Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 79670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
My heart beats so fast in my chest that it’s all I can hear in the quiet of the room. I don’t even think I’m breathing as I wait for her answer. Her eyes leave mine as she looks down, and then the heart beating so fast in my chest feels like it stops. “I can’t promise you anything.”
“All I want is a chance,” I tell her. “I just need a chance to show you how I’ve changed. I need a chance for you to see how much I love you. I just need a chance.” Her eyes move up to mine, and I wait for her answer, unsure how it will go if she says no.
SEVENTEEN
GABRIELLA
“All I want is a chance,” he tells me as he holds my face in his hands. My heart is soaring in my chest at his words. He is standing in the middle of the room where I thought it would be the end the last time I saw him. But this time, he’s the one pouring out his heart. My eyes go from his and then down to look at the floor, not sure I can stand seeing what is in his eyes. It’s just so much more than I thought it would be. “I just need a chance to show you how I’ve changed. I need a chance for you to see how much I love you. I just need a chance.” My eyes finally go up again to see his eyes. My ears are not sure if I heard him actually say he loves me.
“What?” is the only word that escapes me. All I could do was look at him during his whole declaration, saying he loved me. The back of my neck burned with nerves while my stomach flipped and flopped back and forth as he stood there and bared his soul to me.
“What part did you not understand?” he asks, his voice breaking. “It’s you, Gabriella.” He smiles through his own tears. “It’s always been you.”
I can’t even believe that I’m entertaining this. “If you would have asked me eight months ago,” I start to tell him, my mouth suddenly getting super dry. “I would have said you were insane.” I blink away the tears, and one escapes me, but his thumb catches it and wipes it away.
“Sadly, my head was still stuck up my ass eight months ago,” he jokes, trying to laugh, but it comes out shaky. I also laugh nervously at his joke. “But now here we are.” I know if I don’t give him a chance, if I don’t do this, it’ll always be a what-if, and I’ll regret it forever.
“Okay,” I finally say in almost a whisper. That is the only word I say because all the other words are stuck at the lump in my throat.
I know I’m not the only one in shock when his mouth opens and hangs there. His eyes move from my mouth to my eyes and then back again and again. The shock is written all over his face. I don’t know why that just makes me even happier. It also makes my heart so full. As I take in his beautiful face, it makes my stomach flip-flop over and over. “Really?”
“As long as you know that I’m not promising anything,” I repeat, because no matter how much my heart wants to give in to this, my head is screaming at me to run the other way.
“As long as you know.” He rubs his nose with mine, my body shivering at his touch. “In the end, you’re going to be mine.” I roll my eyes at his words while my knees go weak. Which sort of angers me also because this is the thing my female relatives hear all the time. It’s also what I said I would never fall for. It is also time to admit that it’s okay to be worshipped by the man you love. Not that you love him, my head quickly snaps out.
“Relax there, Romeo.” I start to say something else, but I can’t because his lips lower onto mine. I think my heart even sighs when he kisses me. My mouth opens for him as his tongue slides in to play with mine. My hands go to his hips, and then I close the little distance between us as I slide my hands up his chest and wrap them around his neck. As his hands fall from my face, he turns his head to the side to deepen the kiss. His tongue goes around and around as he pulls me even closer to him. His kiss leaves me breathless and aching for more.
My hand plays with the collar of his shirt, and I’m about to move my hand from the back of his shirt to the front of it when he lets go of my lips softly. “Did you just tell me you would give me a chance?” he asks softly again as he kisses my lips. “Say it again.” He trails kisses from my lips to my cheek and down to my chin.