That’s why I’d worked so hard my entire life, why I would never let a man take care of me, lest I have anything in common with her.

“It worked for her, though,” I continued. “She married up. Got all the crap she wanted. House. Car. But we were teenagers by the time we got things like health insurance, almost about to graduate high school. It was ingrained in me then, to worry about every little thing. The way that shit manifested was this...” I held my hand out to the hospital bed. “Me thinking that I had something wrong with me constantly. It began when things started going well. Well, being when I got out of my mother’s house and never saw her again. I’m conditioned to worry about something being wrong or whatever. So, I’ve always got pain. But it’s in here.” I tapped my temple. “I learned how to deal with it since I definitely did not want this overwhelming anxiety to become my identity. Didn’t want people thinking I was weak.”

I gripped the blanket, looking down in shame. There it was, what I had hidden from Rowan. Which he probably wouldn’t understand because it wasn’t something comprehensible to a man who was capable, strong and always in control.

Rowan leaned forward to grasp my chin, to tilt it upward so I couldn’t escape his penetrating gaze.

“You are not weak,” he growled. “Fuck, Nora. You are the strongest person I know. The shit you’ve been through?” He shook his head. “Fucking hate that you had to live that, baby. That mother of yours has a lot to answer for.” His eyes became murderous at the mention of my mother. “A fucking lot. And she’ll answer for those sins eventually because karma is real. The life you’ve given yourself proves that. It wasn’t some unseen entity that created it. You built it. Literally. You built a life with your bare fucking hands.” He lifted our intertwined hands to his mouth and kissed my fingers. “You radiate love, Nora. Warmth. From your fucking pores. You don’t see it because of what that woman did, but there is a light inside you. You attract people. Your bakery isn’t as successful as it is just because you know how to make fuckin’ great shit. Which you do. It’s successful because of who you are. People in this town love you, baby. I love you.”

I gaped at him, dumbfounded by everything he’d just said but especially the last three words he’d uttered.

“What?” I whispered.

“I love you,” he repeated without hesitation. “I’ve loved you since the first moment I saw you. And I’ve only loved you more since I got to touch you, kiss you, make you mine. Every new thing I discover about you is yet another reason why I’m a fuckin’ goner. Why I’m yours for life. Hate that you deal with that shit, fuckin’ hate it. But you’ve been dealin’ with it alone for all these years. Making you a promise right here, right now… From this moment on, you’re not dealin’ with anything alone again.”