A strange tingling sensation took up in my stomach.
“I rode all the way to Seattle to find you.”
“You came to Seattle?”
I didn’t know. He had never come to see me. Or contacted me to let me know he was in town. But, why would he? The last time we had spoken I’d told him to stay away from me.
“I rode to your hospital. Waited for you to finish your shift.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“But when I saw you, you were leaving with someone. He had his arms around you, and just as you stepped outside, he paused to kiss you. You were smiling, Indy. You looked so happy. And I knew then, in that moment, that I had no right to be there. I’d had my chance with you and I had blown it. But even then, I couldn’t walk away. I made myself watch you walk off with him, even though my body ached and my mind screamed at me to run after you. How could I? He said something and you laughed, and I could see he made you truly happy. So, I accepted that you were gone and I had to get over it and move on.”
The man he was talking about was a guy called Peter. He was a plastic surgeon at SeaTac Medical where I worked. He was also a huge dating disaster. We had dated for a month and he was charming and interesting. But it ended when I walked in on him eating his receptionist’s pussy during his lunch hour.
I let out a deep breath. I didn’t know what to say.
“He meant nothing,” I finally said. “We dated for a few weeks. But it was nothing.”
“What about Anson?”
His question surprised me.
“What about him?” I asked.
“Did you love him?”
“That’s a random question,” I said.
It wasn’t really. But it caught me off guard.
“Did you?” he asked again, an edge to his voice.
I thought about it and then nodded. “I loved him, yes. But I wasn’t in love with him.”
I felt Cade’s body weaken against me, and when I looked up I saw his jaw was fixed as he stared up at the ceiling.
“That makes me feel insane,” he said finally, his voice hoarse and dark. The silver rings on his fingers glinted in the dim light as he ran his hand through his hair. And he exhaled deeply to calm whatever storm was taking place inside of him.
“I’m pretty sure you weren’t celibate during the past twelve years,” I reminded him.
“No. I wasn’t. But I was never in love with anyone.”
“What about Krista? You didn’t love her?”
“No.”
“Isaac said everyone thought you would marry her.”
“Clearly, they were wrong.”
“But you would marry me?” I held up my left hand where Cade’s pinky ring was still on my finger.
“In a heartbeat.” He gave me a sexy, close-lipped smile that pressed his dimples deeper into his cheeks.
I smiled and settled back into his chest.
And then, for reasons only God would know, that was when the realization hit me.
Out of nowhere.
I lifted my head, and my brows pulled in.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” I said with the breathiness of disbelief.
It wasn’t a question. I already knew the answer. And it seemed crazy to me that I had never put two and two together before now.
Cade frowned. “I’m not following.”
I sat up. “When I was in med school my scholarship fell through. The school received a payment from an anonymous benefactor. I figured it must have been the club. My mom said she didn’t know who it was. For years I wondered.” I looked him in the eye. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
He half sat up, his hard stomach rippling with the deep curves and dips of his abdominal muscles. Heat radiated off his strong body as he fixed me with his blue gaze.
“Does it matter?” he asked.
A love so powerful, and so overwhelming washed over me. This man, this towering beast of a man with all his tattoos and muscles—he was the most beautiful soul I had ever met. A fierce love soared through me. My heart swelled, completely seduced by his love for me and the lengths he would go to make me happy.
“I love you so much,” I said, tears welling in my eyes. I rose up onto my knees and felt his strong abs flex and clench as I slid onto him and took his face in my hands. Leaning down, I kissed him tenderly. “Thank you for loving me so much.”
His hands slid up my thighs to my back, his strong fingers trailing up and down my spine. Here, with him, I felt so cared for, so loved, so honored. I sealed my mouth to his and pushed my fingers through his hair as our kiss deepened and I lost myself in the beauty of the only man I could ever love this fiercely.