Page 16 of From Us, Forever

He sighed a heavy breath, his molten blues fixing on me. “I want you with me, Evelyn.Always.I lost six years with you, and I don’t want to waste another second.”

My heart flipped a beat as I averted my gaze. I wasn’t sure what to say. I wasn’t sure why I was holding on to my apartment instead of letting go. But who was I kidding? I knew exactly why.

“I’m scared,” I admitted, running the foam along the fire-breathing wyvern on his chest.

“Why?” His fingers froze on my hair.

My eyes drew back to him. “Because I need my space. I’m scared that if I move out, I won’t have anywhere else to go,” I whispered, swallowing at the flash of hurt that crossed his eyes.

He gave me a firm nod as he schooled his expression. “You’re scared that something could fuck us up again? Scared that you won’t have anywhere to go if something happens between us.”

“Yes,” I said through the thickness of my throat.I am working through them, Jay. Just give me some more time.

He let a heavy exhale and tilted my chin toward the water. An uncomfortable murkiness swirled in my heart. I didn’t like the blank look on his face, but I also didn’t want to keep evading his requests with lies.

“I understand,” he said after a long moment. “But, sweetheart, we are together now and we’re going to have problems and fights and disagreements. That’s what being in a relationship is. I get that you’re scared, and if our past is any example, you should be terrified. I know I am. But we need to face these problems together. And not run away from them.”

A sudden sting crept behind my eyes. “I know, but I’m still scared.” My voice cracked.

His hand clutched the back of my neck, lifting to meet his eyes. “And it’s okay to be scared. And it’s okay for you to make your own decisions. I’m not going to ask you to move in with me until you’re ready, okay?” He gave me a soft smile. “You practically live here anyway, so the semantics don’t matter.”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that. Your feelings matter too. They are important.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “Just don’t run away from me. If anything does happen, we’ll both deal with it together, okay?”

“I promise,” I whispered, catching his lips in a slow kiss that soon became rushed and breathless. And then deliberate and gentle, his hot breath mingled with mine as our hands roamed over every inch of our skin. I felt its tingles in every single cell of my being.

Though my fears and insecurities were like a dark shadow expanding its branches into our love, one thing was certain and true.

I loved this man so goddamn much.

“How is your editing coming along?” Jay asked, placing a steaming cup of coffee for me on the coffee table.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, my eyes dashing to the words on my screen. “Alright, I guess. But I’m not sure I like it that much. It’s tedious.” I leaned and retrieved my drink before sinking back into the soft couch.

“Isn’t that why you hire someone?” He lifted a brow as he lowered himself next to me.

“Yeah,” I said, sipping my coffee. The smooth flavor of vanilla hit my taste buds, and the caffeine coursed through my veins. “But I still have to edit it.”

“I wouldn’t know. I think it still reads great to me.”

I froze, dragging my eyes to him. “You read it?” A mix of fear and anticipation drummed my heart.

He ran his fingers through his dripping hair. “Not a lot. I’m reading it slowly. I’m getting there, but it’s hard for me to read it.”

“Why?” My pulse skyrocketed. “Is it bad?” I blurted.

He gave me a soft smile. “No, not like that. I’m still in the good parts, but I don’t know how I’ll get through reading everything that happened. I can’t even take a scratch on your pretty skin, Evelyn. And the shit that you went through was more than just a scratch.”

A warm heat spread through my chest, and I smiled, squeezing his hand. “Yes, it was hard, but it was worth it because here we are.”

“Here we are.” His smile matched mine as he planted a soft kiss on my lips.

The smile was still dancing on my face as I went back to my editing, and Jay started to fiddle a melody in his guitar.

Our favorite routine.

It was late Sunday afternoon, the spring rains ringing outside with the love of my life next to me. What more could a girl want?

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