Page 17 of A Very Grumpy Veterinarian
She looks nervous.“Because I don’t want any awkwardness at work.”
I swallow hard.Part of me wants everyone to know how I feel about her, to shout it from the rooftops.But I told her I’d do anything for her.It’s time to be a man of my word.To put her needs above my own.
“Okay,” I agree.“But I plan to do everything in my power to change your mind.To be the man you need me to be.”
Her expression softens.“Thank you.”
I move a little closer.“Can I… hold you?”
Pearl hesitates.
“No funny business, I promise.I just want to feel you.”
Instead of replying, Pearl shifts over on the bed and pats the spot beside her.I exhale and ease onto the bed beside her, careful and slow, like she might startle.The mattress dips under my weight, and Pearl tenses for a second before she relaxes again.
I open my arms.“Come here, Angel.”
She hesitates one more beat, then shifts into me, tucking her head under my chin and curling into my side.Her hand rests lightly on my chest, right over my heart, and I know she can feel it pounding.There’s no hiding it.Not from her, not anymore.
I wrap one arm around her shoulders and the other across her waist, pulling her in until there’s no space left between us.
I turn my head and press a kiss to the crown of her hair.Not heated.Not demanding.Just there.
“This is all I wanted,” I murmur into her hair.“Right here.Just this.”
Pearl is quiet for a long moment.Her breathing evens out, her body softening against mine inch by inch as the tension bleeds out of her shoulders.I can feel her fingers tracing absent little patterns over my shirt, like she’s not even aware she’s doing it.
“You’re warm,” she finally whispers.
I huff out a quiet laugh.“Yeah?”
“Mmhm.”She burrows closer, her cheek pressing into my chest.
I tighten my hold on her, just enough that she knows I’ve got her.“Anytime you’re cold, I’m here.”
She tips her head up, and her eyes find mine.They’re still a little red from crying, her lashes still wet, and I hate myself all over again for being the one who put those tears there.I lift my hand and brush my thumb across her cheek, catching the last trace of dampness.
“I’m sorry, Pearl,” I say again, because once isn’t enough.It might never be enough.“For all of it.”
“I know.”Her voice is small but steady.“I think… I think I knew, even when I was mad, that you didn’t mean to hurt me.”
“Doesn’t matter if I meant to.I did.”
She studies my face for a long moment.Then she lays her head back down on my chest and lets out a soft sigh that I feel all the way through me.
I run my hand slowly up and down her back, feeling the gentle rise and fall of her breathing.I commit this moment to memory: the weight of her against my side, the little sound she makes when she nestles closer, the way her hand has settled flat over my heart.
I close my eyes and let myself have this, the trust she's giving me, fragile as it is.I don’t deserve it yet, but I’ll spend the rest of my life earning it if she lets me.
“So,” I finally murmur.“Burgers for dinner?”
Her soft laughter settles into my bones, soothing the deep ache that’s been present since she fled from me earlier.
“Sounds perfect.”
EIGHT
Pearl
