“You’re running from your demons. I understand that bett
er than most. I joined the SEALs to get away from mine. Instead, I found your brother. And for some fucked up reason, he wanted me to fight for my life. And he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I can help you get out of that place, Eden.”
She licked her lips. “I’m not some jigsaw you can piece back together.”
“Who says I want to do that? Maybe I like you broken.”
She shook her head. “You don’t.” That wasn’t who Zeke was. He was the hero not the villain. He didn’t want her down and beaten. He wanted to make her better.
He did make her better.
“No, I don’t. But that doesn’t mean I’m trying to remake you into what you were. That’s long gone. And I like the Eden that’s here now. I don’t always like what she says and thinks. She has some pretty negative views on herself, she does things that I definitely don’t agree with, especially when they risk her health and safety. But those are things I intend to address.”
She licked her dry lips. Nerves fluttered inside her.
“What if I said I wanted to merge my jagged pieces with yours?” he whispered. “Make two halves into a whole.”
“I’d say you were crazy. I’d say it can’t be done.”
“That a dare, baby?”
“No.” Was it?
“Oh, I think it was. And you know how I like a challenge.”
Oh, fuck.
“Please, Zeke. Please don’t let me hurt you.”
“Only way to hurt me is to try to keep me from you. It’s not going to work, but you can try and that will hurt me.”
It was the last thing she wanted. She rubbed at her chest, it felt like something was weighing her down, stealing her breath.
“What if I let you in and you change your mind? What if you discover I’m too broken? I’m not worth fixing?”
“Damn it, Eden. Stop saying you’re not worth anything. You. Are. Everything. My everything. I spent most of my life with nothing. I thought I was nothing. Now I have a family. I have a woman. I have fucking everything. You think I’m ever going to give all that up? Fuck, no. I’m possessive as hell, Eden. I promise, I will never leave you.”
His face was tormented. She was doing that. Her. She couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t hurt him. She was his. All his. There would never be anyone else for her. Something inside her broke, but in a good way. In a way that let him in completely. That allowed her to realize that no matter what she revealed to him, he would always stand by her.
“Nothing in life is guaranteed, Eden. We both know that. You lost your parents. My father didn’t want anything to do with me. My mother couldn’t be bothered with me. We have to grab what we can when we can.”
“Being with me will never be easy,” she warned him.
He started to laugh. She just gaped at him. “Baby girl, I knew that from the moment I met you. Don’t worry, I like a challenge. It just makes everything sweeter when I get to the reward.”
She narrowed her gaze at him. “Oh, I’m a reward, am I?”
“Hm, sometimes.” He winked at her.
She growled. “Say that again, I dare you.”
He lifted his hands. “I’m going to pass on that one.” His face softened. “I love you, Eden Jensen.”
“I love you, Zeke Jonas.” That weight on her chest started to lift.
“We’re going to need to sit down and have a serious conversation about this skewed view you have of yourself. I’m going to work on that self-esteem. Luckily, we have a lifetime together, because it might just take that long.”
“Zeke!” She whacked his arm, unable to believe he was joking at a time like this. What happened to Mr. Serious?