Page 76 of Bit's Bliss
Trevino frowned. “The timing wasn’t right for us then.”
“I was akid.”
He chuckled. “And I was a man.” He cupped my cheek and turned my head so we faced each other. “Say it, Eberly. Let me hear the words.”
“I love you, Trevino, and I’m sorry?—”
He cut me off with a passionate kiss. “I love you, Eberly, and I’ll never be sorry for it.”
“I almost married another man.”
He shook his head. “You never would’ve gone through withit.”
“No?”
“Even if you made it to the church, before you put your arm in your father’s and walked down the aisle, you would’ve thought about the day we danced in the old winery, and you would’ve known you couldn’t possibly feel that way dancing with anyone but me.”
I giggled. “You’re right. I would’ve hitched up my wedding dress, dashed out of the church, and begged someone to bring me to Los Caballeros.”
“We were meant to be, little dove.”
I rested my head on his shoulder, closed my eyes, and prayed he was right, prayed this would never end and Trevino and I would spend our whole lives together. It seemed too good to be true.
22
BIT
Even as I said the words—that while many things in her life were uncertain, my love for her was absolute—I knew it could never be that simple. I did love her, and I always would, but could that be enough for her and for me?
The darkness I’d felt for as long as I could remember too often overshadowed everything else in my life. I’d never been a rainbow-and-sunshine kind of guy, and regardless of how much light Eberly filled my life with, my depression would eventually eclipse it. It was as inevitable as the tide turning.
Last night, while she’d slept soundly, I was plagued by overwhelming anxiety. The feeling that something horrible was about to happen spread throughout my body. Taut muscles, heaviness on my chest, and dread in my stomach made sleep impossible.
In moments like these, when it was so easy for me to share my feelings honestly, I lamented that it wasn’t always possible, let alone simple. If Eberly woke inthe middle of the night to find my eyes wide open and she asked what was wrong, I knew without any doubt I would’ve lied and said it was nothing.
I was ashamed that I’d tried to assuage my pain through sex when I woke Eberly and took her from behind. I was proud of her when I’d gotten rougher than I was and she’d said, “Yellow.” When I confirmed she only wanted to slow down, she assured me she knew when to use the word red.
“Are you okay?” she asked, raising her head from my shoulder.
“Don’t ever forget I love you.”
“I won’t. Don’t you forget, either.”
The natural supposition was she meant not to forget she loved me. Except my first thought was about my feelings for her.
As I’d told Eberly a few minutes ago, my plan was to set up round-the-clock security for her today. I’d learned a lesson a year ago, and that was, regardless of how tight I believed security was at Los Cab, here, or anywhere, there would be holes that those with evil in their blood could find.
Part of me wanted to take her to Tryst’s ranch. While it wasn’t any more secure than this one, it was hours away, in Mexico.
“I feel like you’re having a conversation with yourself.”
I chuckled at the accuracy of her statement. “Sorry, little dove. Your safety is at the forefront of my mind this morning.”
“Do you think we could go to my house today? I’d like to pick up some more clothes and maybe a few other things.”
“Of course.” I tried not to let her see the trepidation I felt over leaving this ranch. Eberly wasn’t a prisoner here, and I certainly didn’t want her to feel as though she was. “I’ll call Snapper and let him know we’re on our way.”
I could feelEberly’s tension increase when we were within a mile of her house. “There was a time I wasn’t sure I could return to the wine caves.”
