Page 140 of Broken Dreams
“I have to give my answer.”
“Well, here’s mine. No matter what you decide, I can’t lose you. If you go to Rose Canyon, I’ll follow you,” he admits.
And that confession, those three words tell me everything I needed to know. He would’ve fought for me, for us.
“You can’t move there.”
His thumb wipes away the tear that falls. “You can’t stop me, Addison. If you leave, we’re going too. We’ll figure out how to make it work until I can get things settled here. I can fly back and forth easily and then when I have a plan in place, Jett and I will come there. I just need time. I need to make sure Jett is okay.”
I shake my head. “No. You’re not moving to Oregon. Not without me at least.”
Grady sits back, his eyes wide. “What?”
“I’m not going to take the deal.”
“Why?” Grady asks quickly.
I release his wrists and his hands drop. “I’m not someone who has a hard time making decisions. I’m kind of the opposite most times. My gut doesn’t fail me, and I trust it. The only reason I was considering taking this deal was because of you.”
“What about me?”
I scoot forward, taking his hands in mine. “I love you, Grady Whitlock. And just the idea of knowing what loving you feels like and then having to lose you was too much for me. To be in Sugarloaf, see you and Jett, but not ever feel your touch again—broke my heart.”
He lifts his hand, running the back of his fingers down my cheek. “I couldn’t imagine a day where I couldn’t do this.” He leans in, kissing me softly. “Or that.” He pushes me down on the bed, hovering above me. “Or feel you beneath me again.”
I smile. “That last one would’ve been a tragedy.”
“No, dove, the tragedy would’ve been never getting to love you. Now that I do, now that I’ve had you in my life, I’m not ready to let go.”
I play with the back of his hair, twirling the silky ends through my fingers. “So what are you asking me to do?”
He smiles down at me, and my heartbeat accelerates. “Addison Davis, will you be my real, honest-to-God girlfriend and date me?”
I pretend to think about it for a second.
“Addy, are you contemplating this?”
I laugh and then take his beautiful face in my hands. “I’m already halfway in love with you, I want to fall all the way.”
“You don’t have to fall, dove, I’ll hold your hand as we soar together.”
“Date me. Love me. Just don’t break my heart,” I say as I lean up to press my lips to his.
“Doves mate for life and I think that’s why I called you that. Not just because you gave me peace, but because I could envision the future with you—always.”
“Always? What about all the other things?” I ask, not really knowing if I want the answer or not because while I want nothing more than to jump with him, I’m not sure we have the same idea of the landing.
“What other things?”
“I want a family again, Grady. I want more kids and you don’t.”
He kisses the tip of my nose. “I’ve always wanted it, I’m just afraid to reach for it. Can you give me time? Let me settle into this with you and then we can figure out a plan? I’m not saying no, I’m just saying I need a little time.”
My chest feels as though it could burst right now. “Really? You want that? You want to think about it?”
“Addison, there’s nothing more I would love than to see you pregnant with our child. It’s the after part that has me fucking terrified. I can’t endure the idea of losing you. I’m warning you now that I’ll be a crazy person when you do get pregnant. I want us to build a life together, I just know I’m not ready right now to have a baby. We have so much to overcome, let’s just give us a little time.”
I laugh softly and lift my head to kiss him. “I can handle that. I didn’t want that tomorrow, just to know that it wasn’t off the table. And...when I close my eyes, it’s always you I see, Grady. You, me, Jett, Elodie, and a family we make of our own. I promise if we have another baby, I’ll understand you being crazy, and I promise not to fuss about it.”
