Page 72 of Hard Rain Coming

“I didn’t.”

Dallas grabbed a mug and, once filled, added cream and sugar. “Miss Callie is right. This should help.” She accepted the mug, her fingers trailing over his as she sat at the island. For a few moments, neither of them spoke, and she was glad of it because she had to work to get her thoughts organized.

She had a lot to say.

“I took the time and did some thinking last night.” She took another sip and looked up at Dallas. “About the past. About my family.” She exhaled. “About us. And I think I got some things wrong.”

Dallas settled onto the chair beside her, but stayed silent. His thigh touched hers, and she was hyper-aware of his warmth. His strength. Nervously, she licked her lips and took another swallow of coffee before she set down the mug. She couldn’t finish it. She was too amped up.

Vivian angled her head and turned so she could see his face. It was important he knew what was in her heart.

“Last night, I said I had to figure out some things because I don’t want to make the same mistakes I did all those years ago. That’s still true. I can’t go back to where I was. How I felt. How I reacted to all that noise in my life.” She shrugged. “There was a lot of noise. But the thing is, I don’t think I need to do this on my own.” She attempted a smile. “I can. I’m strong enough. I know I am. But I don’t want to be in this alone. Not anymore.” She paused and tried to slow her heart. “I can’t change the past, but I can learn from it. I’m not the same person, and neither are you. And I think we need to move past all that because we’ve always had this connection, and it won’t diminish. Look how hard we tried to forget it. To squash it. This thing between us is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Most folks don’t find what we have, no matter how hard they try. I stopped fighting it the moment you walked into that honky-tonk in Wyoming and thought you had to rescue me.”

“I didn’t,” he replied, leaning closer.

“Didn’t what?” She held her breath, her eyes drawn to his sensual mouth.

“Think you needed rescuing. I was there for the show because I knew that guy was on borrowed time.”

“He was irritating me.”

“He was.” Dallas’s mouth was now a whisper away from hers.

“Dallas, I?—”

The rest of her thoughts were swallowed because suddenly, his mouth covered hers, and his hands were buried in her hair. He kissed her deeply, his lips sensual, his tongue seeking. With a groan, he pulled her onto his lap and continued his assault. Her head swam. Her heart broke wide open, and she knew she was forever lost.

The hunger between them would never go away, but she knew it was up to both of them to tend to it. To keep it satisfied. To not waste this gift. To not let all that noise and pain and those past mistakes ruin what could be their last chance at true happiness.

When they finally came up for air, Vivian closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest. She listened to his heart as it began to slow, and smiled to herself, loving the fact that Dallas was just as affected as she.

She thought back to only a few weeks earlier and giggled.

“What’s so funny?” he murmured, dragging his hand through his hair.

“The thought that we could do something casual with no strings. What were we thinking?”

“I guess we weren’t.”

Her smile faded, and she quieted as she looked up at him. His eyes were soft, his expression serious.

“We haven’t really talked about yesterday,” he said after a few moments. “About our daughter.”

Our daughter.

“It’s a lot to unpack.” She searched his face and moved a bit to create some space. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “So sorry.”

“No,” he said, reaching for her again. His hands slid up both sides of her face, and he held her still so that she couldn’t look away. “We’re not ever doing that. You don’t owe anyone an apology.” His eyes shimmered a bit, and his voice dropped. “What you did on your own. What you sacrificed. It was more than I could ever have done. You gave Summer a fighting chance, and she’s incredible.”

Vivian slowly nodded and leaned into his touch. “It still hurts.”

“I know.” He dropped another kiss and pulled her into a big, warm hug.

“We need to go home,” she said slowly.

“We do.”

“I need to see my father.”