Page 122 of How You See Me
“Did you really think I couldn’t?”
“I—I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve never been . . . I didn’t think before . . .”
“Did you mean it?”
“With all my heart and soul and everything in between.”
Tears sting, but I hold them back. I won’t miss any of this. This moment or this man.
“Okay, then.” He throws open the door, strides around the front of the van, and wrenches mine open. “Come here. I need to hold you.”
I don’t need to hear anything more.
I launch into his arms, draping around him like he’ll disappear if I let go. I never, ever want to let go.
Chapter 26
Hayes
Nothing could’ve prepared me for those words coming out of Josie’s mouth. It’s not that I didn’t want to hear them. I did—more than I realized. But they surprised me.
I froze.
Not long, but long enough for her to think I didn’t feel the same. The last thing she should ever doubt is me.
I set her down gently but keep her in my arms as I brush the strands of hair clinging to her tear-streaked cheeks. My fingers shake as they skim her skin. “Please don’t cry.”
“They’re happy tears."
“Are you sure? You’re not upset?”
“Only because I’m scared this will end. It all feels too good to be true.”
I frame her face in my hands, needing her to feel the truth instead. “I won’t lie to you, Josie. It won’t always bethis easy. We’ll be long distance for a while. My job isn’t just demanding—it’s dangerous and a part of me. No matter what I want, I don’t know when I’ll be able to walk away from it.”
Her pretty eyes, the ones that knock me senseless, don’t stray from my face. “I’d never ask you to.”
She says it like a fact. Not a promise. Not a compromise. Another truth.
“Military relationships come with a lot of baggage.” I press a kiss to her forehead, hoping she can sense all the things I can’t quite put into words.
Please don’t love me lightly. This won’t be a smooth road, but I want it to be.
“Hayes, my life has never been easy. I grew up with nothing. Bounced between foster homes. Watched people I loved disappear. I spent years sabotaging my own future because I didn’t believe I deserved one, but I fought to change that. Hardship doesn’t scare me.” She leans closer. “Loving you has been the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”
Air rushes out of my chest, and I have to prevent myself from folding into her right here.
“You took the words right out of my mouth.”
I lean in, needing her to remind me I’m not dreaming. But she sidesteps me with a mischievous sparkle.
With a flick of her wrist, she opens the side van door. “Why don’t you do something else with that mouth and show me?”
“Happily.”
I flinch, pretending to pounce, and she scrambles backward, collapsing onto the mattress in a tangle of long limbs and laughter. She rolls onto her back and waits for me to join her with a sultry look that levels me faster than any firefight I’ve ever walked into.
I lean on the door frame to take her in.
