Bree opened the door about eight inches and locked eyes with her. Tess held her gaze, and they stared at each other for what was probably only ten or fifteen seconds, but it seemed much longer. Then she stepped back and opened the door wider.
Tess looked her over, and Bree knew Tess was taking in her tousled hair and attire, a T-shirt and sleeping shorts. Bree studied Tess too. She was as attractive as ever in her blue jeans and a sweatshirt. Desire pulsed deep in Bree’s chest and traveled lower. Then she noticed that Tess’s left hand was wrapped in a bandage, and her heart rate escalated. She looked back up into Tess’s tired eyes.
“Are you okay?”
Bree watched Tess struggle to swallow before she answered. “The jury’s out on that.”
“I thought court was adjourned. That your ruling on the two of us was in.” Bree concentrated on maintaining a tone that didn’t give anything away.
Tess offered an upward quirk of her mouth, but her overall demeanor seemed nervous. “Can we talk?”
“I thought we did. I heard you loud and clear. That you’d come to the decision that it was in both our best interests to not try to pursue something. That we needed to leave Tahoe in Tahoe.” Bree considered that Tess wasn’t the only one with rejection issues.
“Truth or dare,” Tess said.
“What is this? High school?” Bree shook her head. Not because of the game, but the challenge. Because of what it might reveal if she tooktruth. If she was honest. She was in no mood for that kind of exposure. But maybe Tess was leaving her own vulnerability in Bree’s hands—this was Bree’s choice.
“So, are you game, Judge O’Brian?” Tess didn’t let Bree off the hook. “And I’m hung up on the truth, the whole truth…and nothing but the truth, to quote Flo, who happens to enjoy judicial puns too. Unless you choose the dare.”
Bree thought about it. “What’s the dare?”
Tess shut her eyes a moment and frowned, as though she’d really wanted Bree to taketruth. “That’s not the way the game’s played, but I’ll indulge you. The dare—that you hear me out.”
Bree sighed. “Okay. The dare.” She was probably going to kick herself, but what was there to lose, except maybe more of her heart? She looked at Tess and waited.
“I could tell you about all sorts of things.” She held up her bandaged hand, and Bree’s gut clenched. Someone had attacked Tess, put her safety at risk. What the hell had happened? Tess rubbed her neck with her good hand and continued. “About a terrible two weeks after my realization that your safety was paramount to me. About tonight—a knife attack, doughnuts for dinner, my life-impacting fear of rejection, an admission to myself, advice to not be a dumbass.” There was a long significant pause. “My decision to take the biggest risk of my life.”
“And what’s that?” Bree felt an added surge of interest.
Tess bit her lower lip, and her eyes filled. Bree suspected that Tess was going to say something that she feared would put her heart in peril, and that would be significant. Bree knew that avoiding such risks was a large part of who Tess was.
“I hadn’t fully defined my feelings for you before that night at the Steam Stop, but I did realize that I was a risk to your safety, and I couldn’t tolerate that. I didn’t handle things well, but I’d like to believe my actions then were a precursor to this declaration.” Tess closed her eyes a long moment before she opened and locked them with Bree’s. “I know myself well enough to know that I’m falling in love with you, Bree. And I need to know if you feel the same. I need the truth, to know if we stand a chance at a future.” Tess gulped, and her eyes welled over.
Bree took a moment to absorb Tess’s admission. She understood what it had taken for Tess to put herself in this position. To make herself this vulnerable. She reached out and gently stroked Tess’s wet cheek with her thumb.
“Have you been hanging out with Hank?” Bree chuckled for the first time in days.
“With Hank?” Tess sniffled and her brow wrinkled.
“My brother and I had a talk. He told me that what matters is whether it could be love—that’s what I had to figure out. Whether I could love you. And whether you could love me.”
“I think Hank’s been hanging out with Flo,” Tess replied with a nod.
“Since Tahoe.” It was Bree’s turn to nod.
“He’s been hanging out with Flo since Tahoe?” Tess raised her eyebrows, but a touch of mirth sparkled in her moist hazel eyes, and that look connected with Bree.
“No,” Bree said. “But I realized in Tahoe that there was the potential for me to fall in love with you. And since then…I couldn’t stop it. I wanted to. So yes, I’m falling in love with youtoo.” It felt so good to say that to Tess, face-to-face. Bree had feared she’d never have the opportunity.
“Oh, thank God.” Tess used her sleeve and wiped her eyes.
“So, what are you doing still standing out here on my front porch when you should be in here telling me about doughnuts for dinner. Maybe you could throw in a bit about that bandaged hand—please tell me that they caught the bastard.” Bree’s stomach roiled some more at the thought of Tess caught in a knife attack. “And advice on how to avoid being a dumbass? I want some dumbass elaboration.” Bree stepped back to allow Tess to enter. “But first, can I hug you?”
Tess stepped into Bree’s arms, and they held each other until Bree finally led Tess to the couch where she told Bree what had transpired that evening.
“Do you want to spend the night?” Bree asked after she’d heard the story and realized how serious the threat had been to Tess. The only silver lining was that maybe this would uncover exactly what was going on at the courthouse—maybe both she and Tess would finally be safe. And the golden lining, Tess had not only said that love was involved, she’d been willing to risk her heart and come here after midnight to admit it.
“Would you be offended if I took a rain check? The dynamic duo have been neglected, I’m several stages past my limit, and the pain medicine is wearing off. I only came tonight because I needed to see you. To tell you that I’m falling in love with you. To find out if you feel the same.”
