"I was so caught up in you. I forgot to call the front desk and tell them I wasn't checking out as planned," I say, explaining what happened that morning. "All I was thinking about was you, pretty baby. By the time I realized my mistake, you were gone. I turned Nashville upside down looking for you. I never stopped looking for you. I've been in hell without you."
"I want to believe you," she whispers.
"Then believe me," I whisper back, nuzzling my face against her temple.
"I'm scared."
"Me too."
"Really?" She cranes her head back, hitting me with a look full of doubt.
"I'm worried as fuck you're going to disappear from my life forever," I admit, tracing my thumb along her bottom lip. "I just spent two months without you. Spending the rest of my life living that way will be pure hell, pretty baby."
Her gaze tangles with mine. "Can we take it slow?"
"As slow as you want," I promise.
She bites her lip, hesitates, and then nods.