I stared at him, not moving for a full minute. Then I burst into peals of laughter. “Good grief, are you jealous that I was talking to Ryan?”
“Not jealous, exactly,” Dean said quite seriously. “It just made me realize that you need a
man who is more your age. Someone more exciting. Someone who will take you on
adventures and show you the world.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said. “Please, put that stuff down for a minute?”
He stood up and dropped everything on the worktable, turning back to me with a strange,
almost paralyzing calm. “It’s all right, Joanna,” he said gently. “I’m sure he’s better suited to you. You’re a young woman – you want parties, and the nightlife. That’s absolutely fine.”
I stared at him. “What the heck are you even talking about?”
Some of the life had drained from his bright brown eyes. “Joanna, I know that I’m not the
guy for you. It’s okay.” He ran a hand through his thick hair, looking so dejected that I
wanted to throw my arms around him.
Part of me wanted to run away and avoid this entire awkward conversation. I didn’t
understand what he meant. But I realized in a split second that the most important thing
was for him to know that I reall
y cared for him.
If I was going to be the kind of girl who took charge of her life and made big decisions, now
was a good time to start. Stepping toward him, I threw my arms around his neck. “I want
you to be my guy,” I said, stretching up to kiss him. But he pushed me away a few inches,
holding me by the waist.
“Weren’t you just flirting with Ryan an hour ago?” he said, his voice thick with frustration.
It finally clicked. “I was laughing at crazy stories, yes. Miriam was laughing just as hard, and she certainly wasn’t flirting.”
Trailing my fingertips through the back of his hair, I stared up at him. “I spent all afternoon writing like crazy because you inspire me. You make me feel amazing. And I realized that I
really want to be with you.”
I felt a shudder run through him as he crashed his lips to mine, holding me against his huge,
hard body. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Joana,” he murmured against my lips. “I just can’t believe that such a sweet beautiful girl like you would want to settle into a relationship with me.”
“It will take some time to figure out, but I want to try,” I said, winding my fingers into the back of his hair. “Please, Dean, can we try?”
“I’ll do anything you want, baby.”
He was looking at me so tenderly my heart turned to pie filling. “Dean, I know it’s not
exactly allowed, but there are only two people in the guest building tonight. Maybe... You
could walk me back?”