I rush over to him, grab his hand, and pull him away.
“That was . . .” I shake my head with wide eyes. “I mean, you do flash mobs! How? When? You were amazing!”
He chuckles as we move out of the way.
“How long have you been doing these?”
“Only when I can. Remember the eight-year-old with the brain tumor last year?”
My smile falls as the child’s sweet face fills my memory. He was adorable, with the biggest smile I’d ever seen. Westin was absolutely devastated when he lost him. I’d never seen him so broken after a surgery.
“I do.” I take his hand.
“Well, he loved flash mobs, he’d watch them for hours on YouTube, so I found a group that does them, and started learning. We had the one in the hospital for him, and then I kept finding ways to practice.”
My heart grows to ten times its size. I can’t believe he has the time to do this, but the reason he learned is what touches me so deeply.
“I’m speechless, Wes.”
He grins. “It’s a lot of fun, and something that reminds me of him. I’ll never forget that kid, but when I dance, it’s all smiles and good memories.”
The feel of Westin’s skin against mine warms me to my core. “I never knew about this.”
Westin’s hand touches my cheek. “There’s a lot you don’t know, Ren. Things I want to share with you. All you have to do is say yes.”
“I literally don’t know what to say. You blow me away.”
“In a good way?” Westin grins.
“Yes,” I laugh at the silly look on his face. “In a very good way.”
“How so?”
I pull myself closer to his chest, loving the way I fit with him in this moment. We’ve had the best night, and I want many more like this, and like the ones we’ve always had. The nights with my feet tucked into his lap as we chart. The times when we’re so exhausted we just collapse into bed without needing to explain.
“You make me want more. I can’t promise I won’t pull back, but I can’t imagine my life without you, either. Next weekend, I need to go back up to my father’s house and make sure things are okay. Would you like to come?”
His head tilts to one side as if I’m a conundrum he’s trying to solve. It’s as if he’s seeing me for the first time. My stomach tightens as he watches me.
“Is that a yes?” I ask after the intensity starts to worry me.
“I’m not known for chasing a woman. You make me want to run . . .” I open my mouth, but he stops me. “Not away though, Serenity, but to you. So, yes, I’d love to finally meet your father.”
My eyes fill with tears that don’t fall. I don’t cry. I shove down the feelings he’s stirring within me. “I’ve been running from love for so long I don’t know if I can stop even if I want to,” I say, looking away. “I’ll try, but be patient with me.”
Westin pulls me flush against him, causing my eyes to flash to his. “I’m faster than you are. I’m ready to show you.”
“You might not catch me,” I warn.
He may run faster in the physical sense, but I’ve been running from love for years. I’m good at it, and I don’t know that I can ever be caught.
His lips press against my forehead and he releases me. “I might not, but it won’t be because of speed. It’ll be because of you.”
That’s what I’m worried about.
Westin takes a few steps back, and the cold air is like a punch to my chest. With each step, I feel his loss. This is what it will be like. Him over there and me standing here, waiting to make a move.
I think about my father’s words about a different love. The one where I wouldn’t be left in the pits of hell. The kind of love that Westin offers wouldn’t take anything from me. I watch him retreat, and think about the tightness in my chest increasing as he moves farther back.
Can I let him go and stand here, watching him leave me?
My feet are becoming one with the cement, and I’m making the choice to stay.
As he takes another step backward, I know what I have to do. I have to break the chains of fear and go to him.
He’s right for me.
He’s good for me.
Westin is who I want to build a future with.
It’s as if the moment I made the choice, the ground became a cloud, helping me get to him. I close the distance, wrap my arms around him, and hold on tight. Life goes on around us, but time stands still. It’s as if what’s been broken inside of me for so long just healed a little. The hole may never be filled, but Westin can patch it. Every part of me knows what I want. There’s no hesitation in my heart. He’s the right man for me, and I have to get closure so I can fully move on.
Chapter 13
Fifteen Years Earlier
“I got in!” I yell as I rush into Bryce’s arms. “I got in!”
“I knew you would.”
God, this is such a relief. I got into Penn State and now we can solidify our plans. It’ll all work out. I feel like I can breathe.
“I’m glad you were confident.”
Bryce shakes his head. “You’re insanely smart, got into Yale, Northwestern, and UCLA, so . . . yeah . . . I was confident.”
“None of those are where I wanted to go though, that’s what you’re missing.”
UCLA was never a real option, but my professor urged me to apply. Yale was an option if he was going to Cornell, but we both wanted Penn State. Now, we have it.
“We have dinner tonight,” Bryce reminds me.
“Shit. I have to study.”
“Chick, not tonight.”
I really can’t blow this biology final off. There’s a reason I got into every school I applied to—because I work my ass off. He is the only thing I do outside of school.
“Can we please do it another day?”
“No.”
I groan and cross my arms. “Why are you being so rigid?”
“Because today is important.”
Worry starts to creep in. Is it his birthday? No, that’s in three months. Our anniversary? No, that just passed. What the hell is important about today?
“Why?”
He rolls his eyes and then kisses me. “It is, go get ready.”
We are clearly not going to come to an understanding here, and today is a day for celebrating, I guess. I’ll study once he goes to sleep.
I rush out of the room and do as he says. I shower quickly, shave my legs, and look for something cute to wear. Once I’m all dressed and ready, I come out to see him in a suit.
Bryce looks really freaking good in a suit.
“Who . . .”
He grins and his eyes roam my body. “Whoa yourself.” Slowly, he rises to his feet and stands before me. His hands cup my face as though I’m a delicate flower and then his lips touch mine.
The kiss is slow, sweet, and has my heart pounding.
When he kisses me like this, it feels like everything disappears and all that exists in the world is Bryce and me.
He does that to me. When we’re together, I’m not afraid of anything. I know that he’ll be here to hold me up. My hands grip his shoulders as our lips move together.