He nodded. “I’ve got a nightlight in the guest bathroom. We’ll move it up here.”
“I’m sorry.” I sniffled, tears welling once more. “I’m so sorry you had to see that.” I swallowed against the humiliation and looked at the white wet cloths coating my arms, hating that I needed them desperately.
Killian cupped my cheeks and forced me to look at him. “Never apologize for your nightmares. They are a natural part of healing. One by one, we’ll work through them. And when I have one of mine, you’ll be there for me, right?”
“I will.” I nodded avidly, wanting to be that safe space for him that he was becoming for me.
“The cold cloths help, yeah?”
“So much. I don’t know why. And I haven’t had a nightmare like this in at least a month. I thought they were gone.”
“I’ve been back almost eighteen months and I still have nightmares. Like you, they go away for a long while, and then something I don’t even realize triggers me and then just like that,” he snapped his fingers. “They’re back. Again, it’s part of the process. You had a jam-packed day, Addy. A lot of it was pleasant, but so much of it wasn’t.”
I licked my lips. “You shouldn’t have to deal with this when you’ve got your own worries,” I croaked, the sorrow and shame buckling my resolve.
He lifted my chin with his hands. “What did I say to you before? There is no place I’d rather be, and I meant that. I firmly believe that people come into our lives for a reason.” He dipped his head and looked straight into my watery eyes.
“Addy, I was losing hope in what I wanted to do in my career—with my photography, the one thing I was most passionate about. I didn’t even want to lift the camera up again since the last thing I saw through it were my friends who died. Then you show up in this sinfully sexy lingerie, walking on that set with a splendor unlike any I’ve ever known, and I looked at you through my camera and saw nothing but beauty. It was like seeing the sun after a year of darkness. You gave me hope that day. Hope that I could find my place in this world once again.”
“Killian,” I whispered and reached out to place my hand over his bare chest where his heart beat, needing to touch him physically, as he touched me with his words.
“Addy, I know it’s fast, but I’m falling in love with you. When I see your face, I want to photograph it so everyone can see such beauty. When I see your smile, I want to memorize it to remember when I’m feeling down. When I see you with my dog, I see a future where children of mine are running around being doted on by their mother. Addy, every time I look at you, I see my future. And baby, it is so bright. You just have to open your eyes. It’s right there in front of you. Stop pushing against this. Reach for it like I am. Accept it for what it is. Us finding our match. Finding the one person in the world meant just for us.”
The tears fell as his words pierced my heart and filled it with a glowing light that spread through my veins taking away the pain, the fear, the anxiety, and the doubts that were preventing me from leaping into this with him.
“I want to be your light, Killian. I want that more than anything.”
“Baby, you already are. Just soak it up. Let me show you how good it can be…” he whispered, his face getting closer inch by inch.
I flung the towels off my arms and into the sink, the fiery sensation long gone. Another fire was brewing, one that only Killian could ignite.
Killian slowly removed the cloth from my neck and tossed it with the others, then his hands came down to the hem of the simple seafoam green cotton nightgown I’d drunkenly put on before crashing almost face first into his bed after a great dinner with his friend.
He slowly started to push the hem up my thighs. His gaze flared with intensity as he drew the cotton over my hips to my waist. One of his brows cocked in question.
I nodded so he continued to push the fabric up my torso. I raised my arms in the air as my large breasts were revealed inch by inch.