Twenty-seven

TWENTY-SEVEN

Aria

We were finally alone.

It had been hours. Whole hours since Ronnie and Vic showed up at my place and coerced me out of my home. Hours since they took me to my parents' place. And hours since I'd learned the truth about how they really felt about me, that my own father would help pin me down to be restrained by criminals while my mom and sister watched.

It had also been hours since Paxton and his coworkers came to the house, rescued me, and I needed to give the police a statement. That statement involved admitting not only what my father had done, but that I'd also played a role in criminal activity.

Paxton had been present as I gave my statement, the look on his face rather stoic throughout. Deep down, I knew what it meant. It was the beginning of the end for us .

Everything had been a blur. And it was only by some miracle—or Paxton's words or promises—that a couple hours after he'd shown up and rescued me from that horrible, horrible situation, we were finally able to leave and return home.

The drive back had been silent.

Well, not entirely.

There had been conversation, but it was mostly muted and between Paxton and two of his coworkers. Since so many of them had come out in a couple of vehicles, they needed to ride back with us.

I didn't necessarily mind.

As the guys spoke, it gave me time to think, to prepare for what was ahead for me. The guys had made a couple of phone calls and were having one of their buddies meet us at Paxton's place, so he'd be able to bring me straight home without the need to make an additional stop at Harper Security Ops. Hart was waiting here for them when we arrived.

Paxton had been nothing short of amazing. He opened my door for me and held my hand firmly in his as he walked me to my front door. I had suspected he might come inside for a few minutes, just to make sure everything was okay, but he said, "I need to run home to let the dogs out."

I gave him a nod. "Okay."

"I'll be back in five minutes, okay?"

"What?"

"I'll be back as soon as I let the dogs out and make sure they're all settled for the night," he clarified.

I jerked my chin back, surprised by his reaction. "You want to come back here? "

He nodded. "Yes."

Closure.

That's likely what it was.

He wanted to end this, and because he was such a good guy, he didn't want to have to rush it. So, he was going to take care of his animals and come back once he knew they were okay. He'd do that just to end things properly, to do it in a way that was respectful for both of us. I should have expected nothing less than that from him.

As much as it felt like my heart was bleeding, I knew there wasn't a chance I could do anything to stop this. And the truth was that I shouldn't try anyway.

Paxton deserved better than me. I'd always believed that from the start. At this point, I needed to be happy I had the time with him that I did.

So, I accepted my fate and offered him a nod. "Okay. Sure."

A moment later, he was gone.

I wanted to crumble to the ground and cry. Instead, I closed my door and instantly felt Sasha at my feet.

The relief I felt at seeing her again was unmatched. I scooped her up and cuddled her close, finding that the tears were going to leak from my eyes anyway. And until there was a knock at my door, that was all I did. I held Sasha as tears rolled down my cheeks.

When I opened the door again, Paxton stepped inside and said, "I'm sorry about that. I went as quickly as I could."

"It's okay," I murmured.

Paxton took in the sight of my face—likely all red and splotchy—and sent me a look that indicated he felt sorry for me. I hated it. I hated feeling like he pitied me .

Realizing it was late and that I could no longer hold off what was bound to happen, I walked away from the front door and into the living room, Paxton following behind me. We sat on the couch, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

So, I waited.

I waited for Paxton to say what he felt compelled to say.

He didn't.

And all the waiting became torturous.

I hated that even more, so I decided to do something about it. I twisted my neck to look at him and urged, "You can just tell me. I know it's coming."

Paxton's head dropped toward his shoulder. "Pardon?"

"Please don't make me be the one to do this," I begged, my voice raspy.

"Do what, exactly?"

It seemed I was going to be the one to do this. Maybe that's what I deserved, though. I hadn't been able to convince myself to give him the truth at any point over the last few weeks. Perhaps this was what I'd need to endure now.

"It's over between us."

Something changed in the air the second the words were out of my mouth. I didn't know what exactly was happening, but I could feel the heaviness bearing down on me like a lead weight. It was all coming from Paxton.

"What did you just say?" he asked, his voice quiet but firm.

I swallowed hard. "I understand, Paxton. If I were you, I wouldn't want anything to do with me, either."

"I don't know where you're getting this, Aria, but I never said I didn't want anything to do with you," he corrected me.

Right. I should have expected that much.

"Okay. Well, I guess I don't expect you're the kind of man who'd cut me off completely. That you'd remain a nice neighbor, because it's just in your nature. But I understand that the romantic relationship we had is over."

The silence that followed was so heavy, it was a wonder the floor didn't crack beneath us.

Finally, Paxton asked, "Why would you say that?"

My bottom lip quivered. "At the very least, because I couldn't be honest with you from the start. But mostly because I'm no better than the men you rescued me from today. I'm no better than my father. I stuck around for a year after I learned the truth and continued to paint, even when I knew what my paintings were being used for."

As a single tear rolled down my cheek, the pain in my heart grew unbearable. Paxton lifted his hand to the side of my face and used the pad of his thumb to swipe at my tear. Then his fingers drove back into my hair and settled at the back of my skull.

"I hate that you never felt confident enough in me and who I thought the two of us were becoming together to feel like you could trust me with the truth sooner. But if you think that me learning the truth how I did is a reason for me to walk away, you're crazy."

I jerked my head back in surprise, Paxton's fingertips pressing in deeper. "What?"

"I have no intention of ending this between us, Aria."

"You… you don't?"

He shook his head.

"But… but I'm… I'm?— "

"The woman I've fallen in love with," he declared, cutting me off.

