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“In my price range? Forget it.”
“I meant the three of us could move into a three-bedroom,” Duke said. “Bedroom for us. Bedroom for Waverly—with enough space that she could put a desk in her room and study there. Third bedroom is your home office.”
I blinked. “You’re serious.”
“Yeah. Of course I’m serious. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because we’ve only just—”
“Only just what?” he interrupted. “Started dating? Officially maybe. Unofficially, I think we’ve been together almost a decade.”
“No. You don’t get to say that. You don’t get to use years of history when we were just friends to make this go at warp-fucking-speed.”
He was about to say something when the server set down our desserts and Duke’s coffee. He discreetly left the check at the end of the table and then left us alone again.
Duke splashed some cream into his cup and gave it a quick stir.
“You’re already pissed at me, so maybe now is a good time to talk about taking our relationship out into the open,” Duke said. “You said we could talk about it over dinner. Well, we’re at dinner.”
“Yeah, I did promise you we could talk about it, didn’t I?” I muttered.
“I don’t get it. Why the fuck are we still keeping this under wraps? Your sister knows and she’s happy about it. And for the love of God, please do not use Savage as a reason for us not taking this public. I need a real reason from you. Something that makes sense.”
“What if it’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” I blurted.
“What? Dating me?”
“No,” I whispered. “What if—Duke—what if I suck at this? What if we go down this road and you realize I’m no good in relationships? What if I’m not the girlfriend you want me to be?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. “Look at me.”
“No.” Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes.
“Coward.”
With a gasp, my gaze whipped to his.
He was smiling slightly. “I’m gonna say something that you might not want to hear, but I’m gonna say it anyway.”
“Okay.”
“Iknowyou suck at relationships.”
“Hey!” I protested.
“Let me finish.”
“You suck at relationships because you were with the wrong guys. I’m not the wrong guy. I’myourguy, and we’re perfect for each other.”
“What if I hurt you just by being me?”
“You hurt me more by not claiming our relationship out in the open. You do more damage to us and to our future by hiding.”
“Future?” I asked softly. “We have a future?”
He cradled my jaw in his hand and stared into my eyes. “Yeah, we have a future. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve seen you at your worst and I still want you. I want you more than anything in the world. Okay?”
I sighed and my insides went gooey. “Okay.”
