Page 90 of Houston, We Have a Problem
This is what I wanted, but I can feel my heart breaking with every passing second that he won’t look at me. “Yes. Houston, let me—”
He’s on his feet in a flash, slipping out the front door without a word. He doesn’t slam the door, but neither does he look back.
And that’s that. My short-lived romance with the baseball superstar with a heart of gold has come to an end, and I don’t think he’ll give me a chance to say goodbye or explain why I had to do what I did. Why would he? I’ve been lying to him for the last two weeks.
I slump into the back of the couch, my heart aching. Not being able to explain even a little is the part I hate the most. Maybe he wouldn’t have listened to me, but if I could have just…
I jump to my feet. “What am I doing?” I ask out loud, as if someone might be around to answer me. I can’t just sit here and let Houston make all the decisions when this ismystory as much as it is his. I march to the door, making my plan as I go. If he doesn’t let me in, I’ll just come grab the key he gave me and force him to hear me out. Whether or not he accepts my reasons for doing what I did won’t change my need to come clean. He can’t deny me a chance to be honest.
When I grab the doorknob and pull it open, I do it with the full force of my righteous anger. That’s great and all, except the door opens without my added force, and I fly backwards at the same time Houston comes tumbling inside. We crash together, both of us trying to keep us on our feet until we slam into the wall. Houston’s arms lock me in, but it’s the intensity of his gaze that holds me captivated. I have no idea what thoughts are going through his head, but they are many.
And all I can think about is how he came back.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you,” I whisper, knowing there’s so much more I need to say. I have to start somewhere. “I wanted to—”
But then Houston locks his lips onto mine, fingers sliding into my hair as he pulls me into a kiss so desperate that I can’t breathe. Who needs oxygen? He shifts, hands wrapping around my hips and lifting me up until my legs lock around his waist to keep me in the perfect spot to dive into this kiss. His arms slide around my back, pulling me closer, and I grip the long hair at the back of his neck. He groans and deepens the kiss, pressing me into the wall as he gives me the best kiss of my life. We’re molded together, lips moving in a choreographed dance that we’ve known our whole lives but never had the right partner until now.
Eventually he breaks away, and we both fight to breathe. “I’m so relieved,” he gasps, resting his forehead against mine.
My heart soars. Did I just hear what I think I heard? “I thought you were going to hate me,” I whisper.
He shakes his head, letting his nose brush against mine before he pulls me in for another kiss, no less glorious than the last one even though he’s more controlled now. “Honestly? Knowing the truth solves all my problems. I was so afraid I was falling in love with two people.” My breath hitches, and he nods. “Yeah, I’m in love with you, Darcy. Tamlin. Whoever you are.”
“I’m both,” I say, needing him to understand. “I never pretended to be something I wasn’t.”
Grinning, he tucks some hair behind my ear. “I’m pretty sure you were pretending to be a brunette, Darce. And…” He glances down at our chests pressed together and turns a healthy shade of red.
I bite my lip. “Okay, those might be fake too.”
“That’s not…” Houston snorts a laugh as he drops his head onto my shoulder. “I don’t care. However you look, you’rebeautiful. But it’syouI’m in love with, Darcy. Not the way you look.”
Okay, well, a girl could get used to a guy saying stuff like that, but it all feels too good to be true. “You really don’t hate me? I thought that was why you walked out.”
He slowly lowers me back to my feet, wrapping his arms around my waist to keep me close. “No. I just needed a second to process it all. Though, it would be nice if you told me there was a contract or something that prevented you from telling me before I figured it out.”
“There was! Is, technically.” But I need to be honest with him, especially with how cool he’s being about all of this. “But I was also scared.”
“Why?”
Reaching up, I run my fingers along the light scruff he didn’t shave this morning, remembering the feel of it scratching my cheeks as he kissed me. “You had these ideas of who I was in your head, and when you started to like both sides, I was worried you wouldn’t like it all together. Like my flaws as Darcy and my flaws as Tamlin would somehow add up to be too many for you to want them.”
Goodness, he looks gutted as he stares at me with those baby blues of his. “You thought I couldn’t love all of the pieces of you that make you perfect? Darcy…”
He steps back, taking his warmth with him, and runs a hand through his hair as he starts to pace. “You are one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met, but you’re not afraid to stand up for yourself and make sure stupid men like me know you can be both crazy smart and insanely beautiful. You feed chipmunks and befriend literally anyone you come in contact with, and you can hit a curveball thrown by a professional pitcher. You know sports better than I do and see potential in people when they can’t see it themselves, and if you think there is anything aboutyou that I do not love with everything I have in me, you’re just wrong.”
I’m not generally a crier on my own, but Houston has me breaking down with all these incredible words. Tears spill from my eyes as I stand there wishing I knew what I could say that would ever compare to all of that.
The only thing I can get out is, “Well, I’m incredibly unlucky, so…”
He shakes his head before wrapping his big arms around me and pulling me to his chest in a hug that shuts out the world. “I have literally never seen that to be true. I meant it when I said you might as well just stick with me forever so your luck can change.”
I think he’s right. Whenever I’m with him, everything seems to go well. I could use that in my life, given how much of it is wrong right now.
“Can I tell you something?” I ask, listening to his heart pound in my ear.
“Always.”
“I’ve been paying my sister’s student loans. And my dad needs in-home care or maybe even to move into a facility because he’s losing mobility, and my parents can’t afford that. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been trying so hard to get this promotion. So I can help them pay for it all.”
