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“I really enjoyed today, Dan.”
“Me too.” He picked up her hand, threaded his fingers through hers.
“That’s what makes this so hard.”
He braced internally.Lord, I really don’t want her to go.
“Dan.” She finally faced him. “I’m going home on Monday.”
His grip tightened. Finally—she was being honest with him. Yes—he could trust her. But she had a look on her face that suggested she still really intended to go. His heart tumbled with emotion. Did she truly want to leave?
“Why?”
“Because I’ve booked my ticket.”
“That’s not a good enough reason, Sar.” He attempted a smile. Failed.
“Because summer is over and I need to go home.”
“What do you need to go back for?”
Silence enveloped them, the quiet only broken by the gentle lapping of water and the occasional splash of a fish. Sarah looked down, her bright hair shielding her face.
He leaned closer. “What would you say if I said I need you here?”
She glanced across, wide-eyed.
He gently squeezed her hand. “What if I said I’d finally found a girl who I want to get to know more, and that I’d like to get to know her here rather than from opposite sides of the world?”
“Dan, I—” She shook her head slightly. “No. It could never work.”
“Why not?” He brushed her palm with his thumb, releasing a shiver of heated energy. Did she feel that too? “I like you.” What a feeble expression for the depth of his feelings. “I really like you, Sarah.”
“Dan, I really like you too, but—”
“I haven’t felt like this about any girl before, and I’d really like to know where this can go.” He swallowed. “I know things haven’t been easy for you, but I won’t hurt you, Sarah. Can we take things slow and see what happens? Please?”
He waited in the silence that followed, his heart in her hands.
She glanced down at their entwined fingers.
“Sar? Would you want to be with someone like me?”
She looked up at him. “Someone like you?” She wrinkled her nose. “No.”
No?
“Why would I want someonelikeyou?” She smiled and touched his face. “Not if I could be with someone whoisyou. Someone so sweet and kind and patient and wonderful.” Her fingers traced heat down his jaw, ending at his lips.
His mouth went dry. She couldn’t know how enticing she was. “So, will you stay?”
“You really want me to stay?”
“Of course I do.”
Time seemed to hold its breath as she searched his face.
Finally, she nodded. “Ange and John said I can live with them for as long as I want. I’ll see if my ticket can get postponed for a while.”
