Learning to Move Forward: Novella #3.5 Read Online Free PDF Page A

and hold you. Not someone like me.”
    He held me firm, so I couldn’t run. I’d tried once or twice to leave him, thinking he deserved better. “Damn it, Grace, I’m not about to let you go, at least not without a fight. I don’t need perfection, I only need you.” His hands swept down my back, grabbing my ass and pulling me into his erection, emphasizing his point.
    My eyes were full of tears, but I leaned back to look into his eyes. One of his hands came down to interlock with mine, while the other grabbed hold of my arm, just above my stump and his thumb caressed my skin, sending shivers through me. He pulled my left arm toward him and held it against his face, kissing my arm tenderly.
    His action melted my heart, but I kept imagining what it’d be like to hold his other hand. The thought made my feelings pour out of me in an emotional river, along with my tears. “I’ll never be able to hold your other hand. I can’t even wear an engagement or wedding ring where I’m supposed to. I want so badly to grip your hair, your ass, and every part of you with both hands and I can’t.” Then a thought out of the blue occurred to me. “How on earth can I take care of a baby when I only have one hand?”
    Jonathan’s hand fell hard on my ass. “Enough!” he yelled. “I won’t allow you to speak about yourself so harshly. For every negative thought, you’ll get five swats of my hand. Keep it up, Grace, because your negativity is really starting to grate on my nerves.”
    “I’m no good for you!” I countered.
    He stood taller and took a stance that told me I needed to back down. “That’s five. Shall we go for ten?”
    When I tried to back away from him, he just held onto me tighter. “The time for running is over. Look at me!”
    I obeyed his command. “Yes, sir.”
    “Are you going to run and keep trying to push me away, or are we in this together?”
    I shook my head. If truth be told, I knew I couldn’t run from him. The last time I tried, it nearly tore me in two. He had my heart and he knew it. But I needed to know. “May I ask you a question?”
    He half laughed and flashed his quirky smirk my way. “Of course.”
    “Why me?”
    His brows furrowed and it looked like he had to think of why. I was beginning to feel self-doubt, when he finally answered. “I was trying to think back on the time I realized I fell for you.”
    “When was that?”
    He gave me a chaste kiss on the lips, teasing me. “The day you walked into my restaurant.”
    I know my face must’ve looked puzzled. How on earth could he fall so quickly?
    He picked me up and lowered me to the carpet, placing a few pillows behind us, before taking a deep breath in. “I never believed in love at first sight. When Garrett called from Boston and told me about Laurel, I thought he’d flipped his lid. But then to see the two of them together and how perfect they were for each other, it made me hope that I could have that same chance.”
    I shivered at his words, so Jonathan grabbed an extra blanket and threw it over us, snuggling tight against my side, letting his hands skim up and down my side. “I’d tried asking him to describe how he felt when he saw her, but nothing made sense. Then when I was talking with Laurel and you walked in; I knew what he meant.”
    His lips kissed the side of my neck reverentially. “The moment I saw you, my world stopped and the axis I was spinning on righted itself. My heart began pounding and I knew I’d do anything to get a chance to know you. I’m glad you were such a flirt and that Laurel gave us the opportunity to talk for a bit.”
    “But what about—”
    He reached down and pinched my nipple. “Don’t say it, love.” It was a warning. “When are you going to understand that I only see perfection when I look at you, Grace? Life sucks sometimes, and sadly, you were hurt as a kid and your kind nature was abused. But I only see a strong vibrant woman, capable of doing anything she puts her