Becca

I squeeze my eyes shut, press my face harder against his chest, my heart pounding so fast it feels like it might burst if I don’t say it. “Shane…” My voice splinters, small and hesitant. “I need to ask you something.”

His arms tighten instantly, steady and protective. “Anything, pretty girl. Ask away.”

Shame curls hot in my stomach. I don’t want to sound jealous or weak. But five days of silence have left me raw, stripped down, needing answers more than my pride.

“How… how did it go?” The words scrape out broken. “The engagement. The days after. I—I need to know.”

His chest rises beneath my cheek, a slow inhale before he exhales the truth. “It was all a performance. Every smile, every toast, every word staged. But inside?” His voice roughens. “All I could think about was you.”

Relief flickers through me, but it doesn’t take long for doubt to creep in again. “Did you have to…kiss her?”

My lungs seize as I wait, terrified of what he’ll say.

“Yes,” he answers softly, without hesitation. His hand glides down my back, grounding me. “On her forehead. On her hand. Never her mouth. I couldn’t stomach it. My real kisses…” his thumb tips my chin until I’m forced to meet his eyes. “Belong only to you.”

Tears sting, blurring my vision, and the fear I’ve swallowed for days finally fractures into words. “Did you… did you sleep with her? Even just in the same room?”

“No.” His answer is like a blade of light cutting through the fog. “Not once. Not in the same bed. Not in the same room. Hell, not even under the same roof. I made sure of it. And even if they’d tried to force me, I wouldn’t have. Because I don’t want her, Becca. I only want you.”

My chest heaves with a shuddering breath. His words should be enough—they are—but the ghosts of those five days still claw at me, whispering doubts I hate myself for.

Shane must see it, because his forehead presses to mine, his voice a steady murmur that sinks deep into me. “Tomorrow, we’ll go through everything together. Every photo. Every video. I’ll show you how they staged it—what they wanted the world to believe. And when that doubt creeps back in, you’ll come to me. I’ll tell you the truth, every time. No pretending. No gaps. Nothing hidden.”

The promise seeps into me like warmth spreading through frozen veins.

His hands cradle my face, his gaze fierce enough to scorch through every shadow. “I don’t want you drowning in questions, pretty girl. I need you to know that every second I was gone—every fake smile, every empty moment—I was only yours. I still am only yours.”

My throat knots tight. The ache doesn’t vanish, but it shifts. His words don’t erase the wound of those five days, but they give me something stronger to cling to—him. His voice. His touch. His vow.

And for the first time since the morning he left me, I can breathe.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

His eyes search mine. “For what?”

“For coming back. For being honest with me.” The words scrape out small, unsteady, but I force them out anyway. “While you were gone, I kept bracing myself… for the moment you’d call and tell me it was over.”

His whole body tenses, but I don’t stop, even as shame scorches the back of my throat

“Because why wouldn’t you? Amanda’s beautiful. She’s from your world. She’s exactly what your parents want. And me…” My chest hollows as I force the truth free. “I’m just plain old Becca. The diner girl. The mistake you’ll regret once you realize I don’t fit into your world.”

The shift in his face is so sudden it jolts me. Fury ignites in his eyes, sharp and protective.

In a heartbeat, his hands are framing my face, thumbs stroking hard and steady over my cheekbones, grounding me and forcing me to confront the blaze in his gaze.

“Don’t you ever say that again.” His voice is low, fierce, almost shaking. “There is no universe where I’d want anyone but you. Not money. Not power. Not Amanda. You. Only you. I know it in my gut—you and I fit. That’s all that matters. That’s everything.”

The conviction in his tone shatters something inside me. Relief slams into me so hard my lungs feel like they might break with it. Tears spill fast, but they’re different this time—awed, disbelieving, wrecked by the intensity of his devotion.

And all I can think is—maybe he really means it.

Through the blur of tears, I manage a trembling whisper. “How long… how long can you stay?” The words sound childish, needy, but I can’t help it. 

His answer is immediate. His thumb drags softly across my cheek, his gaze steady as steel. “My parents leave the country tonight. They’ll be gone at least ten days. And I swear to you, Becca, I plan on spending every single second of those days right here—with you.”

The knot in my chest loosens a fraction. Ten days. Ten whole days of him. Of us. But even as relief washes through me, the ache lingers. Another clock is already ticking down to the moment he’ll have to leave again. Every second we gain already feels stolen, borrowed against the inevitability of another goodbye.

He leans closer, voice dropping to a reverent murmur. “I know. Ten days isn’t nearly enough. Not for what I feel for you. Not to make up for the time we’ve already lost. But I’ll make every second count. I’ll prove it to you, again and again, until you never doubt that I’m yours.”

“Okay.” I try for a smile, but it wobbles, tinged with sadness.

“As for Nick…” A flicker of fondness softens his features. “He told me to tell you goodbye. Said he didn’t want to intrude. But he’s at Conner’s, and if you need him, he’s only a phone call away.”

My throat tightens, not with grief this time but with something sturdier. Warmer. With Shane here and Nick close by, for the first time in forever, I feel solid ground beneath my feet. 

His hand lingers on my cheek, thumb tracing along my jaw like he’s memorizing me. The silence stretches, heavy but charged, like the world itself is holding its breath.

Then he asks, quiet and careful, “Are we okay?”

My chest squeezes. I know what he’s really asking. If I still believe in us. If I still believe in him. And the answer is the easiest thing I’ve ever had to say. 

“Yes.”

The tension drains from his body. His eyes darken as his thumb drifts lower, brushing across my lower lip. “Then… can I kiss you?” His lips twitch, almost a smile, but his voice is hushed. “Really kiss you. Because for the last five days, Becca, it’s all I’ve thought about.”

A shaky laugh slips out. “You already kissed me.”

That smile breaks through. The smile. The one that turns my stomach inside out, the one that feels like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. “I did. But that was tame compared to what I’ve been craving.” His face lowers towards mine, his breath warm against my skin. “Let me show you what I mean.”

The air crackles. My pulse stumbles, racing as his thumb sweeps along my jaw and lingers at the corner of my mouth. For one heartbeat, fear spikes…

What if it doesn’t feel the same? 

What if the distance between us can’t be closed?

But then he’s there. His mouth crashes into mine, and the world shatters.

It’s explosive, desperate. Like he’s been drowning without me, and I’m the first real breath of air he’s had in days. Yet beneath the hunger is reverence. Every press of his lips is a vow. Every exhale, a promise. His desperation collides with my relief, and for the first time in five endless days, the chaos inside me finally stills.

This. This is what I want. 

Him. 

Forever.

Shane Montgomery isn’t just where I belong—he’s the only place I’ll ever want to be.

❤️ Can’t wait for more? I’ve got you… 👇🏼

REAM followers are already two chapters ahead! 

And the best part? Following me there is totally FREE.

Find me at: (https://reamstories.com/arianaclarkauthor)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEW CHAPTERS post at 3:00 PM EST on Fridays!!!