e’d kind of said it to me after that awful scene over Jessica, but he’d never actually said the words. It had been so long since anyone had said those words to me, period.
“Yeah. Kinda what I said when I figured it out.”
I turned toward him in the seat then grabbed his hand. “I’m so sorry, Gideon. I don’t know what came over me the other day. I just saw you and Jessica and all I could think was that it was happening again. He’s going to choose her. He’s not going to choose me.” My throat was on fire, and I cursed the flowing tears. But I wasn’t going to run this time. I was going to fight. “I was wrong. So wrong.”
“Yes, you were, but I didn’t help matters by being secretive and I’m sorry for that. I was afraid too, but for a far different reason.”
“I know. It’s about your kid. That great kid back there who I love with all my heart.”
He pulled the truck over on the dirt road that was far too familiar. “Dammit, Macy.”
Dusk had set and there wasn’t much light near the lake over here. But there was enough for me to see him. To make sure he knew how important he was to me. I undid my belt and slid over to him. “I love you too. When it was me and Lou, it was all about his child. It’s not that way now. It’s so different between us. I know you’re a good man. A good man who would never hurt me. I just messed up for a minute.”
He undid his own seatbelt and grabbed me, dragging me in for a hot, desperate kiss. I held onto him, my fingers crawling up his shoulders so I could wrap myself around him.
I wasn’t ever going to let him go again.
“Shh, baby. Don’t cry. God, don’t cry. You’ll kill me.”
I sniffled. “Yeah, well, I don’t like doing it, pal. And I’m not pretty when I do it.”
“You’re beautiful, and you’re mine. I love you, Macy Devereaux. So fucking much.”
“I love you too.”
“Thank God. Because there’s a little more we need to discuss.” He opened the door and pulled me out.
“Gideon.” I was wearing heeled boots, and they were not made for walking on a dark path.
“I should have thought of all this when I came up with this plan. I’m not used to you pulling all this girl stuff on me.”
I punched him in the arm. “Excuse you.”
He laughed and dragged me into his chest. “I mean, the skirt and heels. Fucking hot, by the way.”
“I wore heels on our first date.” Somewhat mollified, I only pinched him lightly.
“Ow.”
Not that lightly.
He dragged me up the dirt lane and I laughed. “What the hell is going on?”
“Figured I was going to screw this up.”
“Screw what up?”
I cursed his name when he didn’t say anything more. “Would you stop manhandling me?”
“You’re the one who wore heels, dammit. I’m trying to make sure you don’t end up like Dani.”
Finally, we ended up where we’d been that day in the truck. The place I’d taken him to. The moon was rising, shimmering on the lake.
“Okay, there.”
“I appreciate the trip down memory lane, but you should have driven the truck up here if you wanted to make out again.”
“We did way more than make out in that truck, woman.”