Sophieâs pov Iâm a bit lost for words. A bit startled. A bit dumbfounded. Iâm not sure what I should say. Or what I should do.
Iâm lost.
Iâm confused.
But my heart leaped, twice, three times. I draw air into my lungs and continued to stare into his stormy gaze.
Was he speaking the truth?
The hard veil that had concealed all his emotions behind was torn. Vulnerability.
He was vulnerable.
Which meant, those words were true.
I gasped. Finally, my mind was working back, my body, my reaction. Late reaction, but can you blame me?
For a second there I thought he had frozen me completely.
âWha-t?â Stammering words.....
He takes a step forward, eating up any bit of space that was left between us. My wet hands are fisted by my sides and my eyes have not left his face not once.
I want to see every emotion that crosses over. I needed to see them.
Because if there is one little flicker of dishonesty and lies, I would be shattered. My heart would not be the same.
His thumb, so hot on my skin brushed over my cheek softly. His head dipped a little so our eyes would be leveled and he whispered. âIâve loved you for years Sophie Bell. Even as teenagers. Iâve loved you since I first set my eyes on you.â
His words had me pulling in a shaky breath. My tongue is tied, but my heart beats like a drum in my chest by his confession.
My brain is foggy though, Iâm finding it difficult to hold air into my lungs. My knees are also weak, and I fear I might topple to them soon if I donât get a hold of my emotions.
Aidenâs eyes bored into my own, searching for anything.â Please say something,â He whispered.
My breath hitches and then as I stared into his unwavering eyes, words finally formed on my tongue.
âWhy are you telling me this now?â I asked in soft tone that was undoubtedly filled with curiosity and doubt.
If he loved me this long, why did he wait now to tell me so? Why did he bully me in high school if he loved me?
This wasnât making any sense.
Aiden thumb brushed my jaw bone and he uttered. âBecause I canât keep it to myself anymore. They told me to go slow with you Sophie, but every time Iâm in your presence I canât think properly and I fall even harder. Itâs impossible to breathe when youâre near. Itâs impossible to think properly.â
His eyes are soft. Softer than theyâve ever been while staring at me.
My heartbeat spikes in my chest and my stomach fluttered with tiny butterflies.
âThen why did you bully me all those years ago?â I asked, my eyes fogging.
If he had confessed this long ago, maybe then we wouldnât have gone through so much. Maybe we couldâve been together long before what happened. Maybe then...that tragedy wouldnât have happened in the first place.
I am a bit angry that he made me go through all this instead of confessing. Yet his confession had me melting and my heartbeat rapid.
I didnât know which emotion to latch on to.
Aiden sighs his gaze dimming with regret. âBecause I loved you then but wanted to hate you. I was angry at you. Those words you said to Mila that day.....it haunted me. I didnât know they held so much weight, but they did. And they turned me into a monster Iâm not proud of, but want to get rid of.â
âSoph, those high school years werenât the best and I wasnât my best then. I was someone you shouldâve hated, hell loathed. I was a fucking bully.
You had every right to hate me and keep hating me. Those things I said to you and did were things I regret with my entire being. But there were times where I thought I could change. Like the times with you.â His thumb brushing my cheeks tenderly.
âWhen we kissed, when I got to be with you, when we conceived Ashton. Those days were the best. And sure tragedy happened soon after, but I realize that was the karma I got for all those times bullying you and I fully accepted that.â He stared into my eyes, âI no longer hold resentment for what happened. I no longer blame you or myself for what happened. I realized life is too short to hold such an emotion. Iâve wasted enough time as it is, I donât want to waste any longer. Which is why Iâm confessing to you what Iâve failed to have courage to do years ago. I love you Sophie,â He sighs shakily and continues.
âWhen I saw you that first time at Harrington.co, I had so many emotions running through me at once. Resentment, longing, love....I hadnât known which emotion to latch onto then. Sure I had planned for revenge but I was stupid to think that I could go on with it when all I wanted was for you to love me. Being with you were one of my dreams for years. Iâm not going to waste any more time. I want you as my woman Sophie. Iâm not hiding my feelings any longer,â He breathed out and grabbed my hand.
My heart is beating so rapidly in my chest when he puts my opened palm on his chest where I could feel his heartbeat as fast as mine. Perhaps even quicker.
Aiden eyes bored into mine, showing warmth and longing. The emotions had my breath hitching.
âI can no longer hide those feelings Sophie. I can no longer pretend that I have not loved you for years. Iâm tired of hiding, Iâm tired of wasting time. I love you and I want to be with you. And itâs fine if you donât feel the same way...â He smiles shakily.
âIâll make it my mission to make you fall in love with me too.
No matter how long it will take, youâll always be worth it for me mama bear.â
Those tears that misted my eyes began to trickle down my cheeks. Aidenâs eyes shifted uneasily and he began to panic.
âWhatâs wrong? Did I say something-
I shook my head and stood on my tip toes. I loop my arms around his neck and force him to bend down.
His eyes are so warm, it makes my inside feel like goo.
âAiden,â I whispered and seeing as words could not tell him how much his words meant to me, I showed him. I pulled him all the way down and connected our lips.
He pull me against him, his hand on my waist gripping me almost possessively.
âWhat took you so long?â I whispered on his lips.
The Girl He Craves novel (Sophie and Aiden)
ï¤Chapter 112 The Billionaires Mistress ï¤Epilogue The Alpha and The Fool ï¤Chapter 30 The Billionaires Mistress The Alpha and The Fool