Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
He shrugged. “Just a lot of research,” he told me, not opening his eyes. “The professor set an almost impossible deadline for this paper, and I’m busting my ass to get everything together while juggling my other courses.”
I reached out and ran my fingers under his eyes where the skin was dark, showing he wasn’t getting as much rest as he should. He had been coming to bed after I was asleep, and he was up before I was, so he couldn’t be sleeping much.
Even Julian slept a bit longer than he did, and he had to be at practice by seven-thirty each morning.
“You need to get some rest, Axel,” I lightly scolded.
He sighed, opening his dark eyes to look at me. “I know I do, sweet girl, but I can’t right now. Once I complete this paper, then I can, but right now, it’s not realistic.”
I sighed. “I hate your professor,” I grumbled.
Axel laughed. “That makes two of us, sweet girl.”
He lifted my sketchbook and looked at the drawing. A smile tilted his lips. “Missing your rose bush, sweet girl?”
I nodded as I took a bite of a strawberry. “As weird as it sounds, I saw myself in that rose bush,” I told him, though I already knew he knew that. “I remember them talking about digging it up because it wasn’t blooming properly this year; they thought it died.” I sighed. “I begged them not to.” I smiled. “It bloomed.”
“It was just a late bloomer,” Axel said with a shrug. He reached out and grabbed my hand. “Just like you. I always knew you would bloom into something beautiful, sweet girl.”
I blushed. “You were part of the reason I did,” I reminded him.
He shrugged. “I was just there for support, sweet girl. All of the healing and growth you did was all you, and I’m so proud of you for facing all of the hurt and pain.”
I smiled at him tenderly as tears washed in my eyes. I squeezed his hand. “I—" I paused, drawing in a deep, shaky breath. “I love you, Axel.” There. I’d said. I finally told him how I felt. I was head over heels for this man.
He quickly sat up and cupped my face in his hands, drawing my lips to his. “Fuck, sweet girl, I love you, too,” he whispered against my lips. A tear slid down my cheek. He kissed it away before he pulled back to let his dark eyes meet mine. “I’ve loved you since I saw you sitting in that center completely nervous and on the verge of falling back into all that darkness. But you didn’t, and you cried so beautifully, sweet girl, all while you stayed gripping that edge, never falling over.”
I sobbed as I threw my arms around his neck. He drew me into his lap. I wrapped my arms around him and curled up into him as I rested my head on his shoulder. He tightened his arms around me, holding me tightly.
* * *
✶ ✶ ✶
* * *
Julian stepped into the kitchen, a hard expression on his face. I swallowed thickly when I saw him set my bottle of antidepressants on the table.
He’d found out.
“Meghan, sit down,” he ordered.
My heart thumped crazily in my chest as I dropped into a chair. I should have known he would have checked my bottle. The past couple of days had been rough with the move and trying to adjust, and I’d felt myself losing my grip.
So, I had been taking a couple extra each day. I hadn’t thought it was a big deal, and I felt okay again once I took them—a bit tired, but fine.
“I can explain,” I rushed out, fear making it hard to look at him.
“Axel!” Julian shouted. I flinched. Axel would take this the hardest after what happened with Alli.
Axel stepped into the dining room, his eyes moving to the bottle of antidepressants Julian had on the table before flicking to me. He finally looked at Julian. “What’s going on?”
Julian turned his angry eyes to me. “Meghan, want to inform Axel of what you did?”
Tears filled my eyes. “I took extra,” I told them. Axel’s face twisted angrily. “I can explain!” I cried. I reached up to rub my chest. “Please let me explain,” I begged.
“Start talking,” Axel ordered. For once, his voice wasn’t soft and soothing. It was hard and angry.
“After everything that happened with Alli, and then the move, it was a lot to deal with.” I rubbed harder at my chest when it began to ache. “I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t want to worry you guys. You both are already dealing with so much, so I took a couple extra. It helped. Please believe me,” I pleaded. “I would never harm myself or the baby on purpose.”