Page 139 of Lethal Attraction

She blinks, turning to stare at the porch. “Uh, okay.” She slowly eases down, tucking her knees to her chest as she rolls her lips in.

I throw my hands up, pacing. “You left me at the train station and made Rowan push me onto the train. That was very rude, by the way. Then I call and text you for days, and you don’t respond to me.” I shove my hands through my hair, my chest rising and falling. “And all because you were afraid of losing me…”

Her mouth quivers as fresh tears well in her eyes, but I don’t stop. Instead, I drop to my knees in front of her, reaching out for her. “Thalia, you deserve the fucking world.” My voice cracks on the last word. “And I want to be the man to give it to you.”

She stares at me, tears spilling silently down her cheeks. For once, she doesn’t look away. She doesn’t hide behind a joke or a sarcastic comment. She just looks at me.

“Reed...” she whispers.

“No,” I shake my head. “You’re going to hear this.”

Her brows pull together, but she nods.

“You keep acting like pushing people away is going to solve everything.” My grip tightens around her hand. “Like if you care too much, or love too much, or need too much, something bad will happen.”

She swallows hard.

“And yeah, maybe I was pissed. Maybe I was hurt when you didn’t show.” I laugh bitterly. “Actually, scratch that. I was furious.”

A watery laugh escapes her.

“But do you know what never crossed my mind?”

“What?” she asks quietly.

“Leaving without you beside me.”

The words hang between us, and her eyes widen.

“Not once,” I continue. “Not when you stopped answering. Not when Taryn told me to give you space. Not when I spent every night wondering if you hated me.”

“I never hated you,” she says immediately, shifting forward on the step as she cups my cheeks. Her touch undoes me, making my eyes flutter. “Quite the opposite, actually.” She admits quietly.

“I know that now.” I whisper as I take her hand in mine. “Because I feel the same.” My eyes open, and I soak her in—her tear-stained cheeks that I’ll kiss dry, the downturn of her lips that I’ll ensure never such sorrow again, and just her.

My mystery girl.

The Little Devil who stole my heart.

My everything.

“I love you, Thalia Kingsley,” I whisper between us. “So fucking much.”

More tears fall as she holds me as if I’m precious to her. “I love you too, Reed. With everything in me.”

I close the space, my lips crashing over hers, and the feeling of finally being home washes over me. Because this is where I’m meant to be—here, in her arms, forever loved and cherished by the most selfless, compassionate woman I’ve ever met.

And I’ll spend every day for the rest of our lives showing her just how much she deserves the whole world on a silver platter.

Thalia and I walk hand in hand towards Dale’s, both of us trying—and failing—not to smile like complete idiots. Our hair is a mess, our clothes are wrinkled, and we’ve spent the better part of twenty-four hours “talking things out” in the shed.

The second we step inside, the entire bar erupts.

Cheers. Applause. Whistles.

I stop dead. “Oh, absolutely not.”

“At least they waited until we came inside,” Thalia mutters, already turning red.