“Don’t apologize,” he says. “I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to tell me.”
“And I’m glad you’re here,” I say, holding his gaze. “Really glad.”
“Me too, Myra Jean. Me too.”
19
LINDSEY
“I hopeshe also informed you I had no idea what she was up to,” I say, covering my cheeks with my hands as we walk along the trail for the light show. “I can’t believe she told you.”
Oliver chuckles. “She did, and she made sure to mention you had nothing to do with it.”
The trees are shimmering overhead, bathed in the glow of warm fairy lights. They’re so beautiful, they almost don’t look real. The rest of our group is several feet ahead.
“I don’t know what’s more embarrassing—the fact that Aunt Rose fell while they were scheming to meet you, or that shetold youthat’s what they were doing.”
“It’s hilarious. I think your mom is a hoot.”
“And ateensybit overbearing sometimes,” I add.
“Maybe,” he concedes. “But her heart’s in the right place. I really think she just wants you to be happy.”
“I know,” I say. “And I am. I have been. My parents had this beautiful love story, and then Lucy and Ben found their perfect matches, and I think that made it hard for my mom to understand why finding someone stopped being a priority for me. It’s not that I don’t see how amazing it can be, because I do. It’s just…”
I trail off, becoming nervous about where I’ve taken the conversation.
“You said it stopped being a priority, so does that mean itwasat one time?” he asks, his arm touching mine as we walk.
I press my lips together, trapping my words inside.
How much istoo muchto say? Too much of myself to give away?
“It was,” I admit.
His face softens as he peers down at me. “What changed?”
“I guessIdid.” I sigh, dropping my gaze to my boots crunching along the gravel path. “I didn’t want to invite someone in only to be let down again.”
“That’s understandable.”
“And after my dad passed so suddenly, the way I looked at life shifted. I realized I didn’t need someone to sweep me off my feet in order for my life to begin. I already have everything I need.”
“You do,” he agrees. “It’s one of the things I like most about you. You’re not looking for anyone to complete you. You already have a life you love.”
His fingers find mine, and my skin tingles with electricity.
“I just want the chance to be a part of it,” he says.
My entire body vibrates. “I’d like that.”
“Really?” he asks, and suddenly he trips, lurching forward and narrowly avoids falling on his face.
“Are you okay?” I ask, grabbing onto his arm.
He stops walking and pulls me off to the side, taking my hands in his. “You make me nervous. In a good way. You have this uncanny ability to turn me into a bumbling fool, and I love every minute of it. I haven’t felt like this about anybody in…well, a long time. Not since Jess.”
My breath catches in my throat. “I haven’t, either.”
