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“I know, but then I had all day to sit and think about it, and I’m afraid things will change between us.”
Blake wrapped his good arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. Did she feel the steady beat of his heart? His love for her was just as constant. “Don’t worry. If anything, what we have is getting stronger. That’s a good thing. You’ve been an unwavering part of my life for years, and I don’t want that to ever change.”
“Me either,” she whispered. “It’s just scary.”
He leaned back and tilted her chin to look up at him. “Nothing about this should be scary. I’m not going to cheat on you. I’m not going to kick you out. I’m not going to leave you. I’m always going to be here for you. I can promise those things will never change.”
“How can you say that? People break up all the time, and it’s not always pretty.”
Blake rested a hand on her cheek. “We’re not other people. This is you and me, Ev. We’re different.”
They were different. In his world, she’d always stood out above all others. Everly had never been just some woman. She was the woman he’d always wanted to spend the rest of his life with. All the days. All the nights. Until the end. And not one part of that determination was ever going to change.
She swallowed hard and nodded. “You’re right. Nothing changes.”
“Nothing. I’ll still want to kiss you every day, and you’ll keep walking around being beautiful and acting like it’s nothing.”
She chuckled and swatted his arm. “Okay. You’re right. I shouldn’t be nervous.”
Blake lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the soft skin. “I’ll see you downstairs in a minute.”
“Okay.” The word was barely a breath.
When she turned to walk back down the stairs, Blake darted into his bedroom. Time for the quickest shower in history.
***
Everly’s nervousness was completely gone during dinner. It probably had something to do with Ridge’s presence. The three of them had spent more time together than apart in the last few years, and everything was normal.
Almost everything. Blake still wanted Everly. That hadn’t changed. But he also felt this stinging reminder that he was keeping something from Ridge.
Ridge knew. He had to know how Blake felt about Everly. Still, they hadn’t outright talked about it other than to lay down the ground rule when Everly moved in.
Right. The rule. It made sense, but that didn’t mean Blake had to like it. When she laughed about something Stella had said or gushed about the house she’d made an offer on, he wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and cover her smile with his lips.
After dinner, Ridge settled in on the couch in the living room and turned on ESPN. “Blake, the Kings are playing the Oilers. Get in here.”
Everly picked up her plate and leaned down by Blake’s ear on her way to the sink. “Later,” she whispered.
Blake turned in his chair to watch her walk up the stairs. Things were definitely changing when he was contemplating running after Everly instead of watching two of the best NHL teams of the season face off.
She’d said later. He didn’t want to be too obvious in front of Ridge anyway. Blake got rid of his empty plate and stretched out in the reclining couch seat across from Ridge.
“What’s your bet?” Ridge asked.
Blake scratched at the stubble below his chin. He wasn’t about to admit that he didn’t know either team’s most recent stats, and he’d never had to look them up before. He’d been too hung up on Everly lately, and his love of pro sports was suffering. “Oilers by two.”
Ridge shook his head. “You’ll be sorry.”
Blake shrugged and relaxed with his arms crossed over his chest. “A little scrubbing won’t hurt me.”
The terms of the bets were always the same. Loser cleaned the home gym. A cleaning company sent someone to clean the house every week, but Ridge and Blake agreed that asking anyone to clean the gym was too much. They both worked out at least five times a week, and the gym started to smell like a high school locker room in a hurry.
When the Kings scored their first goal, he let his eyes drift closed.
Blake stretched and groaned. Blinking hard, he looked around. The TV was off, the fireplace was on, and Everly had replaced Ridge on the other end of the couch. The glow of her laptop lit her face, despite the low lighting.
“Morning, sunshine.” Her tone was low but easy to distinguish in the quiet house.
