Page 136 of Attached At Heart
“Yes,” she emphasized, seeing my expression. “For once in your life, you were wrong, Dr. London.”
Noah chuckled at that, and I shot him a glare. “Shut up.”
“What?” He shrugged. “I like her.”
“I’m going to punch you in the face after all.” I sighed before looking back at my wife. “Delaney?—”
“No, I’m not done talking,” she interrupted, putting her hands on her hips. Her expression grew twisted, and I couldfeelthe choked emotion in her voice. “Blake, do you…”
She had to pause, gasping for a breath as a shiver racked through her as she stood there in soaking clothes, and my limbs shook, too, needing to go to her.
“Please, Lane,” I whispered, hoping she’d understand. “Let me?—”
But she shook her head and cut me off, speaking in a tortured whisper back.
“Do you even know?” I watched her throat work as she swallowed. “Do you even know how frustrating it is to be trying to tell someone you love them and they act like they don’t want to hear it?”
“What?”I breathed, not quite sure I’d heard her right.
I felt dizzy, the gym spinning around me while Delaney’s face stayed still. She was the constant in my life. And I never dared to imagine?—
“Well, I think that’s my cue,” Noah said before shuffling off, grabbing his gear, and slipping out the front door, throwing me a smirk and a wink before leaving me and Delaney alone.
“Please just talk to me,” she said, her voice suddenly small. But it echoed in the empty gym anyway, reverberating through my body. “Was it really the truth? What you said to my parents?”
I didn’t know how to simply continue our conversation after she’d just said what she said. And I really needed to make sure I hadn’t just made it up, fabricated her saying those words. Those perfect, magical, goddamn words.
“Delaney, did you just say?—”
“Answer the question first. Please, I just need to hear you say it.”
She was killing me. Christ, she was killing me. But I owed her at least this much. Fuck, I owed her the whole world.
“Every word.” I held her gaze, that gorgeous sapphire gaze. “Every word was true.”
Her breath visibly hitched. “Always? From the very beginning?”
I nodded slowly. “From the very beginning, Lane.”
She stared, taking that in. Rain began pelting against the front windows of the gym behind Delaney as the moment stretched between us. She was making me suffer, and I deserved it, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t dying inside as I watched her fully comprehend the truth.
She held up her hand. “The ring?”
“Has always been for you.”
“Blake.” Her brows furrowed adorably as she walked forward with determination in her step, and I thanked God for every step she took closer to me. And I kept being grateful, even when she reached out to give me a little shove. I took the opportunity to keep her close, grabbing her by the wrist as soon as her hand hit my chest, tugging her into me. Her wet clothes against my bare skin never felt so good. Fuck, I loved this woman. Even when she was mad at me. Even when neither of us knew what the hell was going on.
“Why?” she cried, not resisting but pounding her free fist on my chest. “Why have I never known? Why thehelldidn’t I know?”
“Because you never wanted that.” I spoke softly, my chest feeling like it was cracking open. “You had no interest in dating or marriage, and I wanted to respect that. You grew up never getting to experience life the way you wanted, and the last thing I ever wanted to do was take that away from you.”
Her lashes fluttered as she looked at me without responding, her chest rising and falling against mine, in time with mine. Thunder clapped outside, but it was nothing compared to the resounding roar of my pulse in my ears, thumping loudly.
“Why do you think I turned down the attending position at Mayo and moved away when I found out you were engaged, Lane?” I added, my voice full of gravel and emotions as I brushed her damp hair out of her face. “Why do you think that hurt so hard? I spent years keeping my distance because I thought you didn’t want to settle down and then found out you were marrying some guy who you barely even knew, and it fuckingkilledme. I couldn’t stay and watch you attach yourself to someone who wasn’t me. I just couldn’t do it.”
Delaney gasped like she’d never in her wildest dreams imagined that her engagement might have hurt me. Like she was horrified that it had. She blinked at me, those long, wet lashes taunting me as her lips parted. I counted the number of heartbeats until she responded.
“Blake…I’m sorry.” Her expression crumbled, and I knew she meant every word. “I’m so sorry. It wasn’t real. It was never real.”
