Page 118 of His Surrender

“Always.”

I hesitate just long enough to make him curious. “I had the biggest crush on you.”

I risk looking up to find that he’s staring at me.

“You did?”

I laugh nervously. “You seriously didn’t know?”

“I knew you were Noah’s little sister. But”—he shakes his head— “I had no idea.”

I cover my face for a second. “Oh my gosh.”

He leans closer. “What?”

I place my hands back in my lap, unable to make eye contact. “That’s somehow more embarrassing.”

“I don’t think it’s embarrassing.”

“It is when the guy had absolutely no clue.”

His grin slowly spreads. “I have to admit …”

“What?” I ask curiously.

He leans back in his chair. “That’s … oddly flattering.”

I blink. “It is?”

He nods. “You liked me before any of this.” He gestures vaguely around the restaurant. “The companies. The money. The magazines. You didn’t know any of that version of me.”

“I didn’t.”

“You just”—his smile softens— “liked me.”

I shrug, suddenly feeling fifteen all over again. “I thought you were handsome.”

He laughs. “That’s generous.”

“And kind,” I continue.

“I also thought you were really nice,” he admits.

My shoulders fall. “I barely spoke to you.”

He tilts his head. “I know.”

“So, how did you know I was nice?”

He shrugs. “You’d ask Noah how school was. You would help your parents around the house.”

“You’d carry groceries for Mrs. Jenkins without anyone asking,” I tell him. I smile to myself. “I noticed.”

For a moment, he doesn’t say anything. Then, very quietly, “I’m glad you did.”

An hour later, we’re standing on the rooftop terrace overlooking Manhattan.

The skyline glitters beneath the summer night, the city somehow feeling quieter from this high above the streets.