Her answer would tell me everything about how she saw us.
She took a slow breath in, held it, then exhaled like it carried a weight she’d been holding for too long.
“I think so?” she said, voice soft, uncertain.
That was enough to make my heart stutter in my chest.
“Is there a ‘but’ in there?” I asked gently.
She looked at me, her eyes flickering with hesitation. “Well… no. I just don’t know what to say… like what we are.”
The other night, we’d snuck up to her room, but no one had known. I understood where she was coming from—being so open about the romance that was sparking between us was different.
Her gaze searched mine like she was asking for something without speaking it aloud. She needed a direction. A definition. Something she could hold onto.
I reached up and ran my thumb across her cheek, brushing away a strand of blond locks and letting my touch linger.
“I think I’ve made it pretty damn clear how I feel about you,” I said. “I’m all in, Ace. But if you’re not ready for that just yet, then we take it slow. We keep doing what we’re doing. And if someone asks, we just say we’re exploring a connection we found while I was visiting my folks.”
She nodded slowly, the tension in her shoulders easing.
Relief and something softer flickered across her face—something that looked a lot like hope.
“Plus, we’re all going out soon,” I said, brushing a kiss against her temple. “We can test the waters then, see what’s said, how it feels. What do you think?”
“I think that sounds good,” Ellie replied, a soft smile tugging at her lips.
“Then let’s get back out there and finish our night.”
She nodded and slipped her arm through mine, letting her head rest against my shoulder before we continued down Main Street. The sun had begun to dip behind the mountains, casting the sky in streaks of gold and violet. It painted the perfect backdrop for our quiet walk, side by side, step by step, falling easily into conversation and laughter.
We strolled until we reached the old Petal Pusher storefront and then the darkened shell of what would be Miles’s restaurant, still under construction.
Ellie stiffened beside me. Subtle, but unmistakable. I gave her arm a gentle squeeze.
“I still haven’t run into him,” she said quietly, her gaze trailing over the dark windows as we passed.
“Good,” I muttered. “Maybe he finally got the hint.”
Ellie let out a dry scoff. “Doubt it. That man doesn’t take hints well. Or at all.”
I dug my spoon into what was left of my ice cream. “Do you want to talk to him?”
She shrugged, her steps slowing just slightly.
“There’s a lot I want to say,” she admitted. “But I don’t want to have to see him to say it.”
“If you do,” I said, voice low, “please let me be there. I can’t stand the thought of him hurting you again. I won’t let it happen.”
She looked up at me then, eyes soft with gratitude and something warmer.
“If I make any plans, I’ll let you know,” she said. “I’d want my personal bodyguard with me anyway.”
She gave my bicep a playful squeeze and then leaned in to rest her head there, like it was the safest place she knew.
“Good,” I said, wrapping an arm around her. “Because you’re stuck with me, wherever you go.”
40
