Page 143 of Tangled Kisses
I scan the hallway for anything—a pen, pad of paper, hell some chalk would do. But what would I write? What would I say?
The truth is a rusty blade sawing into the marrow of my bones.
There is no escape, Reese. Not anymore.
I don’t hear him approach, too lost in the chaos of my mind.
One second I’m alone. The next, a warm hand slides across my waist, pulling me tight. I know his touch before I see his face.
Griffin. My Griffin.
“Hello, gorgeous,” he whispers against my neck. His lips brush my skin. “You smell amazing. Jesus, Reese.”
But the moment shatters, and I turn in his arms, lifting my gaze to his. What I see there nearly undoes me—love so raw, so certain, it carves me open.
“I made a decision,” he says, voice low, urgent. “I’m not driving Lauren up to Portland. Her driver will bring her back.”
If only your overnight stay was our biggest problem now.
He presses a kiss to my forehead, then lingers, breath hot against my skin. “I love you more than life itself, Reese. And I can’t wait another second. We’re going to Vegas. Not tomorrow, not someday. Now.” His words tumble out in a rush, raw and unguarded. “I want you as my wife. I want you carrying my child. I want every morning and every night with you until the day I die. So let’s go. Right now.”
I love him so much, and in another life, I would link my hand in his and we would walk out the door together.
We would get married at a silly Las Vegas chapel, make love in a heart-shaped jacuzzi, and plan our new life over steak and cheap champagne.
Four kids, a handful of animals to torment Chowder.
A life we’ll never have.
“What do you say, baby?” Griffin’s eyes sparkle, not realizing I’m about to torch our dreams.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t speak.
The pressure in my chest is unbearable, like my lungs are collapsing.
My fingers shake as I reach into the small clutch. I pull out the envelope—thin, clinical, the cashier’s check tucked inside—and press it into his hand.
His brows pull together. “What’s this?”
At least I can give him this. The $150,000 will help him start his business and with his work ethic, he’ll flourish.
He won’t have to rely on Lauren now. He can still have the future he deserves.
Even if it kills me. Even if Vander kills me before heartbreak can.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, the words cracking in my throat. “I can’t do this with you anymore. You need to stay away from me.”
His smile falters. “What?”
I look at him—reallylook at him—and see everything I want. Everything I’ll never have. Everything Vander will destroy if I so much as reach for it.
“It’s over,” I choke out. “Please leave me alone.”
That’s all I can manage before I turn and walk away.
Every step feels like a betrayal.
