AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes,” she said.
“Okay.” He was instantly on his feet and went to her. “That’s… You all need to excuse us for a minute. Ally and I are going to talk outside.” With one hand on the small of her back, he led her to the sliding door and out onto the deck.
Facing her, he said, “I’m so sorry about Boyd.”
“Is that really what you want to talk about?”
“No. There is so much I want to talk about. But first, I need to apologize for the thing with Shay. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
“Thank you. I’ll admit that upset me. A lot. Maybe I could have found a way to ease your mind. Sometimes when I feel strongly about something, it’s difficult to see options. Period. I don’t like to have to explain, to justify my actions… Obviously, sometimes I should. It gets me into trouble. So, for that, I’m sorry, too. And I understand you were emotional because of her history and her pregnancy struggles. What concerns me is that our beliefs might cause more problems in the future.”
“But I don’t think they will. I mean, they might, in that maybe we’ll disagree on certain specific issues. But that’s okay. A little debate is healthy, right? We’ll both learn. It was my reaction that was the problem. I think I was acting on some of my own fear and disappointment. I wanted Shay to have children because I can’t…or something?”
“You make some good points.”
“Good.” He grinned. “Now I want to talk about Kendall.”
“Good.” She copied his grin. “Iris is right. I am jealous of Kendall. I hated that photo. I hated seeing her paw you in that photo, and at the Cozy Caribou that night and then again at your rally. I don’t know if she told you, but I was rude to her…but only because she insulted me first. Iris is right, she wants you back and she won’t stop until—”
“Shh. I know. But I don’t want her.”
“Then stop letting her manipulate you. That bothers me more than the jealousy.”
“I already fired her from my campaign.” He grinned, happiness building inside him at the notion. It felt good to take his life back. “My campaign, which no longer exists, apparently.”
“Hannah Addison for senate. I’m personally going to go door-to-door.”
Tag laughed. “We’ll do it together.”
Then Ally smiled at him, and a new joy unfurled deep inside him. It was like her happiness had a direct link to his soul, like his own capacity for joy depended on hers. Now, if only he could get her to forgive him, to believe that he had faith in her.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were bothered by her? You seemed so…cool about it.”
“I don’t know… I knew how much the campaign meant to you, how important her parents’ contribution would be. I didn’t want to add to the stress I could see you struggling with every day. And Flynn told me not to let you know I was jealous. Guys don’t like jealous, he said.”
Tag shook his head. “There’s a reason that guy is still single. Ally, I thought it meant you didn’t care. To me, the fact that you weren’t jealous meant that I liked you way, way more than you liked me. I mean, no one likes irrational jealousy. Like the kind I had for Gareth and then Dave. It was stupid, but I can see now that I felt that way because I wanted more. And then I thought you wanted to keep your options open and that killed me.”
Ally shook her head. “Flynn is the only person I had to talk to about this. I have practically no experience with dating or relationships. You’re the first guy I’ve ever been serious about. The first one I’ve ever…”
* * *
AND THAT WAS the moment the metaphorical herd in Ally’s chest broke free. She took a deep breath and said, “I love you, Tag. I’m in love with you.”
“You…what? Ally, do you understand what you’re saying? You’re so young and—”
“Tag!” Frustration tinged her tone, but she didn’t care. “You know how much I hate that. And please don’t insult me. No, I’ve never been in love before. I’ve never even been in a relationship. I might not have any experience in certain areas, but I know love when I feel it, and I just had to say it.”
