“I swear,” I beseech him. “I didn’t remember that. I tried to forget things because they hurt so much. Every time I thought back, I’d be thrown into a deeper depression.”

Zach steps forward. “I feel like I failed you.” His voice breaks. “I let you down, and I didn’t know I was doing it. There’s been this thing with you that I can’t explain.”

I take his hand in mine. “I didn’t want to destroy what we had. I’ve been so worried that it was going to disappear again. Being with you makes me so happy, but it is also terrifying.” I need to go deeper, but it’s going to hurt. “I was happy before, and my life collapsed. But when I’m with you, I feel like I belong. I’m free to just be with you.”

Zach’s fingers tighten.

“I didn’t want to lose my freedom. I didn’t want to lose you. So, I didn’t think about it. At all. I tried so hard to keep it buried because it couldn’t touch us. I was wrong, Zach. I was so wrong.” Tears fall from my eyes. “I love you so much. There are no more secrets. I promise.”

I watch for him to condemn me or admonish me. We can move forward if he’s willing.

He stands, without a word, and walks out of the room. Leaving me.

I sit as my insides implode. Every piece of me aches knowing that I’ve lost him. I truly thought we had a chance. After a few minutes without a word from him, I get myself together so I can walk out that door before he wrecks me. My heart can’t handle him telling me it’s over. I’ve done all I can, and I have to respect his wishes.

But it hurts so bad.

I stand and gather my things with tears falling. I weep quietly on the outside, but inside I’m screaming in denial.

My hand touches the cool door knob. As I turn it, I hear his voice. “Where are you going?”

“Please don’t say it,” I request.

“Say what?”

I turn. “Don’t tell me it’s over.”

“Okay,” he replies. “What do you want me to say, Presley?”

“That you forgive me. That you want me to stay.”

Zach takes two long strides before he’s close enough to touch. I step back and he follows. My back presses against the door and he cages me in. Zach’s fingers glide down my cheek as he wipes away the remaining wetness. “I don’t think I could ever stop loving you. I don’t want to live without you again,” he confesses. “We’re stronger than we were all those years ago. So.” He kisses my nose. “Say you’ll keep fighting with me for a long time. Say you’ll meet me at the creek every night. Say that you’ll fall asleep in my arms and deal with my shit. Presley Benson, say you’ll stay.” He’s holding my eyes with so much emotion in his own as he says that words.

My hands grip his shirt, holding on for dear life. “I’ll stay with you forever.”

The anger and sadness in his eyes is replaced with love and hope. Every word I said is true. He’s my forever. His lips press down on mine and he lifts me in his arms. I hold on as he carries me through the house to his bedroom. Our tongues slowly move against each other as we pour the last two days into this kiss.

Emotions flood me as I realize that this doesn’t have to end. We’re not walking away this time. He lays me down on the bed, and I begin to cry. I feel a mix of joy and relief as we give into each other. There’s nothing holding me back. Every moment feels so right, even more so than before.

All my cards on the table, and he didn’t fold. He went all in.

“Why are you crying?” he asks, concerned.

My girly emotions are probably scaring him. “I’m happy.”

He smiles. “I am too.”

“You make me happy.”

His hand brushes my hair back. “I love you.” He kisses me again. “So much.”

My hand rests on his chest. “I don’t want to lose you again, Zach.”

He leans down so our noses touch. “I won’t ever let you run. If you do, I’ll follow you” His lips touch mine. “I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth.”

I slide my fingers up his chest, reveling in every muscle that tenses beneath my touch. “I think we should do some of that makin’ up we used to be so good at.”

Zach rubs his nose against mine, kisses the corner of my mouth, and then descends to my neck. He sucks on the spot right below my ear that always makes me squirm. He hums against it, and I groan.

I love that we still fit so well together. I love that he still can turn me on in seconds and knows what I like. It’s like dating on speed—we rushed past all the awkward stuff and just fit. It could’ve gone very differently, though. That much time apart, other people, and the fact that we have a past . . . it might have changed the game.

He slides my straps down, kissing me along the way. Everything inside of me burns for him. “I’m going to make up with you for a while, darlin’.” He looks at me with hooded eyes. The passion that simmers beneath ignites into an inferno.

I grip his chin in my hand, forcing him to look at me. “I’m counting on that. Now, kiss me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

And he does. His lips move with mine as we tear at each other’s clothes. I want his skin against mine. There’s love to be made here, and I plan to spend as long as I need to until we’re satisfied.

He rolls me under him before slithering down my body. “I need to taste you,” he says with his eyes locked on mine.

Zach is always intense when we’re together. He conveys everything with his eyes. There’s so much spoken between us with only one look, and he’ll adjust his movements based on what he sees. It’s so damn sexy to watch, and it’s beyond pleasurable to be on the receiving end.

He kisses my stomach and rests his hand there. I look down at him and run my fingers through his hair. “I hope, Zachary.”

“Hope what, darlin’?”

“I hope that one day we can fulfill the plans we made.” I rub the side of his face. “I want to have all the things we said, including a baby. I’m just not there yet.”

He’s not asking me to either. But I don’t want him to think it’s not a desire. Zach is an exceptional man. He’s stepped up with Cayden and Logan without hesitation. He’s the kind of man that will be the father figure my boys need, and hopefully to our own children.