Page 50 of The Valentine Inn

He wrapped his arms around me and I snuggled right into his chest, breathing in his moody own-me scent. My soul sighed and intertwined with his, feeling whole again. Oh, that was dangerous. There were no guarantees here. I didn’t even know exactly what I was dealing with, yet I felt at peace lying next to him. A peace I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Drake kissed my head. “Thank you, Charlotte.”

“For what?”

“Being here.”

“You’re welcome. How are you feeling?”

“Better. The pressure is gone.”

“That’s good. I hope you listen to me now and quit drinking those energy drinks.” I’d known he was going to get kidney stones one day.

“I’ll think about it.” I heard the smile in his voice.

“Drake, we have some other things to think about. Big things.”

“I know.” He played with a strand of my hair.

“What are we going to tell Jameson?” My voice hitched. He was the person I worried about the most in this situation. I didn’t care if I led a lonely, miserable life searching for Drake’s soul. As long as Jameson was happy, that’s all that mattered to me.

“The truth.”

“What is the truth?” I begged to know.

His heart thumped harder and louder, making me nervous. “Charlotte, this isn’t easy for me.”

“I know you’re not a man of many words, but maybe if you finally say them out loud, you’ll feel better.”

“It’s not that simple.” He paused. “I destroyed lives,” he whispered. “I don’t want to destroy yours too.”

I leaned away, so caught off guard by what he’d just said, but also so I could look into his troubled eyes. Eyes that were begging for relief. I reached up and my fingers grazed his stubbled jaw. “Keeping yourself and the truth from me will only do more damage,” I assured him.

“You don’t know that,” he breathed out.

“Yes, I do.” I remained firm. “I know you think you’ve been protecting me all these years, but you were only hurting me.”

He let out a heavy sigh before resting his lips on my forehead. His warm lips sent a searing shiver down my spine.

“Charlotte, I never wanted to hurt you.”

“Then stop and tell me the truth. Tell me why you pushed me out of your life.”

He pulled me closer and rested his chin on my head. “The last night we were together, and you fell asleep in my arms, I didn’t want to let you go. I kept thinking about how we could make it work, but then you said something in your sleep.”

“I don’t talk in my sleep.” At least I didn’t think so. Izzy had never said anything, and I knew she would if I did.

“You did that night.”

“What did I say?”

“You said . . .”—he swallowed hard—“you said you loved me.”

I stilled in his arms, my body ablaze. “And you believed me?” I wanted to play it off, but my heart couldn’t lie to either of our souls.

“You are the only woman I have ever believed when she’s told me that.”

How many other women had said those words to Drake? Never mind, I had other pressing questions. “And that was so terrible for you?” I choked out, basically admitting I’d been in love with him.

“No, damn it. I wanted to run away with you and make love to you every day for the rest of my life.”

That sounded like an okay plan to me.

“But I couldn’t.”

“Why?” I whispered, my heart readying itself to break.

“Because, I didn’t deserve marriage and a family after . . . after . . . destroying my parents’ marriage and their lives.”

I popped up and propped myself on his chest. I noticed a misty sheen in his eyes, though he was trying to avoid my gaze. “Drake, a lot of kids blame themselves for their parents’ divorce, but it’s never true.”

His steely gaze hit me. “It’s almost never true, but I made my mother choose between me and my father. She has regretted her choice ever since.”

“I don’t understand.”

“That’s because you’re a good person.”

“So are you. I wouldn’t love you if you weren’t,” came flying out of my mouth before I could stop it. Stupid soul. “I mean, I wouldn’t have loved you back then, because it would be ridiculous if I was still in love with you. I don’t even want you, so don’t take that the wrong way,” I rambled like a fool, trying poorly to cover up the biggest slip of the tongue ever. Oh, Izzy was going to be in such a tizzy over this. Possibly even more than I currently was.

With an amused expression, he cupped my burning-in-hell cheek with his hand. “Your mouth keeps saying you don’t want me, but your eyes say it all.”

“I think you’re reading them wrong,” I responded, like a breathy teenager ready to have all her dreams come true.

“No, I’m reading them exactly right. They are begging for me.”

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