Page 38 of Kiss Away Your Pain (Wounded Hearts 2)

I bring our bowls to the kitchen, rinse them, and put them into the dishwasher. Then I put the remaining soup into the fridge, heat up some water, and go back to get the crackers. When the water’s done, I put in a teabag and bring it out to her with the honey and a teaspoon.

“I wasn’t sure how much honey you wanted.” I set the honey on the coffee table. “Another movie?”

“Yup.” She pushes the blanket off her. “You wanna pick?” she asks going over to a cabinet next to the fireplace.

“Nope. Today is all about you and getting you better. You pick.”

“I have mostly girly movies.”

“One thing about growing up with your sister trying to be your mother, you get used to a lot of girly things.” I chuckle at the admission.

She ejects the disc, pulls out a leather case, puts away the first disc, and picks out another. The movie starts,Runaway Bride, a favorite of my sister.

Before getting back into her nest, she takes off her flannel shirt and squeezes honey into her tea. Then she tucks her legs up and secures the blanket around her chest.

“Comfortable?”

“Mhm.” She sips her tea. “Enzo?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for this. For coming here and taking care of me.” She inhales.

Something in the way she’s looking at me and the tone of her voice tells me there’s a “but” coming.

“There’s something I feel like I should tell you.” Unmistakable sorrow hovers in her eyes. Something that holds the reigns tight, imprisoning her.

Here we go.“Okay.”

She scratches above her eyebrow. Her energy nervous, her posture rigid. “I know you must be wondering why I get all…freaked out when we’re close.”

“I mean, I’m curious. Figured some guy crushed your heart and you’re hesitant. I get it. I’m pissed someone would hurt you so badly, but I get you being cautious.”

She tilts her head as a weak smile barely lifts the corners of her lips. Melancholy encloses her. Pulling her lips in, she releases them and exhales. “Not quite.” Her pause pained. “I dated a guy, for a long time. He was great. We had the best relationship.” She exhales again. “He was my soul mate.” Reaching for the ring on her chain, she slides it back and forth with her finger. Then she audibly inhales and blows it slowly out. “He died in a car accident several years ago.”

My fucking heart drops to the pit of my stomach as my skin pricks with white-hot needles. She closes and opens her eyes, her agony screaming through the air.

She inhales twice and exhales. Tears well in her eyes. When she looks down, one tear drops into her lap. “I found out after he died that he was on his way to buy me an engagement ring.” She looks back up at me, shaking her head.

Holy fuck.Overwhelming torment pummels me. My chest collapses, squeezing the air from my lungs, crushing my heart with violent rampage. I’m covered in pins and needles. Fierce need wants to reach out and steal her sorrow. Banish it. Burn it.

“It rocked my world, losing him. And…and I…I haven’t dated anyone since him and, I just…I don’t know.” The effort of every forced, anguish-cloaked word twists my heart. “This is going to sound crazy, but I feel like I’m cheating, somehow, on him. Which, I know I’m not. I’m sorry. You must think I’m nuts.” She half-chuckles then sniffs.

I grab a tissue from her box on the coffee table and hand it to her.

“Thank you.” She blows her nose. “I like you, a lot actually,” she says, avoiding my eyes, looking down at the tissue then back at me. “I haven’t felt like this about anyone in a long time.” She pauses, looking up at the ceiling and shaking her head. “I didn’t think I’d ever have feelings for another man after Dom. But, I don’t…I don’t know how to do this. And you’re so great and I don’t want to fuck this up and I don’t want to hurt you.” She sniffs, her words now coming out fast and chaotic. “I think, maybe, we should just save each other a lot of wasted time and emotional turmoil and not see each other anymore.”

“No.” I deadpan. She’s out of her mind if she thinks I’m letting her go because of this. First sign of trouble? I’m not running. Not this time. Not from this woman.

“No?” She looks at me blankly.

“No.” I move closer to her, put her mug on the coffee table, lean in, and kiss her forehead. “Candi, every person has a past, some more painful than others. A heartthat doesn’t know pain, doesn’t know love. Your pain is deep. So, I know your love is deeper. You have such a huge capacity to love. I can feel it. And I’d like a chance to earn even the smallest piece of your heart.” I pause, staring into her beautiful eyes. “I like you too much to let you go.”

Her eyes dart back and forth between mine. After her stuffy-headed, rambling speech about why we shouldn’t see each other, I don’t think she expected my response.

“Oh.”

I kiss her forehead again. “Get comfortable and give me your fuzzy feet.”

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