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"What took so long?" he repeated duured out al was a mistake, that I never should have walked away like that without at least giving you a shot at groveling It’s taken you days"

Aidan snorted and then turned it into a cough when Hud looked at hi or their shoes but no one, apparently, was leaving the show

Hud let out a breath and pushed the on Bailey "I’ve been one step behind you for… Shit" He laughed mirthlessly and shook his head He was so stupid He’d been her last ski instructor "Hell, Bailey, I’ve been one step behind you for months"

She sed hard, eyes a little wide, and full So full of things it aled as he tossed his keys aside and walked into the kitchen He strode straight to the table, took her wrist, and directed the piece of pizza in her hand to his mouth

Not nearly as calm as she clearly wanted hiht "Hi," she whispered

"Hi" He sed the pizza, decided that wasn’t even close to what he was hungry for, and took it out of her hands, setting it aside He wrapped his hands around her ankles, uncrossed her legs, and dragged her to the edge of the table, pulling her body flush with his

Obliging with a gratifying rush of air fros around hi to leave," she whispered "I didn’t really want to leave, not the town, not the people in it, and not you" She stared up at hione" He lifted his head to give each and every one of his siblings and their significant others a hard, dark look for not taking le one looked particularly sorry, the assholes He turned his attention back to Bailey "I couldn’t be without you," he said "I couldn’t breathe here without you, I couldn’t think without you I couldn’t… be without you Without you, I wasn’t me"

"True story," Gray interjected "You know those comry? Hud here took bitchy diva to a whole new level, trust ut With an oo to do if I’d moved to New York?" Bailey asked Hud "Or London? Or Tiht about that "I don’t know about Tireat food and Europe has so"

"You’d have left here, moved somewhere with me?" she asked doubtfully "You’d have left your hoht over his heart "Hoood one," Gray whispered "That’s going to get hioods"

Bailey stared at Hud and shook her head in disbelief "But thisto you," she said softly

"You’re everything to ain

Her voice killed hiested that she’d nearly lost faith in him

"I orried," she said "I orried you didn’t care--"

"The thought of you leaving and staying away made me want to drop to my knees," he said "How’s that for someone who doesn’t care? It’s been three days, twelve hours, and six minutes without you"

She blinked "You kept track of theto load the evidence in my favor"

Aidan snickered "Rookie"

"Shh," Lily said "He’s being ronore their obnoxious audience "I called you, told you I was crazy for you"

She closed her eyes "I deleted your ot held up by the store Bailey-size hole inthat could’ve stopped me"