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I clean up the glass and toss it into the trashcan, and when I turn around, Emily is looking at me with those big, brown doe eyes. Lizzie’s eyes, only not as round.
“I feel like you need a hug,” she says. “But that’s never been our thing.”
“Please don’t.” I shake my head and step back. “You look too much like her, it’s—”
“I get it.” Emily pats my arm when she walks by. “Plus, Jonathan might lose his shit, and if you two are going to be in-laws one day, I’ll need you to get along.”
That’ll never happen. “Bye, Em.”
I hear her open the front door, but I don’t watch her leave. Instead, I reach behind my head and pull my shirt off.
Five or ten miles on the treadmill is what I need. Maybe after that, and a long, hot shower, I’ll be able to clear my head.
“Aiden?”
“Yeah.” I toss my shirt on the floor and turn to find Lizzie standing in my doorway, dripping wet, white cotton shirt clinging to her body, her dark hair plastered to the side of her head, her glossy eyes wide—yet everything is muted by the look on her face.
Reluctance.
Hope.
Love.
My heart slams inside my chest at the sight of her. My hands and fingers itch to reach for her.
“I’m going to go,” Emily whispers before slipping out.
Lizzie’s eyes stay on mine. I realize, in this moment, that I’m unprepared for whatever she has to say. Lizzie is the most important person in my life, and I’ll always love her even if she doesn’t feel the same way, but I’m pretty sure it’ll kill me.
“What are you doing here?”
She shrugs. Water drips from her hair, and when she shifts on her feet, her shoes slosh against the floor. How long did she stand out in the rain?
I look behind her. “Where’s Ethan?”
“Probably almost home. Or maybe at the coffee shop. I don’t know.”
She steps over the threshold, close enough that I can’t take in a breath without breathing her in. Lizzie offers me a small smile, but I can’t bring myself to return it because I still don’t know why she’s here. Does she want to be with me? Or did she come back to wreak more havoc on my heart? Because if that’s the case, she can leave.
“Why are you here, Lizzie?” I ask again.
She takes a shuddery breath and replies. “Do you really have to ask?”
“Yeah, I think in this case, I do. Because I don’t want to screw anything else up between us. I don’t want any more misunderstandings.”
A tear falls down her cheek, disappearing between her parted lips. “I’m here because I love you, too.”
Air whooshes from my lungs. I close my eyes and take a trembling breath, opening them to find her another step closer. “Say it again.”
“I love you.” She barely has time to push the words out before I have her wrapped in my arms.
“Lizzie,” I breathe, holding her tight, not caring that she’s soaking wet. My girl buries her face in my neck and wraps her arms around me. One hand grips the back of my neck, the other rests on my back. Her fingers are cold against my bare skin, but nothing has ever felt as good as having Lizzie in my arms. “I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
“Please don’t say that unless you mean it,” she whispers.
I pull back to look her in the eyes. The pain from before has been replaced with love—for me. I press my forehead to hers. “I don’t lie to you. That’s not our thing.”
She nods, her warm breath fanning my face. It’s pure instinct to smooth the pad of my thumb over the tear lingering on the corner of her top lip. Her eyes flash with heat, and the need to kiss her, to find out just how sweet she tastes, becomes unbearable.
