“I don’t think I’ve fallen in love with you, I know.”
I blink back at him, a maelstrom of emotions cycling inside. Confusion. Disbelief. The feeling of being utterly overwhelmed.
But also . . . joy. Happiness. A sensation of rightness I can’t explain.
Shaking my head, I tug out of Becks’ grasp, my brain muddled.
Under normal circumstances, it’s a struggle to think when he’s this close and touching me, but now . . . basically impossible.
“Wait, this is . . . you can’t actually . . . I don’t . . .”
I glance at him, helpless, at a loss for words.
He grabs the chair behind him and drags it forward, positioning it right in front of me. When he sits and braces his elbows against his thighs, shifting closer, we’re eye level, and I can’t stop my gaze from drifting to his mouth. All I would have to do is tip forward and tilt my head to align our mouths.
A wave of heat runs through me, remembering what it’s like to kiss him.
I lean back, locking away the memory. Becks’ gaze tracks my movement and a frown pulls his features down.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “This is a lot to take in and completely the wrong time. You’ve just lost someone and are recovering from an unbelievably traumatic ordeal, but I can’t let you go another moment believing I don’t care for you.”
Sincerity shines in Becks’ eyes as he goes on. “In a perfect world, I would have waited until all of this was over. I would have taken you on a date, our first real one, and told you how beautiful you looked, and spent the entire evening half in disbelief that I was the one sitting across from you, pinching myself that I was with someone not only achingly beautiful but also brilliant and kind. I would have been nervous, wondering if you felt even a fraction of what I did, but unable to keep it to myself any longer. And I know it would have been the best night of my life.”
“Becks,” I whisper, my heart unable to do anything but melt at a confession like that.
But still . . .
“How can you feel that strongly about me? You practically grew up with my sister. You’ve known her forever. You’ve only known me for a little over two weeks.”
But even as I argue, my heart knows the truth. That even after such a short time, it’s possible to fall in love that fast. But my insecurities about Locklyn are too close to the surface to let myself believe it.
Becks shifts even closer, his gaze taking on a new intensity. “That’s right. I spent years with Locklyn, yet I never felt for her what I feel for you now. Did I love her? I won’t lie to you. I did. But this . . .” He gestures between us. “. . . is something else, something different. The love I had for Locklyn was all mixed up with years of friendship. It happened slowly and wasn’t strong enough to overcome what stood in our way. When the time came to fight for Locklyn, I didn’t. Not how I should have. Not how I would have if it were you.”
Once again, I don’t know what to say. I only know that my walls are starting to crack. To crumble and fall. Without them, nothing stands between us, because I feel the same way he does. That this is special. That even though it’s only been a short time, I can’t imagine my life without him.
No, not that I can’t imagine it, but that I don’t want to because knowing him has changed me and I’ll never be whole without him by my side.
“Are you telling the truth?” I ask, as a sob crawls up my throat and tears spring to my eyes.
“Oh, baby,” he says, his gaze softening as he cups my cheek. I lean into his touch instead of pulling away. “I am. I meant every word. What I feel for you came out of nowhere. It hit me over the head, and I’ve been reeling ever since.”
“Are you trying to say falling in love with me is like a head injury?”
The corner of his mouth quirks up. “I mean, sometimes I feel dizzy when I’m around you.”
“That was cheesy.”
His smile grows, but then he turns serious. “I’m sorry I didn’t come out and tell you about Locklyn. That was a mistake. I was scared if I told you, I’d lose you, but you deserved to know. You deserve to know that you’re it for me. No one else. Just you. And if you’re not there yet with me, that’s okay, I can wait. But I won’t go away. Probably not even if you tell me to. I can’t.”
I stare at Becks through watery eyes, taking in as much of him as I can, my heart filling more with every second that passes.
Shaking my head lightly I say, “I don’t want you to go away.”
It’s the only words I can force out through the lump of emotion clogging my throat.
Becks’ face fills with hope. “Really?”
I nod, and because words aren’t sufficient for this moment, I lean forward. Sliding my hand into his hair, I draw him to me even as I close the gap between us. When our mouths meet, it’s just like every other time before.
