I swear to God, no matter what I say to this woman, I’m destined to fuck it up.
“No. Fuck no.” I wrap my arms around her and yank her into my chest, letting her tears soak my shirt. “I did that all by myself.”
“Then—”
She sniffles, and I hug her harder.
“What I meant is that just because something looks perfect from the outside doesn’t mean it is, and the things that look like a complete disaster are sometimes better than we could ever imagine.” I pull back, and she lifts her chin to meet my gaze. Her blue eyes shine with tears, and just like it always has, it guts me to see her cry.
“We’ve always thrived in the middle of chaos. In the middle of adversity. That’s where you and I excel. All you have to do is give me another chance, and we can make this work. I swear to you we can.”
“How can you think it would end any differently than in some kind of fiery disaster, with us running in opposite directions, and the world burning down around our ears?”
I cup her chin and stare into her eyes. “Because this time I’m not giving up. Because with you and me against the world, we can’t lose.”
When my lips touch hers, everything else falls away, and the Whitney I remember comes to life in my arms.
I fumble for my door handle, thankful that my thumbprint opens it, and I pull her inside and pin her against the door.
Whitney claws at my shoulders even as she says against my lips, “We shouldn’t do this. This is a terrible idea. I’m cursed. I swear I am.”
“Shut up, Blue. I’m a hell of a lot more worried about you kissing me than cursing me.”
I lift her into my arms and carry her to my bed. The bed where I’ve never had another woman. The bed where I’ve only ever wanted this woman.
I’ve waited years for another chance. I’m not going to fuck it up.
Not this time.