Page 86 of Promised to the Cowboy

She looks up at me then, her eyes shining.

“You didn’t trust me enough to let me choose. You decided what I could handle.” I take a step toward her. “You decided what was best for me. You decided I’d be better off without you.” I stop close enough to see the tears trembling on her lashes. “You made every decision except the only one that mattered.”

Her voice is almost inaudible as she asks, “Which one?”

“Mine.”

The words hang between us.

I watch them hit her. Watch something inside her crumble.

She presses trembling fingers to her mouth. “I didn’t even realize I was doing it. I’ve spent my whole life believing leaving was the kindest thing I could do. If I left first, nobody had to choose me.” She laughs softly, the sound breaking halfway through. “I know how ridiculous that sounds.”

“It doesn’t. It sounds lonely. Unbelievably lonely.”

She wipes her cheeks. “Maggie asked me if any man had ever loved me the way you do. Then she asked if I’d ever loved a man the way I love you. And the answer was obvious.”

I stare at her, my heart pounding against my ribs.

She shakes her head, then lifts her eyes to mine. “I love you, Gabriel. So much. But I’ve never done this before. I’ve never loved someone enough that losing them scared me more than losing myself.”

The words hit me like a fist.

She said it. She actually said it.

Every wall I’ve been holding up since I woke to an empty bed cracks wide open.

I cross the room before I can think better of it. When I stop in front of her, she’s still crying.

“I hurt you.”

“You did.” I brush the backs of my fingers over her cheek, catching another tear as it falls. “I was angry. I’m still angry. But I’m not angry because you wanted to leave.”

Her brows knit together.

“I’m angry because you thought you had to.”

Her eyes squeeze shut. A sob catches in her throat.

I cup her face with both hands. “Evie…”

She opens her eyes.

“Youneverhave to earn your place here. You never have to prove you’re worth fighting for.” My forehead rests against hers. “You already are.”

She lets out a shaky breath that breaks against my lips. “I don’t know how to do this. I keep getting it wrong.”

“So do I. I’ve been making this up as I go.”

That earns the smallest laugh, broken but beautiful. “So have I.”

I smile for what feels like the first time all night.

She searches my face. “What if I mess it up again?”

“You will.”

Her eyes widen.