“Hey, babe,” he whispers. “Surprise.”
She sits down on the bed, her eyes flitting over every part of him that she can see, then she leans forward, and kisses him.
When she pulls back, she whispers, “You know I hate surprises.”
They both smile at her attempt to lighten the tension.
“I’m sorry I pushed you away,” he whispers, before a determined look settles on his face. “I have something to tell you but before I do, you need to know that I love you. I don’t want you to pity me.”
Her tears fall silently as Marcus tells her everything. His eyes are on their joined hands, and I can see the fear hiding behind them. He’s scared he’ll see pity on her face.
When he’s finished talking, Willow takes his face in her hands looks him right in the eye. “I’m here now. I love you and I’m not leaving your side, even if you become an ass again.”
“When I do become an ass, please remember that I love you. I fucking love you with every beat of my heart.”
I cover my mouth to smother the sob that rises at hearing his words. When Willow says that she’s staying the night, I let myself out.
When I check my phone I see that I have two missed calls from Logan. It’s already ten pm. I decide to take a chance, so instead of phoning Logan, I message Rhett.
Mia: I’m spending the night at Logan’s.
Rhett: Be safe and don’t make me an uncle. I’m too young.
Mia: LOL
Chapter 14
Logan
When there’s a knock at the door, I frown. It’s late and I’m not expecting anyone. I was just about to send Mia message, but throw my phone on the table before going to see who’s here.
I open the door, and I’m surprised to see Mia.
“Hey, I tried to phone you. Is everything okay?”
She tries to smile bravely as she comes in, and for a second, I worry that she’s here to tell me she’s changed her mind about us.
“Can I spend the night?”
She wouldn’t want to spend the night, if she was upset about us, right?
I tell myself to calm down and not to jump to conclusions.
“Yeah, of course.” I lock everything. “Did you just come from the gym?” I ask as I eye her bag.
“No, I went earlier.”
She doesn’t elaborate so I leave it. Taking her hand, I lead her to my bedroom.
“Just to be clear, the only rule is no kissing, right?” she asks, as she reaches for the hem of her shirt.
I quickly take hold of her hands, stopping her. I search her face, trying to figure out what’s wrong.
“Talk to me.”
Her eyes drift over my face as if she’s seeing me for the first time.
“I got some really bad news today that I can’t share with you, but it’s made me realize that life is too short and I don’t want to miss a second with you. I know we said we’d take it slow but slow is highly over rated. There’s only this moment, and I want to spend it with you.”