Claim - Page 98

“Thanks for letting me sleep in.”

“You needed it.”

“I know.” Her lips twitched. “But the reason I was tired was so worth it.”

I forced myself to stay cool. I had to do what was right for Bell, what was best. “Simon called.”

I saw her tense a little.

“Carr died in the hospital.”

“Oh.” Her smile slipped and she clasped her hands together. Then she shook her head. “I suppose I should feel something…but I don’t. I hated him, feared him, for so long. Knowing he’s gone, well, it just lifts a weight. I feel relief.”

“It doesn’t make you a bad person to feel that way after everything.”

She nodded.

I pulled in a deep breath. “So, when are you leaving for Texas?”

She blinked. “What?”

“You’re safe now. Like you said, the burden of Carr isn’t weighing you down anymore. You can see your mom. Go back to school. Go home.”

She took a step toward the desk. “I’ve been the happiest I’ve ever been here, in New Orleans.” She straightened. “With you.”

I made a scoffing sound. “You’re too smart to work in the gym, Bell. And too smart to stay with a guy like me.”

She cocked her head. “A guy like you?”

Dammit. She was making this hard. I rose. “Come on, we both know I’m too old for you, too rough, too… You know what I come from, and you deserve to go out there and find the right guy for you. Make the right life for you.”

Her face turned pinched. “I thought I’d found the right guy.”

Her words were like a kick to my chest.

She strode closer, and slapped her hands on my desk. “I thought I’d found a man who supported me, protected me. One who, in bed, lights me up in ways I’ve never imagined. A man who holds me tight in his strong arms.”

Fuck. I looked at the floor. “It was never going to be forever. I don’t do forever.”

“Because you don’t want it or don’t think you deserve it?”

My head jerked up.

“You do, Beau. Your parents might have been bad people, but you aren’t. I know you can’t believe every foster kid out there with bad parents deserves to cut themselves off from love.”

Hell, she made me want to believe. I wanted to grab her and hold her tight.

But I cared enough to do what was best for her.

Fuck, I loved her. I felt a thud in my chest. I loved her so much and wanted everything for her.

“This—” I waved a hand between us “—has run its course, angel. It’s time for you to go home.”

To my horror, tears formed in her eyes. She looked at me—strong and direct—as the glittering tears spilled down her cheeks.

Fuck, they cut deep.

“All the words about having my back, being a team, doing things together was garbage.” A small, painful laugh escaped her. “I was busy falling in love with you, and you’ve been waiting for a chance to shove me out the door.”