Page 48 of Freeing Denver

“I’ve tried to call. She isn’t picking up.” He comes to me and leans over, kissing my head. He looks so tired. So defeated. “I’m gonna shower and head to bed. Are you coming?”

I nod and force a smile. “I’ll be up in a minute.”

I’m ruining him. His family. His life. I’m an anchor dragging him down, pushing him to make choices he would never have to if I weren’t here.

If I just left.

If I freed him.

I could end this war right now. With one call, this all stops. Colt would fight for me until I convinced him not to, but I could make him believe this was a passing thing, that I was never going to leave Ranger, not really.

I could do for him what I couldn’t do for Ethan—save his life.

I blink back tears. Colt gets to the door before I call his name, and he faces me. I stand, resting my hand on the back of my chair, my nails pressing into the wood. “I love you more than life. You know that, right?”

He places his hand on the doorframe and watches me. It feels like the first time I ever saw him—standing at the end of a bar, looking like a dream in a designer suit, offering me a smile that I knew I shouldn’t take.

Who decided in that moment that he’d be this person to me? Was it him? Me? Fate? Were we led here, or did we forge this path together?

Who decided Colt Harland was going to be my everything, and why did they let it happen when they knew I could so easily lose him?

Colt drops his hand to his side and approaches me. His steps are slow, his smile has vanished, and when the space between us is gone, he cups my face and kisses me. A tear falls down my cheek as I cling to him, kissing him back, letting him pour all his emotion into the moment as I try desperately to carve this into my memory.

I thread my arms around his neck and slide my tongue into his mouth, inhaling deeply, breathing in his cologne. I press myself to him, to the hard muscles of his body, and hold onto every single second of my happiness as it fragments once again.

The kiss ends and Colt cups the back of my head.

“I’m not Ethan,” he whispers, his eyes shining. I open my mouth, but he shakes his head. “I’m not happiness that you think you don’t deserve. You are allowed to love me. You are allowed to be happy with me.” He holds my face, his jaw tense, and I wonder if he’s fighting the tears I’m letting fall free. “I am giving you permission to love me. To love me, and stay, and fight.”

My lip trembles. “Colt?—”

“You’re not going anywhere, do you understand? No more of this. None of it. We’re a fucking team. You don’t have to fix this on your own because this isourlife. It’s us against the problem, Del. Don’t you fucking dare run off and be a hero when I need youhere.”

How can he know me so well after such a short time? How can he look into my eyes and see everything?

He kisses me quickly. “I’m going to go upstairs, and you’re not going to walk out that door. Okay?”

I nod quickly. “Okay.”

He kisses me desperately, the salty taste of tears mingling on my lips. He leaves me alone and I almost fall into my seat, burying my face into my hands.

I should leave. I should make it easier on everyone and go.

But Colt is right. I’m not in this life on my own anymore. I’m part of a team. A partnership. We’re not a separate entity trying to survive each other. I can rely on him, and he should be able to trust I won’t run at the first sign of trouble, even if it is to save everyone.

I go upstairs and change into Colt’s jersey. I’m curled up in bed when Colt finishes his shower and settles on his side in front of me. He brushes my hair back, and I move closer. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Del.” He wraps his arms around me, and I tangle my feet in his. “Just don’t sacrifice yourself to save me.”

I lift my head, my eyes blurring with fresh tears. “Then you promise me the same thing. We don’t die for each other. We make a choice together.”

He kisses my forehead. “Deal. We both make it out of this. No rash decisions. We get out of this, we get Holly back, and we have a normal life.”

I nod into his chest. “We have our forever.”

“Forever.”

Chapter 13