His voice was gruff and slightly rueful. “When we got on this elevator, I was going to tell you I’m proud of you. In so many ways. I’m proud of you for what you’ve overcome. Proud of the trust you’ve given me. Proud to call myself your man. Jesus, I’m more than proud of that. I’m goddamn lucky.” He placed a kiss on her forehead. “I was going to say all those things, then I looked at you and it all got lost.”
She felt like she’d just lain down in a giant feather bed. Utter happiness teamed with a sense of belonging. “You just said them,” was all she could manage before the elevator doors opened. Connor stepped back, slung an arm around her shoulder and tugged her from the space, looking a little smug when her legs didn’t work as well as they should. They walked onto an enormous open space. Out of habit, she immediately looked for the exit doors, even though that escape would be futile. One hundred and three floors had to be at least one thousand and fifty steps to the street, probably more. As if he sensed her relapse into fear, Connor pulled her protectively into his side.
And then she saw it.
Built into the wall, there was a giant glass window. But it wasn’t an ordinary window. It was a glass box, extending out at least four feet over downtown Chicago. She couldn’t catch her breath as she walked toward it, leaving Connor to follow. The skyline seemed to go on for a million miles before her, piercing blue sky blending together with it on the horizon. She’d never been up this high in her life. Never felt this imminent sensation of free-falling, but it blasted her with the ultimate impression of freedom. A high she’d been seeking without realizing it. This was the escape to end all escapes.
Erin stepped into the glass box and looked down at her feet. No floor. Just air. She looked from side to side. Up. No walls. No ceiling. Tears blurred her vision as her arms seemed to float up all on their own, extending and rising like a bird’s wings. In the back of her mind, she knew it was an illusion, but it was a powerful one. Not a trap in sight. Free. She finally felt free. Like with a single leap, she could land on one of the fluffy white clouds passing by in the breeze and float forever.
But she didn’t want that. Didn’t need to run ever again. That realization made the box seem even bigger, encompassing more of the city and its skyline through the simple fact that she could take it or leave it. She’d been wrong. The ultimate escape wasn’t in front of her. He was standing behind her, ready to catch her if she fell. Believing in her to do the same for him. She wanted to do that. She wanted to be this glass box for him. His freedom. The place he ran to when he needed comfort.
She turned around to face Connor and the breath whooshed from her lungs. He was watching her with such tenderness in his eyes, such pride, she almost sank to her knees. No one had ever looked at her like that. Not a single person since the day she was born. But it didn’t matter anymore, because he’d just made up for every moment of lost time with one look.
“I’m in love with you,” she said. “But please stop looking at me like that because I don’t know where else to put the feelings. All the cracks are filled in and there’s nowhere for them to go.”
“We’ll make room.” His voice rang with intensity. He didn’t come to her, though, appearing rooted to the spot. “I’m in love with you, Erin. Get used to me looking at you like I mean it.”
She swallowed the king-size knot in her throat. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
He took a step in her direction, stopping at the very edge of the box. “Remember this if I ever do something to disappoint you. Remember that I’d give you everything you can see from this window if I could. Everything.”
He didn’t mean buildings, cars, or rivers. No, he meant a place to soar. To get away if she needed to. He’d brought her here to show her he wouldn’t fence her in. He’d set aside his controlling nature to give her what he thought she still needed. Erin closed the distance between them, bringing them toe to toe. His Adam’s apple worked in his throat the closer she came, eyes sliding closed. She placed a hand over his heart, trailed it up his neck and into his hair. “I don’t need it anymore. I only need you.”
“Christ, Erin. I need you, too.”
Yes. He did. And somehow to her that meant more than “I love you.” It meant she finally had a place. Someone who not only found her worthy of love, but capable of holding his heart. She took his hand and led him back toward the elevator, leaving behind the most beautiful escape she’d ever encountered without a single glance. A group of French tourists entered the elevator at the same time, but when Connor pulled back, silently suggesting they wait for the next car, she shook her head.