Shannon’s Reviews > Garnet Flats > Status Update

Talia asked as she came downstairs, joining me in the kitchen, where I was finishing up the dishes from dinner. She was wearing one of my T-shirts, the hem hitting midthigh. Her hair was wet from the shower, and her face was clean, her cheeks flushed. In all my life, I’d never seen a more beautiful woman. Never would.

“I’m just confused. A little hurt. And jealous. I hate that you can tell when she’s about to cry, and that when she has a problem, you’re who she turns to. And I know I shouldn’t be jealous. But I am.” I took her hand in mine, peeling her fingertips away from her palm, then pressed it against my chest. “She never had my heart.” “She had seven years.” “And I’ll give you seventy.”

Foster had held me like I was his tether to the earth. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do to have him hold me like that every day. Even forgive. Maybe I already had.

Today was another beginning. It would be okay, right? This wasn’t a horrible decision. I was doing the smart thing by moving us here. My self-assurances landed flat. Please don’t let this be a mistake.

And fuck, it had felt good to lose myself in her body. To see that desire in her eyes. To hear her say my name… My hopes were up. The chances of forgiveness were slim, yet still . . . I hoped with abandon. Talia had said I’d lost the woman she’d been. Well, I sure as hell wasn’t going to lose her again. Not if I could help it. So I’d begin this year with honesty. With a confession that was long overdue.

Fuck, she was beautiful. I would have sworn she couldn’t get more breathtaking, yet she had managed the impossible. The air rushed from my lungs. My heart beat too fast. Seeing Talia was like being hit in the chest. It had been the same last night. How many times had I wished to see her face, to stand in the same room and breathe the same air, just one more time?

She sniffled, wiping her cheeks dry. Then she closed her eyes, dropping her face to her hands. “Sorry.” “Why do you keep apologizing?” “For crying.” “So?” I tugged at her wrists, pulling her hands down until I could see her face. She dragged in a shaky breath. “I don’t like crying in front of people.” “I’m not people. I’m the man who loves you. Tear stained or not.”

He nodded his thanks, then took a sip. All while he kept his hand clasped with mine. I didn’t try to take it away. At the moment, he looked like he needed it.

You’ll never be just Talia. Not to me. In the four days since Foster and Kadence had come to the hospital, I’d replayed his words a hundred times. A thousand. And every time, my heart ached a little less. My anger faded a little more. Time was healing. So were truths.

I was banking on Talia’s natural curiosity to bring her here today. I needed to see her again. I needed to see her a hundred times. Maybe then I’d realize this wasn’t a dream. Seven years I’d waited for this chance. Seven goddamn years and I couldn’t risk fucking it up.