’ve got this intimidation thing down. But I know, deep down, there’s no way in hell all six-foot-something of him is going to budge because I can barely keep my balance, let alone make him flinch. Still, I push on.

“You tried to shut me out once, and it didn’t work. Don’t you dare try it again, Harrison Price.” I tell him that, but the truth? I’m already half-freaking out on the inside. What if he actually pushes me away this time? I’m not strong enough for that.

“You say you’re broken? Fine. Then I’m broken, too. So, what do we do? We fix each other.” The words taste like the truth, even as I say them. “That’s what you do for the people you love. You help them. You show up, you make them feel good, you… You don’t let them drown.”

He stands there, silent, his eyes locked on mine, and my patience wears thin. “Say something, Harrison,” I snap.

He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch lingering. A small smile tugs at his lips. “You love me?”

Did I say that? Did I actually say that out loud? My pulse quickens, and I look away, my mouth tightening. “Out of everything I just said, that’s all you got?”

“It’s the most important part.”

The breath I’ve been holding escapes in a rush. His hand brushes over my cheek, wiping away a tear, his touch gentle but firm. “You really love me?”

I don’t have to think twice. “Yeah, I do, you big caveman. I love you.”

“I’ve been dying to say it, too, Immy girl, but you beat me to it. I fucking love you,” he growls, his voice rough and desperate. Before I can even process it, his lips crash against mine, bruising, urgent—like he’s trying to shove everything we’ve both been too damn scared to say into this one kiss. It’s fire and need and all the things that’ve been building between us, finally unleashed. This moment?

It’s everything. He’s everything. And there’s nowhere else I’d ever want to be.

The sheets tangle around us, still warm from the heat of our bodies. My fingers trace gentle circles on his chest, moving over the faint scars, marking each one with a soft kiss. “When were you going to tell me you saw Dr. Lowes?”

His chest rises in a sigh. “I wasn’t keeping it from you, I promise. I was going to tell you today, actually, but…” His words trail off. I press closer, nuzzling his shoulder, feeling his warmth soak into me.

“It’s okay. I’m just really happy you did it. That’s a big step, Harrison, and you took it. I’m proud of you.”

“It’s been… hard.” His fingers find a strand of my hair, twirling it gently as he speaks. “She keeps trying to dig into things, things I don’t even know how to talk about. But she’s got me looking at stuff I’ve buried for so long. I still don’t know if it’s gonna change anything, but… I’m trying. I-Ithinkit’s working.”

I plant another kiss on his shoulder. “You don’t have to figure it all out at once. Just letting someone in, that’s already huge, Harrison.”

I lean up suddenly and kiss him, soft but sure. “What was that for?”

“Just because. I meant every word I said outside.”

“I know.”

A sudden thump hits my belly, and I sit up, hand flying to the spot.Holy shit.

“What?” Harrison’s already up, wide-eyed, like I’ve just announced the apocalypse.

I grin, shaking my head. “Relax. The baby just kicked.”

He moves faster than I’ve ever seen, hand hovering. “Where? Let me feel.”

I guide him to the spot, holding my breath as his fingers press gently against my skin. The baby kicks again, and his face lights up, eyes bright, mouth slightly open. Another nudge—stronger this time—and he grins like he’s just won the lottery.

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