Alex glanced up then back down at her. “Not long. It’s almost empty.”
“I feel like I’ve been run over.” Every muscle in her body ached, and if it was this bad now, it’d be far worse in the morning.
He didn’t stop staring at her, his gaze boring into her as if he could see every fear, every insecurity. She bit her lip. Maybe he was going to tell her she was fired. He’d helped her, but that was because he was a good man. It didn’t change things. He needed to think of Boom first, and Elisa was definitely not good for either of them.
“Elisa.” He stopped and then started again. “Elisa, I’m so sorry I left back there.”
She held her breath for a moment as his words sank in. So totally not what she’d been bracing herself to hear. “You came back.”
It was all she could think of.
He shook his head. “You were right. I didn’t believe you, and you never gave me any reason to doubt you. It was worse than betraying you.”
Tears welled up before she could stop them. “Do you believe me now?”
It was important for him to trust her. Because it mattered more than she had words to explain. He needed to believe her, always, or she might as well leave as soon as she could get released from this emergency room.
Alex placed his hand on her bedside, palm up. She stared at the invitation for a long moment and placed her hand in his, hoping he’d be very careful with the heart she was placing in his care, too.
“I wasn’t being fair to us,” he said quietly. “I was trying to compartmentalize too many things in life. Asking you to separate the work we were doing for Hope’s Crossing from the conflict I was causing for you by pursuing you. Asking you to ignore the way your relationship started with your ex to risk exploring what was between you and me. Ignoring my own issues while I was trying to do everything for Boom and for you. But when it came down to even the hint that you might have an issue I couldn’t accept, I ditched out and walked away. Like it was black and white, no discussion required. I was making decisions as if I was the only person whose opinion mattered, and I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
Elisa wanted to stop him, but at the same time she wanted to hear him out because every statement he made settled a piece of unrest inside her—a worry, a fear that he’d be just like Joseph.
Fundamentally, Alex Rojas and Joseph Corbin Junior couldn’t be more different.
Alex squeezed her hand, held on to it as if it was a lifeline. “I thought I’d lost you. And even though I’ve found you again, I want you to realize you got away on your own. You’re free of him now. You can choose to stay here or leave if you want to. And if you stay, you can decide if you want us to stay together or I will respectfully step back. It’s completely up to you. But I was hoping you’d let me ask you a question before you make those decisions. I was going to ask tonight, but dinner went all to hell.”
A big question. Her brain kicked into overdrive. It’d been a little over a week. There weren’t many questions he could ask, and she’d drive herself crazy wondering what if she didn’t let him ask.
As Boom would’ve said, Duh. “Ask me.”
“Would you like to give living with us a try? Full time? You could have your own room or you could move into mine with me. We could go in phases at whatever pace is comfortable for you. But I’ve realized I enjoy seeing you every morning and I’m hoping you’ll accept.”
Her heart thumped hard in her chest. It wasn’t too big a question, or too scary. It had a lot of flexibility to make it the right fit. “Are you sure Boom would be comfortable?”
He grinned and fished his phone out of his back pocket. “Serena thought you might ask that, so she had me take this pic for you.”
There in the picture was Boom, his Serena, giving a thumbs-up and holding up a sign: COME LIVE WITH US!!!
And sitting next to her was Souze, with a sign around his neck: PLEASE.
Elisa laughed, taking the phone into her hands.
“This.” Alex caressed her hands as she held the phone. “This is why I love you, Elisa Hall. Because your first thought is for my daughter and me and my dog. Because you’re selfless and brave, and I don’t think I deserve you, but I’m going to do my damned hardest to make you happy.”
Before she could answer him, there was a knock at the door. A very disgruntled doctor stood in the doorway. He pressed wire-rimmed glasses up his nose and cleared his throat. “Miss Hall. There are several very insistent visitors requesting to see you. While I don’t usually make exceptions to hospital policies, they make compelling arguments.”
Alex got to his feet and so did Souze.