by Leslie Kelly
He didn’t have to go on. She had already realized none of those problems really mattered. They could be worked out. In fact, she’d already talked to her uncle about modifying her work schedule so she could, as Jazz had suggested, commute out of Pittsburgh.
Uncle Frank had been incredibly supportive once he’d found out why. Urging her not to let his own bad example lead her to a life as lonely as his, he’d offered to do whatever it took to accommodate her. “Reese, I…”
“Let me finish, please.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile as he completely bared his heart to her.
“I love you. And after we talked the other night in the car, I realized life is just too damned precarious not to be with the person you love.”
She understood. Those very same thoughts had crossed her mind the other morning…only she’d taken the cowardly way out of having to deal with any future pain, loss and heartache. She’d cut and run. Reese was far more daring, willing to risk whatever happened tomorrow for the good things they could have today.
That kind of emotional bravery at least entitled him to the whole truth. “I didn’t leave because I was scared for myself, but because I was afraid for you.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Reese. I love you too much. I’ve just grown used to the idea that I’m destined to hurt men because I’m not cut out for relationships.”
He shook his head. “That’s crazy, you wouldn’t…”
“I know that now. Sitting at home for the past few nights, going over it in my mind, I realized all those failed relationships I wasn’t cut out for had one thing in common.”
“What’s that?”
“They weren’t with you.”
He pulled her off the bed into his arms, settling her into his lap. Amanda cuddled against him, sucking up his heat and his essence, then said, “How can any loving relationship work if only one person is actually in love?” “It can’t.”
“Exactly. And once I realized that, once I acknowledged that I have never been in love with anyone until now, I was finally able to let it go. The guilt, the regret, the shame.”
He squeezed her. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Tell that to Facebook,” she mumbled. But she quickly thrust the thought aside. No room for darkness now, there was only light and happiness, passion and possibility. Love.
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” she admitted, to both of them. “I just don’t fall in love easily.”
“Neither do I.”
“Which means neither one of us is going to fall out of it easily, right?”
He kissed the top of her head, vowing, “Neither one of us is going to fall out of it at all.”
He couldn’t know that. No one could know such a thing. But she believed him. With all her heart, with every instinct she owned, she believed him.
“I can’t promise not to be insensitive and self-absorbed sometimes,” she warned. “Can’t say I’ll never do something selfish and hurt you.”
“Well,” he replied after giving it some thought, “I can’t say I’ll always remember to put the toilet seat down or not squeeze from the middle of the toothpaste tube.”
She laughed softly.
He thought about it some more. “I can’t promise to let you handcuff me the next time we play cops and robbers…but I might agree to a few silk scarves.”
Her laughter deepened, as she knew he’d meant it to. Then Reese got more serious.
“I can’t say I’m never going to work late. Or that I won’t sometimes just need to be alone with my thoughts. Some days of the year my mood will be dark and I won’t want to talk about it.”
Hearing that hint of sadness she’d heard in his voice the other night, she understood that. Completely.
“Okay. But I can’t promise I’m not going to try to kidnap you away from work once in a while so I can fly us to Aspen to do a little skiing.”
He grinned. “That sounds great. Especially because I can’t promise we won’t have one or another of my PMS-ing sisters calling in the middle of the night because she had a fight with her boyfriend and needs a ride.”
His family was part of his life. She knew that. The way he cared for them was one thing she loved best about him. Still, the memory of their first meeting intruded. Nibbling her lip, she asked, “Do they all hate me?”
“No! Not one little bit. In fact, two of my sisters showed up at my place last night asking me why I hadn’t left yet to come here and win you back.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. Though she hadn’t wanted to admit it, the idea of a wedding had, indeed, flitted around in her mind once or twice. She’d immediately done her Amanda-thing and started worrying about how she could handle having bridesmaids who hated her guts in her wedding party.
Plus Jazz. Plus her sister, Abby. Oh, Lord.
Not thinking about that now.
“You should also know, my mother called to apologize and asked me to tell you that despite her behavior that first night, she would not be a Monster-In-Law. Which is true—she’s sad lately, but she’s never been pushy or tried to interfere in my life before. I’ve been the one hovering.”
“That’s because you’re a good man,” she whispered.
A really good, funny, sexy man.
A man she deserved.
For the first time, she allowed herself to believe it was possible. She could make the right man happy. She did deserve him.
Reese was that right man.
Though the rose petals beckoned, and she truly wanted to slip out of her clothes, and get him out of his, so they could express their love in the most elemental, sensual way possible, she had to add one more thing. One more promise, that she intended to keep.
“I won’t ever run from you, Reese.”
“Sure you will.” He smiled tenderly. “But I’ll always follow.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-4787-5
PLAY WITH ME
Copyright © 2010 by Leslie A. Kelly.
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