“Don’t. I don’t want to hear this,” I croak. He’s trying to make me feel, and I don’t want to.
He lifts his head, and gazes into my eyes. “You need to hear me out. Don’t you see, Jules? You are saving me too. We’re each other’s lifeline in this crazy life. We have this unspeakable and inseparable bond that people can only dream of, and I think you felt it too the first time your eyes met mine.”
“Travis…” I start off, but he places two fingers over my lips, shushing me.
“I don’t want to go through this life alone anymore, baby. I want someone to grow old with, and I want that someone to be you. I need you. I will break if I don’t have you.”
“You don’t know what went down, Travis. I’m already so broken.”
“I know what went down, and I may not have been with you physically at your dad’s house, but I was there, Jules. I was there every step of the way, and I heard every gut-wrenching detail of what your father told you.”
My brows pinch together in confusion. “What are you saying?”
He sits up to straddle my waist while reaching into his front pocket. A silver chain shimmers against his tanned, calloused hands. I flick my eyes to his in question. “What’s in your hand, Travis?”
“I’ve been saving this for you. I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to give this back.”
He opens his hand, and there lays my medallion. “How…” I can’t speak. He reaches out and places my family heirloom in my hand.
“I knew how important this was to you. I kept it safe since the day I took it from you in the facility. I didn’t want you to have it back until I knew you were out of harm’s way once and for all.”
Tears sting the back of my eyes as I clutch the necklace in my hand, bringing it to my chest. “How? When?” I choke, my questions getting jumbled up in my head.
“I gave you a decoy, a perfect replica,” he explains as he tenderly strokes my cheek. “I had a voice transmitter and tracker implanted in it the first second I got. Somehow, my subconscious knew I was going to break you out of there before I even knew it myself. In case you got recaptured, I would’ve been able to find you and come rescue you.”
“How did you find me, Travis? Because I didn’t have this medallion on at Nick’s house.”
“Stryker implanted a new tracker in your hip.” He pauses, his eyes becoming glassy, and his voice wavers. “The thought of losing you…” He swallows hard and shakes his head.
“You had this planned all along? From the beginning?” I whisper disbelievingly.
“From the moment you wanted me to take your virginity, I knew…I knew I had to have you, but I warred with myself. I spent a lot of time in denial.” I watch with curiosity as he reaches behind his neck and pulls his t-shirt up and over his head. The moment I see his bare chest, my eyes squint as understanding dawns.
“Oh, my God,” I gasp.
“The minute I got this tattoo…I knew what I was giving up,” he softly begins. “I gave up my heart. It’s yours, Jules.” My eyes flick back and forth, from his eyes to his tattoo.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper, mesmerized by its beauty. I can’t believe he did this for me. It’s an intricate design of celtic love knots with a modern twist, representing all the things my necklace stands for. Thick lines spiral outward, and they end with thin points. It’s sexy, manly, and hot as hell. “You really marked your body for me?” Feeling an overwhelming desire to trace the pattern with my fingertips, I reach out with my shaky hand to touch the design.
His hand comes to rest over mine on his chest as he holds my gaze. “I wanted to replicate the part of your medallion that meant eternal love, because that’s what I have for you, Julianna. It’s an undying love.”
A trail of tears slips from the corners of my eyes. “That’s why you wouldn’t take off your shirt when we made love. You weren’t ready to show it to me yet.” As I realize this, he gives me a soft smile in response. “I love you,” I croakily whisper with the last ounce of love I have left in my soul. “I’ve loved you for so long, Travis.” I catch my breath, determined to finish. “But you never told me how you felt. That hurt. It left me confused more times than I can count.”
“Oh, baby, I wanted to tell you those words for so damn long.” He draws in a shaky breath, and then pauses to get a grip on his emotions. “I love you, Jules. Say you won’t give in. Tell me we can work this out.”