Page 36 of Sweet Redemption
“Stay still. I want to make sure you didn’t break it.” Markus scolded me. Then he took a quick look at it and said, “Not broken but this time, it might really be sprained.”
“Okay.”Okay? Really Charlie? He’s here. Say something.
“So you weren’t lying about the library,” Markus said as he looked around.
“Why are you here, Markus?” I asked firmly, trying to stay strong because I didn’t want to get my heart sliced to pieces again. He stopped touching my ankle and angled closer to my face. Eye to eye.
“I’m here for you,” he said with such conviction that I believed him.
His simple but powerful words had my heart amp up. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to believe them. “Try again.”
“I’m here for you,” he repeated. Darn it, I felt flushed by his fingers caressing my skin.Focus, Charlie.
“A month. It’s been a month since I last saw you. Why haven’t I heard from you sooner?” I could feel my anger bubble up. And the heartache. I couldn’t look at himanymore.
He cupped my face and drew my eyes up to his. “Because I wasn’t worthy of you a month ago.”
Sweet words, but I wasn’t going to allow myself to fall for it. I pulled away from his touch. “I don’t believe you.”
“You’d better.”
I tilted my face up to him and saw a glint of mischievousness in his beautiful green eyes. “What does that mean?”
“That means I had to pull some strings and so did my father and you have a interview for a job at the Chicago Public Library in one week’s time.”
My mouth dropped open at the shock Markus just handed me. “Me? A interview at the Chicago Public Library?” Markus repeated the last part with me. “How? Why?”
“Well, I just told you how but why is that I want you with me, Charlie. This past month you have been on my mind twenty-four seven. I can’t let you go. You’re in here.” He touched his heart.
I shook my head with the disbelief of what he said and raised my hand to stop him for carrying on. “Wait. I thought you lived in LA?”
He grabbed the chair and placed it in front of me and took my hand. “The day you left me, I had a long talk with my father and Bryce. They wanted me back and I said yes. But I knew I had to make some serious changes with myself before I asked you to move to Chicago with me. I cleared my work back in LA. Called a therapist for my depression and as of right now, I have it handled. Now, here I am.”
Depression. “What about your dad?”
“We worked it out. My father agreed to work part time only and with the help of Bryce, we will be officially taking over the firm in two months, with our father as a liaison from time to time.”
Inside, my heart was bursting with such wonderful news for Markus. He deserved all that was good in life. Yet, I still didn’t know this man well enough to move to a different state and start over. The way he had treated me in Chicago, I wasn’t sure if I could handle another break down or a break up from him. Especially in a city that I have no other friends to rely on.
“Charlie,” Markus stood, leaned in, kissed my lips and then looked me in the eyes. “I am so sorry for being such a bastard to you. I had no right treating you that way. But my head was filled with so much anger and fear that I was afraid you would see me as I saw myself, worthless. Then throw in the guilt with my mother’s passing, I figured you were better off leaving me.
“In our short time together, I’d come to care a lot for you, Charlie. You became my redemption from my past and hope for my future. My sweet, sweet beautiful love. Please, I want us. So please consider coming to Chicago—we don’t have to live together but I guarantee we can save on the rent.” He waggled his brows, which I couldn’t help laughing. “Seriously though, Charlie. I love you.”
What could I say? He loved me and had apologized. He had recognized what was wrong and was getting help and he wanted me.
With tear filled eyes, I nodded.
“I hope those tears are tears of joy, baby,” Markus said as he wiped the wetness from my face.
So much elation knotted up in my throat that I couldn’t speak. I grabbed hold of Markus and pulled him in for a hug. “Yes,” I muffled out between breaths.
“Oh sweetheart.” He lifted my chin and kissed me soundly. It was redeeming.
