Page 110 of Healing Conviction

She swiveled around, trying to scramble to the back of the truck until a shooting ache radiated all over her body. “Oh my gods, I hurt all over.Why?”

“You almost died yourself. I’ve found it puts a strain on the body.” His deadpan delivery made her chuckle until the details of the night flashed into her mind.

“Oh right… that’s why.” She gulped and looked down at herself, taking mental stock of her physical health before looking at him again. “Are we okay? You and me? I know Devil looked at us both…”

His smile was brittle as he answered, but why, she didn’t know.

“Devil said we’re good to go. We had oxygen, electrolytes, and rest. You didn’t have any injuries except for your back. I put some more numbing cream and ointment on it when you were asleep.” He winced and his face had brokenhearted all over it. “I’m so sorry about that, Pix. I had to get you out of there and I… I couldn’t pick you up.”

She twisted gingerly to feel her back with her hand and pulled up her shirt to look. It wasn’t too bad, but the poor guy was obviously tearing himself apart.

“Drake, don’t worry about it. I barely feel it now. It’s no big deal—”

“You trusted me and got hurt. You could’ve even gotten seriously hurt, or worse, and that would’ve been on my watch. Again. Itisa big deal, Nora.”

“Nora?Geez, just yell at me, why don’t you? Someone ismigh-tygrumpy this morning.”

“Please, Pix. I don’t want you to be flippant about this. I’ve asked you to trust me with your emotions, with everything, and you did. Youtrustedme. And you got hurt. Aren’t you upset about it? Why are you hiding from this?”

Translation: You trusted me and you got hurt, do you still trust me to be vulnerable?

Guilt made her frown. She’d been teasing him, not lying to him, but he was actually blaming himself for this one.Again.And he thought she was hiding the truth from him. His words from the day before rang in her mind.

“If you don’t trust me with everything, then how am I gonna know that you forgive me for failing you so miserably before? How am I supposed to forgive myself if I don’t know you can?”

Because I love you, Drake, I could never blame you.

They were the ultimate words of trust and she was ready to say them, but if she did right then, he would think she was just trying to appease him again.

Wait for the right moment. Be vulnerable.

She reached up and placed her hand over his bearded cheek, hoping he felt her sincerity. “No. I’m not upset about it. And you shouldn’t be either. I trusted you and we’re bothhere. Alive. Together.Youdid that.”

His frown and narrowed eyes showed he doubted her words.

We’ve both been so terrified the other would leave, just in different ways.

And the only way to prove them both wrong was if she gave him everything.

She dropped her hand and reached more slowly for the white Styrofoam container of heaven behind Drake’s seat.

“And you know what? We all get grumpy sometimes. You can trust me with your grumpiness, andIcan trust you with mine.”

Just you wait, Draco Malfoy, when the time is right, I’m gonna love you so hard.

The doubt turned to confusion, but she gave him a genuine smile and turned back to her food.

She closed her eyes and gave her meal a reverent pause, thanking all the goddesses for waffles, before lifting the top to see the glorious dessert that someone brilliant somewhere decided to call breakfast.

“It’s beautiful.”

Before she could think, she turned to him and held the Styrofoam with one hand while using the other to wrap around his neck to gain leverage to kiss him on the cheek. When she pulled back, she realized what she’d done and her eyes widened. From the way he sat stock-still, it was evident that they were both taken aback by her gesture. She hadn’t even overthought it this time, she’d just done it like it was freaking natural to kiss him whenever she wanted.

Maybe it is.

His eyes darkened with need as he watched her sit back down.

She shivered at the heat pouring into her. “Um… th-thank you for feeding me.”