Don't Let Me Break

by Kelsie Rae

“You’re a badass, Kate,” I add as Felix shifts the ambulance into park. “A prickly badass, but even prickly badasses are allowed to have bad days sometimes.”

She’s definitely well over eighteen. My guess is closer to twenty-five or so. Doesn’t make it okay for me to be attracted to her. She’s still young. Too young for a guy like me. A guy with my shitty baggage.

“I was married for sixteen years, and I might’ve messed up on a lot of things, but there were a few things I did learn.” “Like what?” “Like sometimes, a woman’s eyes can say what her mouth refuses to.”

“Because you deserve a guy who understands there’s so much more to you than your diagnosis. And if he was willing to let you go once because of it, who’s to say he won’t do it again when things get rough?” He kisses my cheek, and my breath hitches. “You deserve more, Kate. A hell of a lot more.”

“You gave me the opportunity to make sure you’re taken care of,” he counters. “And if you haven’t figured it out by now, let me make myself clear. I like taking care of you. I like knowing you’re okay. Knowing you’re happy, healthy, and able to be the best Kate you can be.”

Macklin So my manly muscles can carry any baggage you throw my way.

“I’m gonna jerk off to the memory of how good you felt against me, praying one day you’ll like me enough to want the same thing. I want you, Kate. Physically, emotionally, intellectually. Sound okay to you, my prickly little porcupine?”

“Everyone falls, Kate. The trick is to enjoy the ride while it lasts.”

“Because a moment like this doesn’t come along every day, Kate. And neither does a girl like you.”

“You deserve the romance novel kind of love. The one where you can’t get enough, and you’re convinced a guy like that doesn’t exist in the real world when the truth is…”

“You think this is about you, Kate? You’re fucking perfect, and you would be with or without me. I’m the mess when we aren’t together,”