Page 58 of Price of Victory
I stopped a few feet away from him, close enough to see the exhaustion written in every line of his body but not close enough to touch. He looked gutted, completely defeated, but there was something about his posture that suggested he was at peace with whatever decision he’d made.
“Is this it?” I asked, surprised by how steady my voice sounded.
His eyes glimmered with unshed tears, and for a moment, he looked like he might break apart right there on the sidewalk.
“If you’re leaving, just leave,” I said, even though every word felt like swallowing glass. “You don’t need to make a speech about it.”
But instead of confirming my worst fears, Aiden took a step closer. “I am so sorry, Rhett.”
I shrugged, trying to project indifference I didn’t feel. “Things come and go. They end. I’m used to it.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what was happening. The truth is, I was scared. We had something beautiful, and I was scared of losing it. So I messed up everything instead.”
I frowned, confused by the direction this conversation was taking. Was he here to say goodbye or not? I couldn’t afford to hope, couldn’t let myself believe that this might be anything other than closure.
“But that’s not why I’m here,” Aiden continued, taking another step closer. “I’m here because I need you to know that I don’t care about companies and empires. I don’t care about their riches and their schemes and their plans for my future.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I told them no. I’m saying I walked away from everything they offered me because none of it matters without you.” His voice broke slightly on the last word, and I felt something crack open in my chest. “Forgive me, Rhett. Give me another chance.”
For a moment, I was speechless. He wasn’t here to say goodbye. He was here to fight for us, to prove that what we’d had was worth more than family expectations and corporate dynasties.
“But I…” I stammered, tears welling up in my eyes. “I broke up with you. I left. You should be the one forgiving me. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
Aiden shook his head firmly. “I doubted myself first. But I know one thing for sure now.” He stepped close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating off his body, could see every fleck of gold in his green eyes. “I love you, Rhett. I am so madly in love with you that words can’t describe it.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, still caught up in my own guilt for the way I’d handled everything.
“I love you,” he said again, like it was the only thing that mattered.
And just then, it was the only thing that mattered. All the hurt and anger and confusion melted away, leaving nothing but the truth I’d been trying to deny for two weeks. I loved him, too, desperately and completely, and I’d been an idiot to let pride and fear keep us apart.
“I love you, too,” I said, and then we were kissing, desperate and hungry and full of two weeks’ worth of longing.
He tasted like coffee and winter air and everything I’d been missing. His hands found mine, our fingers intertwining like they’d been designed to fit together, and when we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard.
“Come with me,” he said, his voice rough with emotion.
“Where are we going?”
“Wherever you want, so long as we’re alone and together.”
I didn’t let him lead me. Instead, I pulled him after me, heading toward the dormitory, which was only a few blocks away. My heart was hammering so hard I was sure he could hear it, and with every step, the reality of what was happening became more real.
“What happened?” I asked as we hurried through the empty campus streets. “With your family, I mean. What changed?”
“I told them the truth,” he said simply. “I told them I didn’t want their empire, didn’t want to spend my life building something I didn’t believe in. I told them all I wanted was you.”
“And they were okay with that?”
“They were surprised. But ultimately, they said they just wanted me to be happy.” He squeezed my hand tighter. “I’m free, Rhett. Free to love you without hesitation or compromise or worry about what anyone else thinks.”
We reached my dorm building, and I fumbled with my key card while Aiden pressed close behind me, his breath warm against my neck. The moment we were inside, I turned and pinned him against the door, kissing him hard enough to bruise.
He melted against me, his hands fisting in my jacket as he kissed me back with equal desperation. This was what I’d been missing, this feeling of completeness that came from being pressed against him, from breathing in his scent and feeling his heart beat against my chest.
We made it upstairs somehow, though I couldn’t have said how. I was too focused on the way he looked at me, like I was something precious he’d thought he’d lost forever. My hands shook as I unlocked my door, the simple act of turning the key feeling monumental, like I was opening the door to our future rather than just my dorm room.
