Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 60933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
“Damn,” I growled, standing up and slamming my palm down on the table. Just thinking about it twisted me up inside so tightly I couldn’t take a deep breath.
My doorbell rang, interrupting my breakdown, and my head snapped up to glare at the door as if it had offended me. I wasn’t in the mood for another pep talk from one of my friends. Couldn’t they leave me alone for five minutes to think? I had too much to deal with right now, and they weren’t making it any better.
Stalking to the door, I jerked it open, ready to send away whoever had decided to stop by and butt into my life, when my eyes locked on Tallulah’s. All my anger vanished, and I stood there staring at her. She had come to me. I wasn’t sure that was a good thing. It was me who should have gone to apologize to her. What if she was here to tell me good-bye?
“Feeling okay?” she asked with a sympathetic half smile.
I shrugged and ran my hand through my hair before stepping back. “Better than I deserve,” I admitted. “Come in.”
She looked hesitant at first, but she walked inside and the scent of vanilla wafted past me. I had to fist my hands to keep from reaching out and grabbing her.
“You got a new sofa and a new truck,” she said, looking at the gray leather sofa.
“New bed, too,” I replied.
She forced a smile and glanced back at me. “That’s unlike you,” she said. “Buying new stuff like that.”
“I almost had the shower torn out and replaced,” I admitted.
Her eyebrows shot up. “Why? This house isn’t that old.”
With a sigh, I looked at the gray sofa. “Wasn’t about needing new ones. I just couldn’t deal with anything that we had… that reminded me of… being with you.”
“Oh,” she whispered.
“The memories, they had wrecked me. Every damn day. I thought getting new ones would help.”
“Did it?” she asked softly.
I looked back at her. “No.”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. “Look, Nash, I didn’t come back to town to cause problems. I came because that was your handwriting on that envelope. I thought maybe you were ready to talk, but after last night…” She paused and pressed her lips together as if unsure what to say next.
“I was a drunk asshole last night. I did want you to come,” I told her.
Her lips pooched as she let out a breath. “Okay,” she said. “Does that mean you want to hear what happened?”
I didn’t know if I could. Or if it even mattered anymore. She was here in my house. The house I had bought for us. She was back where she belonged, and I realized I didn’t give a damn about what happened. I just didn’t want her to leave me.
“Depends,” I replied, then I took a step toward her. “Do you still love me?”
She let out a short, breathy laugh. “You have no idea how I wish I didn’t. How I tried so hard not to love you. But I’m afraid I always will… love you.”
I closed the space between us and ran a hand up her arm. “Then that’s all I care about. If I can have you, I don’t care about the fucking past. I just want you back. I’m not complete without you, Tallulah.”
Her eyes filled with unshed tears, and she let out a small sob. “Really?”
“Yeah, really. I’ll sell this house. Put it on the market tomorrow and move to Chicago.”
Her eyes widened, and a tear ran down her face. “You love your job,” she said.
I cupped her face with both hands. “No, I love you. Just you. Nothing else matters if you’re not there.”
I wiped away the tears now flowing freely down her face with my thumbs, then pressed my lips to hers. God, how I had missed this. My chest felt like it may burst. Her sweet taste intoxicated me, and I wrapped my arms around her to hold her against me. I’d never let her go again. She was my life.
Tallulah broke the kiss, and I looked down into her eyes.
“I want to come home,” she said. “Chicago isn’t my home. You are.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m not letting you give that job up for me.”
She laughed. “I was already planning on leaving the job and coming back before today. I miss Lawton. I miss our life here.”
“Are you positive that’s what you want? Because I swear to God I will happily follow you to fucking Antarctica if that’s where you want to go.”
Her laughter filled me, and the darkness that had become a part of me was gone. “That won’t be necessary,” she said, then pressed another kiss to my lips. “This house, our house, right here in Lawton, is exactly where I want to be.”