Beautiful Beast - Page 121

Chapter 28

Adam

There’saloudknockon the bedroom door before Belle announces that she and Buster are coming in.

She’s only wearing my T-shirt, and in addition to the marks all over her from last night, her face is still bruised from when she snuck into my room.

And I hate it.

But instead of pushing her away, I smile and she rushes to join me in bed. My arms wrap around her and she melds perfectly to my body, nuzzling into my bare chest. Buster jumps up and lies at the foot of the bed, instantly snoring away.

I’m glad he didn’t hold it against me that I hurt the love of his life.

Maybe he knows that she’s the love of my life too.

“I’m going to fix everything,” I promise. “I want you in my bed all night every night.”

Sending her to the guest room last night was torture, and I was cursing the brokenness that kept me from her.

She promised to stay away and we’re finally on the same page about next steps.

“I want to be here,” she replies. “And I know it will happen.”

“Last night was…”

She bites her full lower lip and looks up into my eyes. “Intense.”

“Yeah.”

She cups my face and kisses my jaw. “I’m sorry that I was so hard on you. I just… I felt like I had to be to get through to you. But just know that even when you drive me absolutely crazy, there’s no one that I love more.”

“You’re pretty fucking sexy when you’re mad at me, but I’ll think of a better way to piss you off in the future when I want my firecracker back. I’m not going to run away from the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I still don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“Mostly, you don’t. But you somehow get me anyway.”

I chuckle. “I’m sorry that I’m such a fuckup, Belle. I wasn’t expecting to be with anyone when I got home from Syria. My head wasn’t right. Well, I guess it still isn’t. But I’ll get there. I want to be the man you need.”

“You already are.”

“I’m so grateful to have you in my life,” I tell her, meaning it. “The timing sucks, but we’ll get there.”

I don’t care if I have to find time to go to therapy every single day and take drugs for the rest of my life, I’m going to create a safe space in my home where Belle can be with me whether I’m awake or asleep.

It’s untenable to spend the rest of my life worried about what I’m going to do while I sleep. I’m tired of my past controlling the present and threatening my future.

“And speaking of timing… There’s something I have to tell you,” Belle says.

“What’s up?”

“I found a bump on Buster.”

Tears immediately fill her eyes, and I kiss the top of her head. “Is he okay?”

“I’m having the mass tested right now. I wish the sale of my grandmother’s place was going through sooner. Of course, I’m praying it’s benign, but if it isn’t, treatment is going to be crazy expensive. I’ve been saving for something, but I’m going to use the money for my sweet boy instead.”

“I’ll give you money for Buster.”

“You don’t have to do that.”