Page 148 of The True Garza

“Do you like me?”

“Yes.”

“Are you in love with me?”

“Yes.”

“When you’re with me, do you think about being with other women?”

“Never.”

“Did you… did you sleep with anyone else while we were seeing each other?”

“No.”

Shocked by his answer, I snap my gaze to him. “No?”

He shakes his head to confirm. “I met up with others for drinks a couple times, yeah, but that was it. I didn’t do anything. I only wanted you.”

Oh. Why does that make my heart so happy? “Oh, um. Okay.” I clear my throat. “W-why do you want to be with me?”

“Because I’m in love with you.”

“Why do you love me?”

“Because my life felt useless and meandering before you, and now it just…makes sense. Because you consume every corner of my mind every second of every day.”

My heart is so loud right now. So fucking loud.

“Were you heartbroken when I ended things?”

“I went off the fucking deep end.”

Oh god. My eyes areburning. Why is it so hot in here all of a sudden?

Through a thin blur, I stare at the next question. Do I really want the answer to this? “How…how long after we ended did it take you to sleep with someone else?”

“I haven’t.”

Once again, his answer shocks me. “What?”

“There’s been no one else, London.” He frowns deeply, and then sighs. “Fuck. I’m lying.”

My heart sinks. “There was someone?” I could kick myself for the crack in my voice.

“Well, sort of.” He scratches the back of his neck again. It’s a tell when he’s ashamed. “I tried with someone… but my body, uh, didn’t respond.”

Despite how raw I’m feeling inside, I crack a smile. “You couldn’t get it up?”

“It’s like you said: I couldn’t give her something that wasn’t mine.” He locks his gaze on mine. “I’ve been yours since the night you looked up at me with those daring hazel eyes at that bar-and-grill in the mountains.”

That’s it. I’m done for. Whatever he wants me to do for us to make this work, I’ll do it. It’s impossible to walk away at this point, anyway. If I have to fight, I will. I let the paper fall from my fingers. I don’t need to ask any more of those questions. I want all of this man, and I want to surrender every part of myself to him. Even at the risk of getting hurt in the end.

I take his hand and squeeze so he knows I’m all in, then look to Sonya. “What do we need to do to make it work?”

Sonya clasps her hands in her lap. “First, express to each otherwhyyou need this to work.”

“Because I need you to breathe,” True tells me without hesitation. “Because whenever I think about living the rest of my life without you, it pains me in ways I can’t even begin to explain. Because you fill all the empty parts of me, and if I’m gonna have a family of my own, there’s no one else I’d want to do that with but you.”