Page 101 of Give Me a Reason

I’d moved closer while I was talking, and she placed a hand on my chest as if to hold me back. “I wanted to talk to you too.”

I drew in a shaky breath, ready for whatever she had to say. It was better to know now than to wait for a rejection to come later.

How had I gotten here, to a place where I was waiting for the woman to choose me? I’d thought there wasn’t anyone who could get me to believe in love and relationships—until her.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Aria

Finn braced a hand over my head and leaned into me. He wanted answers, and he wasn’t going to let me leave until he had them.

I licked my suddenly dry lips. “I wanted to do something special. Something to prove to you how I feel. I was working on it with Ireland. She said I needed to come up with something big.”

He cocked a brow. “And did you?”

I slowly shook my head. “I’m not ready yet. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

He dropped his hand to his side and took a step back.

I was losing him. “I wasn’t prepared to talk to you about this so soon.”

A shadow dropped over his eyes.

“This isn’t coming out right.” I felt slightly panicked, as if this moment held more weight than any we’d shared before.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Just say it.”

I wanted him in my space like he had been a few seconds earlier. I wanted his scent surrounding me. He made me feel safe. But his stance was cold and standoffish. He was protecting himself, and I couldn’t blame him. I was the one to break things off. I was the one who fell back into old patterns that didn’t serve me anymore.

“I’m sorry that I overreacted when Gia and Ireland found out about us. I thought the worst of everyone—that Gia would fire me, that Ireland wouldn’t want to be friends and roommates anymore—and the worst part was that I didn’t trust that you would stand by me. That was my biggest mistake.”

His entire body tensed. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I should have talked to you after it happened. We could have come up with a plan together.” I wasn’t even sure he was breathing. “I know you said I had some things to figure out. So I made a list of what I wanted out of life. The first is: I love my job. I love our friends and coworkers, but I want to be more than an assistant wedding planner. I signed up to take some college courses. Then I talked to Gia about my future with her company. I told her I wanted more responsibility.”

“And?” His jaw was still tight, but he dropped his hands to his sides.

“She wants me to lead a wedding from start to finish. So, I’ll meet with the couple and plan the wedding. Ireland will assist, but otherwise, it will be my responsibility. I’m sure it won’t be one of the high-profile weddings, but it’s a start.”

“That’s amazing, Aria. I’m proud of you.” His voice was gruff.

“I thought I always wanted to be a teacher, and I admire everything you do, but I really like this job. I love creating beautiful things and planning the perfect day.”

“It’s a worthy profession, for sure,” he said, his voice deep and encouraging.

“I worked things out with Ireland, and I can still live with her.”

“That’s good.” His stance stiffened.

“I know you’d said you’d wait, and I’m sure I’ll have relapses in the future, where things will trigger me, and I’ll fall back into my old ways, assuming the worst, but I hope you’ll be by my side.”

“What are you saying?” He seemed poised to move at any second, depending on my answer.

“I’m in love with you, and I hope you still want me. I know you—”

He was moving before I’d finished my sentence, his mouth slamming down on mine. In between kisses, he said, “You should have led with that.”

I eased back. “You’re the one who said I should work on things before we got back together.”

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