He stopped speaking and saw her lips were not parted.
Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were huge.
Then she snapped her mouth shut.
Then she asked, “You beat up Shift?”
“Bessie called me, told me he was dickin’ with you, got outta bed, hauled my ass to Dallas and, yeah, the one word he spoke he had to spit out a mouthful of blood to speak it.”
“You beat up Shift.” This time it was a statement so Walker didn’t respond. Then she asked, “You arranged a ride in a private jet to get to me?”
“Mama, you were in f**kin’ Florida. First, I cannot take that time to drive it, too much of a risk someone findin’ out I’m gone and where I went. I did not want to bring you back only to be sent away. Second, I take that time to drive it and find you’ve moved on, I lose that time. I had to catch a flight and that was the only option open for me.”
Lexie didn’t speak, she just stared at him.
So he started, “Lex –” but got no further.
And he got no further because she whispered, “You know, I love you too.”
That thing, that thing she gave him that started to settle again, shifted and warmed, digging deep, taking root.
“Lexie –” he whispered back, his arms convulsing around her but he again got no further.
“Fell in love with you when I opened my eyes in Vegas, turned in bed and saw you put my bouquet in a vase.”
Fuck him.
Fuck… him.
“Shut it, mama.” He was still whispering.
“At the pool, when you showed, my day started.”
His arms now gave her a warning squeeze.
“Shut it,” he growled.
“Sitting at the breakfast table, seeing your wedding ring, being able to really look at it on your finger up close for the first time, I had to touch it so I could remind myself I was the one who got to put it there.”
Fuck.
Him.
“Shut it.” This time, it was a rumble.
“The next morning, when you didn’t show at the pool, I had to find you so I could start my day.”
He rolled and shifted until he was on top of her and he repeated, “Shut it.”
“Six weeks without you, I’d wake up and hours later go to sleep and not once did my day dawn.”
“Baby, shut… it.”
“You took the shadow off my world.”
All right, his woman wasn’t going to shut it; he was going to shut it for her.
So he set about doing that.