Page 47 of Fall to Me
River doesn’t move from her spot as I step in front of her. I half expect her to stomp off or run away, but she doesn’t.
“Can we talk somewhere private?” she asks me, then she addresses Cal. “Tucker wants you to come to the back with him.”
Turning around, she heads toward the back of the team jet without waiting for me. I follow behind her, passing my teammates, most of them reclined and sleeping in their luxury leather seats. We enter the small conference room, and she closes the door behind us.
Did I fuck this up? I swallow thickly. It’s not like any of this was a secret, but she’s just started asking about me, and the subject never came up in conversation. I can’t even begin toimagine what she’s thinking right now. I swivel one of the chairs around to face her and sit down. She stands in front of me with her arms wrapped around herself, but I pull a hand away from her body and take it in mine, then look up at her, and wait for her to speak.
She looks down at our hands, then at the floor and asks, “What you just did to Aiden?” She pauses for a second, rubbing her bottom lip. “Is that what you do to me? Have you been psychoanalyzing me?”
“No.” I say, pulling her closer until she stands between my legs. “I haven’t been psychoanalyzing you. In fact. I make it a mission not to. I only did that to Aiden because he asked me to.”
Her eyes slowly climb up to mine and I release an exhale. “Do I use what I’ve learned to help you when you need it? Yes, I’ll admit that I do. But breaking down your weaknesses and strengths, or actually analyzing you? No, I don’t do that to you.”
I rest my forehead against her chest and wrap my arms around her waist. What if she doesn’t believe me? What if this entire ordeal sets us back?
Fuck. I should’ve said something sooner.
The silence lingers too long between us as I hold onto her, gripping onto the back of her silky white blouse. She threads her fingers through my hair and gently tilts my head back with her fingertips, making me look at her.
She stares into my eyes for a few seconds.
“I’m not angry. Disappointed you didn’t tell me, maybe, but not angry,” she finally says. “And I didn’t bring you back here to accuse you of anything. I’m just saying that I don’t want to be analyzed by you; I already have a therapist for that.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you, baby. I fucking swear. All the distractions when you need them, the training, the nice things I do for you . . . that’s me being the husband you deserve.”
Pulling her down onto my lap, I wrap my arms around her. She doesn’t say anything as she rests her head in the crook of my neck, fidgeting with her fingernails. I turn and kiss her head.
“I care about you so damn much it fucking hurts.”
“I believe that.” She leans back, looking into my eyes. “I just wish you would’ve told me sooner, so I don’t overthink this too much.”
“You’re right; I should have, but there hasn’t really been an opportunity where the timing felt right.” I caress her cheek.
“It all makes sense now, you know? Like, how you always know how to handle me.”
“Well . . . I wouldn’t go that far.” I chuckle as she playfully swats my arm.
“You’re doing it again.” She lays her head back down on my shoulder.
I bury my face in her hair, inhaling the floral scent of her perfume. “Mmm. Doing what?”
“Making things better. You always make everything better . . .”
“I want you to be happy.”
“Carter?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“You’re a good man,” she whispers.
Blood rushes to my head, my heart swells, and emotion stings behind my eyelids.
Now, I just need to make sure I do everything I can to never let her forget it.
Seventeen
River
