Sam blinked at him.
Taking her silence as an invitation, he moved closer, looming over her. “Do you really think you’re the right role model for an impressionable young girl?”
Her head spun with the implications of his words, but before she could form a response, a hand wrapped around her shoulder and moved her out of the reporter’s line of sight.
Trevor.
“My daughter,” he said, “is lucky to have someone like Samantha Carlton in her corner.”
Sam gasped and heard the camera hit the concrete.
“Now I suggest you get the hell out here.” Trevor kept his arm around her as he shifted toward the other man. “Before I lose my temper.”
“Can I talk to the girl?”
Trevor growled a response, and Sam peeked around his shoulder to see the reporter pick up the camera and hurry to a small rental car parked across the street.
“Let’s get you in the house,” he said, “in case there are any more of those jerks lurking around.”
He started to steer her up the walk but she pushed away from him. “What the hell, Trevor?” she demanded. “What was that guy talking about? How did he know about Grace?”
“You haven’t seen the story?”
“I’ve been in a classroom all morning taking an exam and my phone . . .” She pulled her cell phone from her purse and realized it was still in “do not disturb” mode. She hit the button to turn it off and multiple texts and missed calls from each of her friends and Peter lit up the screen.
“What did you do?” she practically hissed.
“Can we go in the house?”
She shook her head.
He blew out a breath. “Fine. Let me start with I’m sorry.” He lifted his hand but she took a step back and he fisted it at his side instead. “I’m sorry for the things I said and for being an ass. I was such an ass.”
“No arguments there,” she muttered, and his mouth curved.
Not a smile. She couldn’t take it if he smiled at her now, not with her heart hammering and her whole weak and traitorous body yearning to step into his embrace. The breeze picked up and ruffled his hair. It was a little too long at the collar, like he needed a cut. Like he needed someone to take care of him.
“We are better together, just like you said, only I was too afraid of getting hurt to risk it.”
“You have to protect Grace,” she said softly, because that was the only thing that had made his rejection bearable.
“Not against you. She needs you, Sam. I need you.” He took a cautious step toward her. “I love you.”
“Don’t say that.” She turned on her heel and moved toward the house, but he quickly blocked her path.
“I have to say it because it’s true.”
“Because of what I did this week,” she whispered. “After you left. You walked away, Trevor.” She jabbed a finger into his chest. “I jumped through every hoop you set for me with Grace and at the first challenge you cut and run.” She swiped at the corner of her eye and focused on the ground when it got too hard to meet his gaze. “Just like you, I deserve someone who is going to stick around, even when things get tough.”
He tipped up her chin. “You deserve so much more than I’ve given you. I’m not telling you I love you because of anything you’ve done but because of who you are. Who I am when I’m with you. I thought I was good being alone. I thought it was better for everyone, but my whole world is nothing if you aren’t in it. I wish I had a boom box so I could stand outside your window playing it. I wish you had a living room full of bitter women so they could stand witness to my declaration that you complete me.”
Sam breathed out a laugh although she wasn’t quite ready to believe this was real. Her heart was afraid to hope. “I take it Grace had you watching old-school rom coms while you were away?”
“A few dozen,” he admitted. “And I’d memorize every romantic line if it would make a difference. If I could make you understand how much you mean to me.”
“Life isn’t a movie,” she whispered. “There are no cameras here. I can’t put on my pretend face with you.”
“I want the real you,” he said. “I suck at words, but I swear I’ll say the three most important ones to you every damn day if you’ll give me another chance.”
She pressed her knuckles to her chest as she felt hope take root in the empty valleys of her heart. “Tell me about the reporter.”
“I didn’t know what you’d done until we came off the mountain two nights ago. I never meant for—”
“It was my decision, Trevor, and I don’t regret it.”
“But the camp—”
“I don’t regret it,” she repeated. “I told you I wanted to protect Grace.”
“And I should have trusted you. But we want to take care of you, too, Sam. It goes both ways, and it was Grace’s idea to do an interview where she could talk about you. I called Kendall and had her put me in touch with a reporter from one of the national morning shows. We gave her a few of the photos of Grace . . .” He held up a hand when she started to protest. “Not the one that you’re thinking of, but a couple that showed her resemblance to you. I let them interview Grace about getting to know you and what you did to protect her reputation and privacy.”
“But now she’s out there. It won’t go away.”
“It’s on our terms,” he said. “She was proud to talk about you and your work with Bryce Hollow.”
“She talked about the camp?”
He nodded. “You’re a big part of her life. She wants it that way, and so do I. Do you know why I came to your rescue at the pool in Colby, Oklahoma? Why I stuck with you like glue after that day, even taking on Bryce because the two of you were a package deal?”
She shook her head.
“You’re special, Sam, because of who you are on the inside. The gooey center.”
“You’ve been talking to Kendall and Jenny.”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “You have smart friends. But your mom did a number on you and your sister. Then Bryce screwed with both of us. I bought into her shit and my own fear. How I felt about you scared the hell out of me. I loved my parents and they left me behind, and I was afraid you’d do the same thing.”
He blew out a breath, as if the words didn’t want to come. “I thought you were too good for me—the way I felt was too much. I figured once you left for Europe all those years ago it would become clear. You’d see yourself the way I see you. So I pushed you away, but it’s not going to happen again. I won’t be fool enough to ever let you go. I know I’m stupid and stubborn and I’m going to make a million mistakes along the way. Give me another chance anyway.”
She felt tears prick the back of her eyes and didn’t stop Trevor when he slowly drew her closer. His big hands cupped her cheeks, tipping up her face. “I want you in my life, Samantha Carlton. I love you.”
“A million mistakes,” she whispered, “and a million chances to make them right.” She kissed him tentatively, as if their mouths joining was an introduction. In some ways it was—a new start and the beginning of a lifetime of possibilities.
“I love you,” she whispered against his lips, and knew she would love him forever.
“You are mine, Sam.” He kissed her slow and deep. “Always and forever.”
“Forever,” she agreed, as all the broken pieces of her knit back together.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michelle Major is the award-winning author of over a dozen sexy and sweet contemporary romances. She loves second-chances love stories, smart heroines, and strong heroes. A midwesterner at heart, she’s made the Rocky Mountains her home for over twenty years and is thrilled to share her books with readers. Connect with her at www.michellemajor.com or on Facebook and Twitter (@michelle_major1).
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