“Hey, isn’t this the color I picked?” I said, pointing to one wall. Last year, he had four color swatches and asked everyone their opinions.
“Oh. Yeah, maybe.” He waved me into the kitchen. “I haven’t done much in here yet.”
My mouth hit the floor when I entered. The kitchen itself was small, but it had a spacious breakfast nook with built-in benches and a wooden table, both of which looked like someone had recently refinished them. But the most breathtaking part was the row of floor to ceiling windows that lined one wall. I walked over to take in the view of his property. Up on the mountain, his cabin was surrounded by trees, and the rays of sunlight that shone through illuminated the backyard in a variety of colors. The new patio and fire pit were on this side of the house, and a sliding glass door was on the far left of the row of windows.
“Wow, Rhett, this is—” I swallowed down the emotion at the thought that this could have been our life. Buying a house, turning it into a home, having his baby.
“Beautiful.” Something in his tone made me turn, but he wasn’t looking at the view. He was staring at me.
He shook his head and left the kitchen.
What the heck was that?
I found him standing in the back hallway with his hands propped on either side of a door frame, head bowed. I approached quietly, my sandals only making a low click against the hardwood flooring under my feet. He lifted his head, watching me over his arm.
“This will be the baby’s room.” His voice was strained, and reality came flooding back as I blinked back the tears that I knew were ready to fall.
“I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” I should have never come. I needed to get out of there. I turned, my feet slamming against the floors until I reached the end of the hallway.
“Bella, wait.” Desperation laced his tone. “What did you mean last night when you told Ashleythis is why it needs to be permanent?Whatneeds to be permanent?”
I sucked in a shaky breath, holding it for a few seconds before I released it. I kept my back to him because I didn’t think I could say this if he looked at me again the way he had earlier. “I’m leaving Monday to go stay with my dad for a few weeks. But I’m planning to make it a permanent move.”
“Like hell you are,” he growled.
I turned at the raw, demanding undertone in his voice. He closed the distance between us, his strides long, like he couldn’t get to me fast enough. I took two steps back, bumping into the wall behind me.
He braced himself, planting a hand just above my shoulder, and he was so close I could smell his aftershave. His eyes were so intent on me that I felt the urge to squirm under his stare. When his gaze slowly drew down and locked on my lips, my mouth went dry.
I looked away, refusing to let him see how him marrying Sarah was breaking me.
“Why?” he asked roughly. “Why are you running away?”
The tears I had been doing my damnedest to hold back were about to spill free. I blinked repeatedly, fighting them back.
“I can’t stay here and watch you marry someone else.” I barely got the words out without choking on them.
He gripped my chin with his thumb and forefinger, encouraging me to look at him. As I raised my eyes to his, a tear slipped down my cheek.
“Fuck, Bella. Don’t cry.” He wiped one tear away. “I’m not marrying Sarah. I ended things with her last night.”
“You did?” I could hear the surprise in my own voice. And I wasn’t sure if it was relief or hope I felt at that moment. Regardless, I didn’t think it changed anything. There would eventually be another Sarah.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t after the way she talked to you?” His thumb left my chin to trace my bottom lip. “And you were right. I don’t love her.”
I should have pushed him away and got in my car and left. But my feet wouldn’t move. I was done fighting it.
“We should talk,” I said instead.
“I don’t want to talk right now.”
“What do you want then, Rhett?”
“This.” He leaned forward and gently brushed his lips against mine. But then he pulled back ever so slightly with questions in his eyes.
I reached up and gripped the sides of his shirt, pulling him closer to me, inviting him to do that again.
His hand slowly trailed down my neck and grazed over my breast before landing on my hip, leaving goose bumps along my skin. My eyes drifted closed, and I savored the sensation that lit up my body from his touch.