Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth!-Chapter 116: I’ll Move In

The morning light filtered gently through the soft curtains of the bedroom, casting a golden glow over the room. Outside, the world was just beginning to stir, but inside, everything felt calm. Peaceful.

Alex stirred awake first, the familiar warmth of the bed reminding him where he was. His gaze instinctively shifted toward the other side of the bed, but it was empty.

He sighed, remembering it has always been empty.

He sat up, running a hand through his tousled hair as his heart gave that familiar ache—one that only seemed to grow stronger with each passing day.

Careful not to disturb the quiet of the house, he pushed back the covers and rose to his feet, his bare footsteps quiet against the wooden floor as he padded toward her room.

He didn't have a problem with getting in since over the past few days since they returned home from the hospital, he had been the one putting her to sleep and then would deliberate act for an easy access every morning.

When he got to her door, and without wasting anytime, he eased it open.

There she was. He thought with a smile as he watched her.

She was fast asleep, curled on her side with the covers tucked up around her. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, the soft sound of her breathing the only noise in the quiet space. Loose strands of hair framed her face, and her lips were slightly parted, relaxed, and vulnerable.

Alex leaned against the doorframe for a moment, just watching her. His heart swelled with something deeper than affection. Something grounding. Something Profound. Love, yes, but it was more than that.

It was his devotion.

Since Emma had been discharged from the hospital, he hadn't left her side. Not once. He'd refused to return to work, despite her gentle protests, insisting that Claire could handle things at JB Enterprise for a while longer, after all, she had been the one handling things there before he arrived.

And Claire had stepped up—more than stepped up, really. But even with things running smoothly, Alex hadn't budged. Emma was his priority. She still was.

Even now, a week later, she was healing well—physically, at least—but he couldn't shake the need to be close. To make sure she was safe. That she knew she wasn't alone.

But he knew it was more than that too, for her.

His gaze softened as he moved closer, sitting carefully on the edge of her bed. She didn't stir. Not yet. She was still very much asleep.

As he looked at her, a thought came to mind. His talk with her at the hospital the other day.

Though she hadn't spoken to him about them again and Margaret hadn't come looking for them to apologize again, it whole situation tugged at his heart.

Can I forgive them? He mused as he looked at how peaceful her face looked.

Emma's words echoed in his mind, as they had every day since she had spoken them.

Margaret and Jake. The betrayal. The lies. The hurt. Everything they had done. It was easy to hold onto that pain since it had defined so much of his life.

But Emma had made him see things differently. Her quiet strength, her compassion, even after everything she had suffered...

Could he let go? All the pain, the betrayal and most of all, the fear? The fear that if he accepted them back they might just hurt Emma again or somewhat cause a greater harm to her.

His gaze returned to her sleeping form, his heart twisting with conflicting emotions. If she could find it in her heart to forgive, to want peace—couldn't he try?

After all she was the one they had hurt the most. It was because of the fear of losing her that he didn't want to think about them. He thought, taking his time to think about the situation thoroughly since the last thing he wanted was to make a mistake.

Emma stirred, a faint sigh escaping her lips as her lashes fluttered open. Her sleepy eyes met his, her brow furrowing in soft confusion before her gaze sharpened, focusing on him.

"Alex..." Her voice was thick with sleep, husky in a way that made his chest tighten.

"Morning." He greeted as his lips curved into a soft smile.

Her brows drew together in a sleepy scowl. "Not again..." She let her words trail off when she realized he has once again sneaked into her room to watch her sleep.

Alex's smile widened. "What do you mean, not again?" He asked even though he knew exactly what she was talking about.

The fact that she always complained about it but still looked happy whenever she saw him seated by her bedside watching her made him believe she was only faking it and didn't want to admit that she had made a bad decision refusing to to let him move into her room or letting her move into his room.

"You keep doing this." She shifted slightly, propping herself up on one elbow as she gave him a look. A look that he could tell was a half exasperated, half fond look.

