She swallowed hard. “I… I think I love you, too,” she whispered.
His face lit up again with his beautiful smile. “I’ll take that—for now.”
There were so many things still to be settled between them, she thought. How would his family react to him getting involved with her? How would she fit in with his friends? And she still didn’t know what would happen between her and his family if for some reason she and Mitch couldn’t make this work. But that no longer seemed to matter quite so much. As much as she cared for the rest of his family, her feelings for Mitch were stronger. If she had to make the hard choice between him and them at this moment—she would have to choose Mitch.
The realization actually surprised her with its sudden clarity.
“But,” she warned quickly, fending him off when he would have tugged her toward him, “I’m not committing to anything just yet. We need to take our time. We need to be sure any decisions we make are what we both want, what’s best for both of us. We shouldn’t…”
“We shouldn’t sign any long-term leases just yet?”
His teasing interruption made her flush a little, even though she had to smile. “You’re the one who said we should stop with the real-estate metaphors.”
“They do seem to keep cropping up, don’t they?”
She reached up to grab his collar and tug lightly. “Maybe we should just stop talking for now.”
He smiled against her lips. “I’ve been waiting for you to say that.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled into his embrace, deciding they could deal with any potential issues later. They had more pressing matters to attend to just now.
They lay snuggled together in the bed in Mitch’s old bedroom, though he commented that the decor had changed a bit since he’d lived there last. The sports and rock-band posters had been replaced by earth-toned paint and landscape prints. LaDonna had kept a masculine feel to the room so Mitch would be comfortable whenever he stayed there. Jacqui tried not to think about LaDonna’s reaction to what had just taken place in this room.
Such speculation didn’t seem to be disturbing Mitch. He looked quite pleased with himself, actually, as he smiled at her from the pillow beside hers. “I’m very glad you stopped by today,” he said. “I’ve been wondering how to get you alone to talk about my feelings for you. I didn’t expect you to show up on the doorstep today.”
“I was so perturbed when your mother told me about you canceling your trip to Peru that I guess I just stormed over here without giving myself a chance to think about it,” she admitted.
“Because you didn’t want me to be disappointed about missing the trip. I’m touched by that, Jacqui.”
“Maybe I just wanted to get you out of the country for a few days.”
He chuckled. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“You’re sure you don’t want to—”
“I’m sure,” he cut in. “So, how would you like to maybe go to Peru with me this time next year?”
Her smile wavered a bit, though she kept her tone light. “That’s very long-term planning.”
“True. But that’s one deposit I wouldn’t hesitate to make. I keep telling you, I’m in this for the long-term, Jacqui.”
The more he said it, the more believable it sounded. And although she was still afraid to let herself believe too much in what she wanted so badly, she had to trust that he meant what he said.
He let out a long breath. “Guess I should get dressed and head over to the hospital to see Mom. I need to reassure her that missing the trip to Peru isn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. Want to go with me?”
The question was seemingly casual, but she knew exactly what it meant. If she and Mitch went together to the hospital now, there would be no more pretending that they were merely friends. “All right.”
His smile curved his nice mouth and gleamed in his blue eyes. “Thank you.”
Drawing a deep breath, she told herself she would take almost any risk in exchange for Mitch’s beautiful smile. “I’m a little nervous,” she admitted.
“I know. But I’ll be right there beside you. Now and for always. I love you, Jacqui.”
She leaned over to kiss his smile. “I love you, too.”
How could she not? She’d been searching for Mitch all her life.
Epilogue