Page 111 of Choosing Forever
“I was the one who ran earlier.”
The music drifts around us as I bring our hands up and drop another to hold the curve of her waist. A bit off-kilter, she grabs my shoulder and waits for me to lead. Our friends join us on the dance floor, and I swallow a laugh when Johnny takes Rory’s hand and twirls her over and over again, her laugh damn loud. Brody ignores them and focuses on his wife, keeping her close and away from Poppy, who’s pouting as Garrison pulls her away from them.
“You make it sound as though I didn’t try to chase you or race here tonight to do exactly what we’re doing,” I say.
“Yeah . . .”
Slowly, I move us into an easy two-step. “You kissed me, Delaney. You kissed me, and I didn’t want you to stop.”
“It was impulsive,” she murmurs, eyes shutting for a moment. When they open again, they’re so bright. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“What were you thinking, then?”
Her touch hardens, becoming fierce, maybe even angry. “You hurt me. Bad. But I still couldn’t stand there and watch that woman touch you like that in front of me. It’s not fair.”
“I know, baby.”
“Darren,” she says on a weak breath. “I’m barely holding on here.”
“You can let go.”
“I’m too scared to fall.”
“I’ll catch you. You’ll never get hurt again,” I swear when she drops her head forward, forehead pressing to my sternum. “I won’t make the same mistakes again.”
I shiver when her hand falls from my shoulder to my armand then curls around my back. Fingers slipping free, she brings her second arm around to hold me with a strength that hits me straight on, like a blast from an explosion only a few feet away. It’s a desperate hold, a plea for strength delivered without words.
“I’m never leaving you again,” I declare, loud enough only for her to hear.
She rubs her cheek against my chest and curls her fingers into my shirt, clutching me as if she doesn’t believe me.
Desperation bubbles my blood, demanding I prove myself to her before I lose her again. I can’t. Not before I even get a chance to have her.
“Come with me,” I urge.
She blinks up at me, those grassy green eyes unfocused from the alcohol in her system, yet still so vibrant. “Where?”
“Somewhere we can be alone.”
The football field is deserted.
It’s cold, and the grass is still damp from the rain that’s just stopped. I haven’t been back here since my last high school game, and it hasn’t changed a bit. There are old, rusty metal bleachers, a score tower with a burnt-out clock, and yard lines in desperate need of a touch-up.
“They could have replaced the bleachers, at least,” I note.
Delaney walks ahead of me with her arms slightly extended for balance. “The budget’s too tight. They’re still wearing the same jerseys you did.”
“I can’t imagine how they smell, then.”
“I’ve never been close enough to one of the players to take a whiff.”
I laugh lowly, following behind her, letting her lead us wherever it is she wants to go.
“It looks different without the snow.”
“Just wait a week or so. It’s supposed to start soon.”
“Already?”
