Page 72 of Setting Limits

“Can you take me home?”

“Of course. Let me grab my keys. Will you be okay here?”

“Yeah, she will be.” Shay’s gentle voice floats toward me, and with a squeeze, Wes lets me go, leaving me with the very capable Shay.

There’s a small bench on the sidewalk that we sit on.

“You okay?”

“I think so.” Everything is numb, so it’s hard to say for sure.

“That was a big bomb to have dropped on you. He really didn’t tell you?”

My gaze drops to my hands, clasped in my lap. “No.”

“Hm.” The one sound is laden with meaning.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’m just surprised, is all. It seems like the sort of thing he’d talk to you about.”

“Yeah. I know.” There’s a snip in my tone, and while I’m not mad at Shay, she’s making it worse.

“Sorry, that’s uncalled for. I should keep my opinion to myself.” But she’s right. He should have told me. I can’t imagine that Lochlyn wouldn’t tell Shay about his plans. I know they’re different, they’ve been together longer and have been through more, but…how could he not tell me? How could I not even know he was thinking about it?

I shouldn’t be surprised. He’s just one other important person in my life who’s leaving me for bigger and better things. I’m always the final stepping stone on people’s journey to greatness.

It’s part of why Lochlyn resents me. He swears he doesn’t, but I know I held him back. He’s at Cornell, but he could have done more.

“You ready, sweets?”

“Yeah.” It’s a simple word, but it feels all wrong in my mouth.

An uncomfortable silence fills the cabin of the car, snuffing out the ability for me and Wes to talk. Not that I’d know what to say.

When we get to campus, I can’t turn to him, keeping my eyes trained straight ahead. But out of the corner of one eye, I see him shift to turn to me, and I hear his heavy sigh. He doesn’t try to talk, but he comes around to my side of the car, scooping me out and carrying me all the way upstairs.

I don’t need his help to walk. I’m not incapable by any means, but it’s nice to just be here in his arms, held and supported.

Once in my room, he sets me on the bed, resting his fists on either side of my legs. When I scooch back, he follows. When he runs out of height, he climbs up on the bed, still keeping me trapped by his body.

I run out of room, lying myself down on the bed, at which time he immediately lowers his body over mine, my head caged between his forearms.

“Chelsea. You’re not going anywhere this second because you need to listen.IfI leave, it will not be a decision that I take lightly. At all. Because I love you. I love you so damn much it hurts sometimes. It’s something I knew early on. These feelings I’ve had for you aren’t minor, aren’t inconsequential, but I never knew love could feel this deep, this pure, this unrequited.”

Wes no longer needs to be on top of me. I’m completely stunned still and silent. He loves me? Sure, we have an insanely strong connection and are together all the time. But he’s never really told me. Or ya know, he’s said things like “love you,” which I always return, but never like this. It’s never been so resolute.

It causes a warmth to start in my chest and sweep through my body like a tidal wave, washing away everything else. Every other care, every other worry, has been wiped out by this all-encompassing love, because I feel exactly the same way about him.

“I know it will be hard to thin—”

“I love you, too.”

With narrowed eyes, he looks over my face, and then realizes that I mean in exactly the same way he’s talking about loving me. I see the moment of recognition in his eyes.

His hand cups the back of my head, and his mouth crashes down on mine, his tongue slipping between my lips. I wrap my arms around his shoulders, gripping onto the back of his shirt, pulling him as close as I possibly can.

His fingers lightly touch along the soft skin between my shirt and pants, making their way up under my top. Once they reach my chest, they gently run along the hem of my bra before dipping into the cup and tweaking my pebbled nipples.

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