"Doing what?" He asked again in pretence.

Emma shrugged. "Coming into my room every morning just to watch me sleep. You have to stop at some point, Alex."

He shook his head, leaning a little closer. "Nope. Never. I won't stop," he said winking at her and she laughed softly.

Visit freewebnoveℓ.com for the best novel reading exp𝒆rience.

"Alex—"

"I don't plan on stopping, Emma. Not until you agree to move into my room with me or at the very least, let me move in with you," he said looking straight into her green eyes.

Her lips parted, her breath catching slightly. "I'm still... thinking about it."

"Thinking, huh?" He tilted his head, voice playful but gentle. "What exactly do you need to think about, Em? I love you. You love me. You're already living here. The only difference is a few feet of hallway separating our beds. And..." His hand brushed tenderly over her cheek, his thumb tracing the curve of her cheekbone. "...I miss you. Even when you're this close, I miss you. Don't you miss me?"

Her cheeks flushed, her lips parting as she stared up at him. "Alex, it's.... it's not that simple."

"How? To me, it is that simple." His voice softened, turning serious. "I want you with me. Not just when you need me. Not just when you're vulnerable, Em. I want you with me, always. Every morning. Every night. I want to fall asleep holding you and wake up doing the same. I don't want to watch you from across the hall anymore, neither do I want to sneak into your room just to watch your morning face. Let's live in the same room, Em, please."

Emma's eyes shimmered, her walls visibly softening. Though she was in love with him, and wanted everything he talked about, she still somewhat felt scared.

Scared that if she moved in with him, he'd get tired of her. Just like Jake had. She didn't want that.

"Alex..."

"You don't have to be scared," he whispered, leaning closer, his lips barely an inch from hers. "I know you're still healing. I'm not rushing you. But you're mine, Emma. And I'm yours. I'll always love you, Em. Nothing will change that. Let me love you the way I want to. Let me take care of you. Let me hold you at night instead of sneaking in here like some lovesick fool every morning."

A soft laugh escaped her lips, though it trembled with emotion. "I'm sorry but from the way you're behaving, I have to admit that you are a lovesick fool."

He grinned. "Guilty as charged."

Her eyes searched his, vulnerability written all over her face. "You won't get tired of me?"

"Never." His voice was steady, unwavering. "You're everything I want. Everything I never thought I deserved. And I'll keep proving it every day for the rest of my life, if you'll let me."

She swallowed hard, her hand rising to cover his on her cheek.

"Okay," she whispered. "I'll move into your room and let you love me the way you want."

Alex blinked, almost as if he hadn't fully processed her words. Then, a slow, breathtaking smile spread across his face—the kind of smile that made his entire face light up.

"Yeah?"

She nodded, unable to stop her own smile.

"Yeah."

His eyes softened even more, and he pressed his forehead against hers gently. "You just made me the happiest man alive, you know that?"

Emma's heart felt full—so impossibly full it ached. "Alex?" She called, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Hmm?"

"Do you... want to kiss me? Because I want to kiss you so badly."

His breath hitched, his gaze dropping to her lips.

"You have no idea."

"Then do it," she whispered a without wasting a moment, he did.

Alex kissed her like he had been holding back for days. Soft, lingering, yet filled with every ounce of emotion he couldn't say aloud.

His lips moved over hers with a tenderness that made her melt, his hands cradling her face as if she were the most precious thing he had ever held while she kissed him back with equal passion.

When they finally parted, breathless and warm, Alex rested his forehead against hers again, their noses brushing.

"I love you, Emma Sterling. So much it terrifies me."

Her hands tangled in his hair, keeping him close. "I love you too, Alex. Always."

And as they stayed there, tangled together in the quiet morning light, nothing else mattered. Not Margaret. Not Jake. Not the past.

Just them. Just this and just that moment where their love was at it's peak.