Page 46

When I looked at him, he looked as shocked as I felt, as if he couldn’t believe his own words. So I knew he hadn’t planned to say it.

We ended up not getting a moment alone after that because Tommy came barreling in. It was the usual chaos of the Silver family at Heartfire Falls Resort, which I loved. And yet, I had no idea what to do about my place in it now.

Hours later, I quickly finished washing my face and changed into my pajamas, such as they were—my ancient and worn comfort t-shirt, fluffy socks, and boy shorts. Lincoln and his brothers had gone with Tommy down to help Kendall at the rescue barn because the goats had gotten loose, and he hadn’t texted since then. I was nervous to text him and was way overthinking it.

Did I love him? I didn’t know. My heart and mind shied away from even the idea of love. I knew I felt more for him than I’d ever felt for my ex. Maybe I’d never known what love really was, and maybe this was all going to blow up anyway. What the hell was I supposed to do about it? I was beginning to mentally spiral as I literally stood frozen in the middle of my bedroom.

There was a light knock on my door, breaking through my spiral. There was only one person who came into this suite. Lincoln.

My heart started rioting in my chest, my belly tingling with nerves. I wanted to see him, and my heart felt shockingly confident about that, while the rest of me was a hot mess.

“Chloe?” His voice came through the door after another moment.

Oh, right. I was just standing here. I cleared my throat, straightened my shoulders, and took the three entire steps it took to get to the door and opened it.

“Hi!” I squeaked.

His gaze coasted over mine, searching. “Hey.” His eyes swept up and down, and, of course, I wasn’t wearing much. My nipples, because they liked him, perked right up. I knew he could see them through my thin t-shirt. His eyes were a little darker when they made their way back to mine.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

“Um, sure.” He stepped into my bedroom, closing the door behind him, which was, all things considered, kind of pointless since I was the only staff person staying in this suite.

He stopped in front of me, and I suddenly realized he looked a little bit nervous. “How you doing?” he asked, reaching for one of my hands, which was nervously curling into the hem of my t-shirt. It was a relief to let him hold it, because his presence was always soothing, his touch warm and strong.

“I’m okay. Did you catch all the goats?” I asked, because I was legitimately curious, and it was something to talk about other than the fact that our relationship was now open for the whole family, and he’d announced to everyone that he loved me.

“We did catch all the goats.” He cleared his throat, reaching for my other hand.

We were just standing there with him holding my hands. I was so nervous, I could hardly hear over the pounding beat of my heart. But his gaze held mine, steady and sure.

“I wasn’t really thinking when I said I loved you.” He cleared his throat. “But I meant it.”

I stared up at him. “You did?” My insecurity ran so deep it was hard to believe anyone could love me.

“Of course I did, Chloe,” he said softly.

“Oh.” I took a slow breath and let it out in a rush.

“I don’t expect you to feel the same way,” he added softly.

“I think I do, but is this too fast?”

He tipped his head to the side, his eyes warm. “I don’t know.”

“Are there rules?”

“I don’t know. I’ve known you for a year or thereabouts. It’s not like we don’t know each other. I know your dad. You know my family. Even before that first kiss, I knew what kind of person you were.”

“What kind of person is that?”

“Kind. Loyal. Steady. Super-efficient.” His lips quirked at one corner, although his gaze stayed serious. “Just all around awesome and smart. Cute and sexy.” His voice lowered at that, and my belly felt all tingly while my nipples tightened again.

I took a slow breath, trying to steady myself. My heart knew how it felt, but my insecurities had me questioning everything, not my feelings, but whether anybody could truly love me. I decided to ignore my insecurity for the moment. “I do love you. I guess when you explain it like that, you’re right. Maybe that’s why it’s a little easier than I thought.”

“Easier?”

“Well, I mean, I’m freaking terrified.” I swallowed through the rush of emotion and fear clutching at my throat.