Page 48 of Trustfall
“You.” She finally breathed before opening her eyes in search of mine.
“Me?” I was so lost that a bubble of dread planted itself in the pit of my stomach.
She nodded before finding her voice. “It was you . . . you were the one who saved my dad.”
I sighed a heavy breath of relief because, fuck; she had me seriously worried.
With her legs wrapped around my waist, I carried her over to the couch and sat us down, with her positioned astride my lap.
The unbridled reverence beaming my way was enough to render me speechless, while a wave of sudden anxiety propelled me into uncharted territory.
“Why didn’t you tell me you saved my dad?”
I hadn’t intentionally omitted the truth from her; I simply hadn’t wanted that to be the reason she saw me in a different light. Just like I didn’t do it for the accolades or recognition, my actions that night were driven by the job, and because I knew it would destroy her if something happened to Dustin.
The thoughts in my mind were clear, yet when it came time to voice them, I drew a blank as my heart rate quickened, hoping she understood the truth behind my actions.
“Jameson,” she rolled her lips between her teeth, “a simple thank you doesn’t feel sufficient.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“Of course I do! I’m forever indebted to you for saving his life but also knowing it could have cost you yours.” Her voice trembled as she pressed her face into my chest, with her tears soaking through my shirt.
“Ari, no.” I ran my hands soothingly up and down her back. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You can’t guarantee me that; no one can.” She sobbed openly.
“You’re right, baby. I can’t, but I can promise I will do everything within my power to return home at the end of every day.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just a lot to process.”
“I get that, and while our jobs serve as a constant reminder that life can change instantly, it also emphasizes the importance of not wasting the time we’re given. Every minute we have is precious.”
As she nodded in understanding, I could sense that her fears were already preparing to build a wall around her heart.
“We’ll take it slow, okay? I just need you to promise me something in return.”
“Anything.” She breathed through a sniffle.
“If your thoughts or worries ever weigh you down, remember, you can talk to me about anything. And if you need some quiet time, we can chill, too. I’ll do whatever you need and support you however I can. Just please don’t shut me out, out of fear, because I think we would both rather spend our time together than live with regrets.”
“How do you do that? How do you see me so clearly when I can’t even string the words together?”
“I’d like to pound my fists on my chest to inflate my ego and say it’s because of all my natural infinite wisdom, but the truth is, I owe that credit to my parents. Being married to a firefighter isn’t easy, and as you can imagine, it comes with its fair share of challenges, especially while raising three rambunctious boys. Still, my mom always maintained she knew the risks, and she’d rather be loved by my dad than not to be loved by him at all.”
“My mom wasn’t even a front-line worker, and yet, my dad said something similar to me after the fire. He felt he was the luckiest man alive to be loved by my mom.”
“The present is all we have, and I, for one, don’t want to waste another second of it not showing you just how much you mean to me.”
I peppered her jaw with butterfly kisses and pressed my palm into the center of her back, bringing her closer to me.
Ari had owned me since high school. Even if she didn’t fully understand the scope of it yet, I was a man determined to make her see that I was worth the risk.
“Want to practice being domesticated with me?”
“What are you talking about?” The lines between her brows creased.
“I was about to make some hamburgers before you nearly broke down my door.”
