“Say it again.”
Immediately, I know what she’s referring to. “I’m in love with you.” I don’t just say “I love you” because I’ve said that to her before, as my best friend. This is different, and it’s important that I make sure that’s clear.
Tears shimmer in her eyes, and a beautiful smile pulls at her lips. “I’m in love with you too.”
“Yeah?” I ask her. My heart does this flipping thing inside my chest. She moves in close so that we’re nose to nose.
“Yes.”
“Thank fuck,” I say, kissing her.
I take my time savoring every brush of her lips. She opens for me, and my tongue slides against hers with ease. It’s as if we’ve been practicing this very thing for years. There is no fumbling or learning. We just know.
I lose track of time. Not that it matters. I have nowhere to be. The night sky is growing darker, and my girl is in my arms. When she pulls back and rests her head on my chest, I tighten my hold on her as we stare up at the stars.
“How does this work?”
“What do you mean?”
“Us? How do we do this?”
“We just are, baby.”
“I mean, are we telling people? Are we together? What do I call you? My mind is going a thousand miles an hour,” she confesses.
“We’ve got all the time in the world to talk this out. I’m not going anywhere. First question. Yes, I want to tell people. I don’t want to hide you. I don’t want to hide what you mean to me a minute longer. I’ve been fighting this for months, and I want the world to know that you are the owner of my heart.”
She kisses my cheek before resting her head back on my shoulder. Fuck, I love this woman.
“Question two. We are together. You are mine, and I am yours. That means no secrets, no other women or men. Just us. I’m committed to you for a lifetime, Alyssa. This is it for me.Youare it for me.”
“Am I dreaming?” she asks. “I’ve wanted to have this conversation with you for so long. After our kiss at the rental house at the beginning of the summer, I knew I was in love with you. I knew that you were who I wanted for a lifetime, but I also didn’t know for sure how you felt, and I was afraid to lose you. I’d rather love you in silence than lose you from my life.”
“So much wasted time,” I whisper. “I felt the same. I was scared out of my mind that I’d tell you, and you’d tell me to get fucked.”
“Never.”
“Last weekend, when we were camping, I heard Ryder talking about Jordyn, and he said some things that resonated with me. He reminded me that you were here. I could hold you, see you, hear your laugh. I decided then that I was taking the risk as soon as I got you alone. This week was crazy, and then there was book club today. I should have just come over after work one night and told you. Hell, I should have said something weeks ago.”
“I was going to tell you the night you got called to go be with Ryder after Jordyn left.”
“Damn,” I mutter.
“From now on, we will talk about it. Doesn’t matter what it is or how we think the other one will take it. We have to talk it out. We lost so much time.”
“I promise. You’d have thought I’d have learned from watching Brooks with Palmer.” I chuckle.
“It’s different when you’re living it and your heart is invested,” she says.
“My heart is definitely invested.”
“Mine too.”
“Question three,” I say, not forgetting her list. “You call me your boyfriend for now. Eventually, I’ll be promoted to fiancé and husband. Or you just call me yours.” She sits up on my lap, and the light of the moon gives her skin an iridescent glow.
“You’re mine.”
“You’re mine,” I parrot.