The feeling that washed over me was like nothing I'd felt before. It was warmth and butterflies and hope and understanding and patience all wrapped up in one. I wanted to burst into tears at the relief and utter joy I felt.

Paxton wasn't finished. "I don't care that you were thrown into a situation you had no control over beyond the deception you experienced over it. I hate that for you. I hate that you didn't have a choice in that. And I understand why you stuck around for a year afterward. I understand that you're a good woman who loves her family unconditionally and wanted to find a way to fix what was happening. Why would I ever want to walk away from a woman who has the power to love the people in her life like that?"

My heart.

My poor bleeding heart.

"You love me?"

The corners of his mouth tipped up. "I do."

I'd been telling myself this for weeks, but there was no arguing it now. Paxton was the greatest man I'd ever met. Nobody compared to him.

I stared at him, wondering how I'd ever be able to tell him how much he meant to me. I struggled to come up with the words he deserved to hear, but I realized there were far too many to express that I might not ever finish. So, I went with what I thought was the most important.

"I love you, too."

Paxton seemed to be caught off guard. "What?"

Maybe he needed clarification, like I'd needed on just about everything he'd shared with me tonight. "I know you heard me telling the officers not only what happened over the last several years, but also what happened tonight. Despite being kidnapped and thrown into that room with my family. Despite untying them and sharing the truth about what was going on with my mom and sister, not one of them thought I was worth figuring out a way to get out of it. None of them cared that it would cost me my morals, my dignity, to paint again, especially for such nefarious reasons. They are who they are, and I can't change them. I figured it was best to get myself out and try to find a way to love them from afar. But then they stopped that. They stopped me from escaping. My sister yelled for those men to come in and stop me, and my dad held me down while they tied me up. Maybe my mom didn't do any of that, but she didn't stop them, either. She didn't even untie me once we were alone again. That's when it hit me, and I felt so guilty. I was loving people who didn't care about me, while I hadn't been honest with the one person who'd shown me what real love is. I was terrified that I'd learned just how much I felt for you when it was already too late."

Paxton scooted closer to me on the couch, wrapped his arms around me, and urged me toward him. I happily went, and Sasha chose that moment to hop down off my lap. Maybe she realized how much I needed both of my arms, so I could wrap them around Paxton.

He tightened his arms around me, the feel of his embrace undeniably reassuring. "It's not too late, Aria. We're just getting started."

With my cheek pressed to his chest, I squeezed him back. "Thank you for coming to rescue me."

I felt Paxton's lips kiss the top of my head and linger there when he whispered, "I've never been so afraid as I was tonight."

I tipped my chin up to look at him. "I thought you didn't get scared in your line of work."

Holding me firmly against him with one arm, Paxton drove his other hand into my hair and reasoned, "The woman I love was never in danger."

I smiled back at him before dropping my cheek to his chest once more. We stayed like that a long time, neither one of us saying a word. Despite the silence, I didn't doubt we were both battling racing minds.

A long time had passed before Paxton asked, "Are you okay?"

"What?"

"After everything that happened," he clarified. "I know you're okay in the physical sense, but I'm worried about what you went through. Are you okay?"

I didn't quite know how to answer that. There were parts of me that felt better than I could have ever hoped for in my life while there were other parts that were beaten down and broken.

"There are parts of my heart that I don't think will ever heal, Paxton," I revealed. "What happened in that house tonight is just… horrifying. I don't know how easily I'll be able to move past some of it. But this other part of my heart feels so full, I'm surprised it hasn't burst. At this point, I think I need time when it comes to healing my heart."

"That's fair. What about here?" he asked, tapping his finger lightly on my head. "How is this doing?"

"I know those men were taken into custody, but I feel unsettled. What if there are more of them? What if they come back here?"

"I suspected you were going to have some concerns. I hope you know I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you stay safe. I'm going to have some cameras and a security system put in here for you, too. And every night, I will stay with you. Whether that's at my place or yours, I won't leave you alone at night. I'll meet you at the pub or take you there myself, so you never have to worry about coming home alone. Whatever else I can do for you, Aria, I will."

I turned my head, so my forehead was pressing firmly against his chest, and I released a deep sigh. "You should know that it's not just your animals that are lucky, Paxton. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have met you. I don't know where I'd be right now if you hadn't come into my life. I don't even know what to do with the love and concern you show for me."

Squeezing his arms around me, Paxton pressed another kiss to the top of my head. "We're going to have to figure out how to help you get used to it, because I'm not going anywhere."

With just that single statement, he made me feel better. So, I knew it was only a matter of time before Paxton accomplished what he set out to do and got me to a point where I'd be used to feeling so loved.

Following a beat of silence, I said, "It's late."

"Yeah. Do you want to stay at my place or yours tonight?"

I didn't have any concerns about my safety at home when Paxton was with me, but I still didn't want to spend the night here tonight. Looking up at him again, I asked, "Can we stay at yours?"

He smiled at me. "We can stay wherever you'd like. Let's grab Sasha, get what you need, and get out of here."

"Okay."

I loosened my hold on him and attempted to get up. But my movements were stopped when Paxton's hand clamped around my wrist.

I shot him a questioning look.

"It's been hours since I've kissed you properly. Do you think I could get one now before you scramble out of my lap?"

There was nothing I wanted more than to kiss him. So, I smiled, leaned in, and touched my lips to his. Paxton allowed me to kiss him for all of a few seconds before he took over and deepened the kiss.

By the time he stopped kissing me, my lips were swollen and begging for more. Paxton noticed and happily helped me gather up what I needed to spend the night at his place. And once we were settled there with all the pets, he led us to a place where we could express our love for one another in a way that didn't require the use of any words.