Page 203 of Tessa and Nash

Close enough that I can see the tiny crease between her brows when she’s thinking too hard about something emotional.

“I ran because I was terrified,” she says.

“Of what?”

“Of you.”

That answer surprises me. “I don’t usually scare people.”

“You told me you loved me.”

“Yeah.”

“You said it like it was obvious.”

“It is obvious.”

Her eyes search mine. “You still mean it?”

I don’t hesitate. “I love you, Tessa.”

The words feel steadier this time.

Less jumping off a cliff and more standing exactly where I’m supposed to be.

She studies me for a long moment.

Then a small smile appears. “I was hoping you’d say that again.”

Before I can respond, she grabs the front of my jacket and pulls me into a kiss.

Then my brain catches up, and I pull her closer, kissing her with all the relief that’s been building in my chest for weeks.

When we finally pull apart, she’s still holding onto my jacket.

Her forehead rests against mine. “I love you too… even when you make decisions for both of us.” Her fingers tighten in my jacket. “Even when I probably shouldn’t.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Tessa

February 14th

For a moment after I say the words, neither of us moves.

The night feels impossibly still around us, the faint music from inside the rodeo hall drifting through the open doors while the cold February air brushes across my cheeks.

I love you.

The phrase hangs between us as fragile and newly discovered.

Nash’s hands are still resting lightly at my waist, as though he is afraid I might vanish if he holds on too tightly.

I understand the feeling.

Two weeks ago, everything between us felt like a complicated performance, an arrangement built from rivalry, stubbornness, and a plan neither of us fully thought through.

Now the ground beneath that arrangement has disappeared entirely.