“You’re amazing,” I told her honestly. I was in awe of Valona’s strength and her grace. “You’re being far kinder to his memory than he probably deserves.”
“He should have been honest with me about his feelings, yes, but I understand now. Completely. We made promises to each other, but he met someone who made him want to be a better version of himself, someone who made him happy. It was an impossible situation, especially in a small town.” She shook her head again and let her head fall against my chest. “I’m just sorry that he didn’t get to enjoy a full life with Claire.”
Wow. “You are?”
She nodded and swiped at a tear that slid down her cheek, before she flashed a smile up at me that told me I had fallen for the most incredible woman in the world. “Being with you and having you push me the way you did, all the things between us, it made me sad that Rodney never got to experience it with Claire. Everyone deserves this,” she motioned between us and I felt my heart gallop to life.
The hope that sprang to life in my chest was chaotic. “You are truly incredible, Valona. I hope you know that.”
Her smile was bittersweet. “I’m not. I was a coward, Trey.”
“Impossible.”
She shook her head again and took a step away so she could look me in the eye. “I was. I wanted you from the moment I saw you holding hands with Keri while she skipped alongside you, chatting nonstop. I had never seen such a beautiful man, but then when you laughed, really and truly laughed at something Keri said, it was like a hand reached in my chest and squeezed.”
Wow. “I had no idea.”
“No kidding. I didn’t introduce myself right away because I told myself it would be pathetic, you would think some old woman was hitting on you. And then our girls became friends.”
I laughed. “And ruined your plans?”
“Thoroughly,” she admitted with a sheepish smile. “And when you started to express interest, I told myself you were too young, not really interested. I told myself you were just looking for parenting advice, that your so-called feelings were fleeting, a result of your abrupt lifestyle change. Then, I did everything I could to keep my distance from you. Kinda hard when you lived right next door.”
I laughed again.“Sorry?”
“No,” she insisted and reached for my hand, holding it in both of her hands. “I’m not sorry at all, Trey. You helped bring me back to life, you forced me to start living again and that allowed me to heal. You allowed me to heal.”
“I just wanted to be with you, Val.”
One hand came to my face and held it like I was precious to her. “And that’s what gave me permission to heal. If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t be standing here like this tonight.” She shook her head and lightly brushed her lips against mine. “If I hadn’t healed and you hadn’t been the catalyst, we only ever could have been a snapshot in time. Now we have a real future.”
Her words stole my breath, and I took a step closer to wrap an arm around her. “We have a future? You mean it?”
“More than I’ve meant anything in a long time, Trey.”
She sucked in a breath to say more, and as eager as I was to hear what else she had to say, I was just as eager to seal those words into my heart with a kiss.
Our mouths collided in a burst of fire and passion, our true first kiss, because this time we both dove in with our eyes wide open. There were no secrets inside that kiss, our feelings were laid bare as our lips and tongues and teeth told the truth hidden in our hearts. One swipe of my tongue against hers and my woman moaned, pressed her body tighter against mine.
In the distance a door opened and then closed, laughter and conversation sounded loud and then subsided quickly. A small part of my brain registered the sound of footsteps and I reluctantly pulled back because I hadn’t said everything I wanted to say, not yet. And because I didn’t want her feeling self-conscious about us until she knew everything.
Valona looked up at me, green eyes glazed with desire. She smiled and put her fingers to her lips.
“May I have this dance?” I held a hand out to her and she confidently clasped our fingers together and let me guide her inside.
Chapter 27
Valona
My heart raced as Trey led me to the dance floor. We’d said a lot outside under the moon, but not everything. I told him I wanted a future, but he surprised me by not pouncing on those words to push for more.
Maybe it was too late.
A fast country-rock song kicked on just as our feet hit the dance floor and my heart sank a little more. Trey smiled at me as if nothing was wrong, as if he couldn’t feel my inner turmoil spilling myself, my hopes and my fears open to him, without giving me anything in return. Oh sure, he twirled me around the dance floor, laughing and smiling, but I expected more.