Page 56 of The One Who Changed Everything

Evan chuckled lightly, but there was something in his eyes that hadn’t been there before—a depth, a weight. I settled back into the chair beside him, my fingers tracing idle patterns on my jeans.

I swallowed hard, knowing it was time. No more running. No more hiding behind excuses or justifications. “There’s something I need to tell you,” I said.

“You can tell me anything,” he said, his eyes dark and focused on mine.

“I’m scared,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

Evan’s smile faded. His jaw tightened, and his gaze locked onto mine, searching. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then he closed it again, waiting.

I took a breath and forced myself to keep going. “I told myself that if I let you in, if I let myself love you again, history would repeat itself. And this time, it wouldn’t just be me getting hurt. Sophia—” My voice broke. “She’d lose you, too.”

Evan shifted slightly, wincing at the effort, but his hand found mine. His grip was warm, firm. “Sam,” he said, his voice rough with emotion, “that won’t happen. You never lost me. I’ve always been yours.”

Tears blurred my vision, and I shook my head. “But I did lose you. That night, I made it outside and then you were gone. And I looked for you, Evan. When I got back to school, I desperately hoped you would call me.” My voice caught in my throat. “I was so heartbroken. Then I found out about Sophia, I started looking for you. When I finally found out who you were, who your familywas, I thought… if they knew about Sophia, they’d take her from me.”

Evan’s eyes darkened, and his fingers tightened around mine. “My family doesn’t control me. They never have, no matter how much they tried. And they will never, ever take Sophia from you.”

I let out a shuddering breath, nodding, but it wasn’t just his family that had scared me. It was him. Us. What we could be.

“I believe you. I’ve always been yours,” I whispered. “There’s never been anyone else.”

Evan stilled, his whole body freezing, as if my words had knocked the air from his lungs.

I didn’t look away. I needed him to see that I meant it. That no matter how much time had passed, no matter how hard I had tried to guard my heart, it had always belonged to him. Impossible as it seemed, I had fallen for him fourteen years ago in a single week on the beach. And now, over six months, I’d only fallen deeper.

A muscle in his jaw ticked, and then, slowly, he exhaled. “Sam…”

I lifted his hand, pressing it between both of mine. “I’m not running anymore.”

Something shifted in his expression, something raw and unguarded. He didn’t answer with words. Instead, he reached for me, pulling me gently but firmly into his arms. I went willingly, sinking into him, my face buried against his chest. His heartbeat was strong beneath my ear, steady despite everything he had been through.

We weren’t perfect. We weren’t healed overnight.

But this?

This felt like the first real step toward forever.

He pulled back just enough to look at me, his fingers brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His thumblingered against my cheek, his touch reverent, as if he couldn’t believe I was really here, really his to hold. I felt that last lingering doubt rear its head at me.

I swallowed hard, my breath shaky. “If you’re only saying that because of Sophia… I don’t want you to be stuck with me just because we have a daughter together. I’ll never keep you from her.”

His brows drew together, pain flickering in his eyes. “Sam, no. I love Sophia. But I also love you.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “It’s always been you.”

My heart slammed against my ribs, the last of my defenses crumbling. I cupped his face between my hands, feeling the roughness of his stubble, the warmth of his skin.

And then he kissed me.

The moment our lips met, the world faded. There was no fear, no regret, no past mistakes looming between us. There was only Evan—the way he breathed me in, the way he held me like he’d been waiting a lifetime for this moment. His fingers threaded into my hair, pulling me closer, deepening the kiss until I forgot every reason I’d ever had to keep him at arm’s length.

When we finally pulled apart, we were both breathless. His forehead rested against mine, his hands still cradling my face like I was something precious.

“I love you, Samantha,” he murmured, his voice unshakable. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

Tears slipped free, but this time, they weren’t born of fear. They were born of hope.

“I love you too, Evan.”

CHAPTER 22

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