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She sniffs loudly. “I’m an idiot.”
I laugh. “It took me 20 years to figure out I’m in love with you,” I say. “So, who’s the real idiot?”
Harlow tips her face up to look at me, her blue eyes shining with tears and wonder. “You mean that?”
“That I’m an idiot?” I nod. “Absolutely.”
She laughs, rolling her eyes. “Not that part. The other thing.”
Smiling down at her, I wipe a tear from her cheek. “That I’m in love with you?”
She nods, more tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Yeah,” I say. “I’m so in love with you. Madly, ridiculously, hopelessly in love with you, Harlow St. James. And I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out.”
Tears are streaming down her cheeks now.
“Don’t cry, baby,” I say. “Please. We don’t have to figure anything out right now. It’s enough for me just to be together.”
She shakes her head, and a watery laugh escapes her. “They’re not sad tears,” she says.
I go still, eyeing her. “What kind of tears are they?”
She laughs again and sniffs loudly. “The happy ones. The kind you cry when you realize you have everything you ever wanted. When you realize the person you’re in love with loves you back. That kind.”
I swear, my heart stops. Just for a second before it pounds so hard in my chest that I’m surprised she doesn’t hear it too. Harlow smiles up at me with damp eyes full of love and hope.
“I love you, Linc,” she whispers.
She pulls me down for a kiss and I can’t help but feel that I’m right where I’m supposed to be, right here, with her in my arms. Reaching down, I wrap my arms around her and lift her up. Harlow doesn’t resist; she just wraps her legs around my waist, her mouth never leaving mine. Turning, I press her against the side of the truck and lose myself in the kiss. I feel myself growing hard against the soft press of her body, a fog of lust clouding my mind.
The loud honk of a car horn rips me out of my haze of longing. I pull my lips from Harlow’s and turn to see a familiar vehicle has pulled up beside my truck. I hadn’t even heard the car’s engine; I’d been so caught up in kissing Harlow. Cole is behind the wheel, a bemused grin on his face. He leans toward the open window.
“Do you two want to get arrested for indecent exposure? Get a room!”
Harlow’s body shakes with laughter against me, reminding me that I still have her pinned between my body and the truck. She does an admirable job of acting casual as I lower her until her feet touch the ground.
“Sorry about that,” I say, smiling at my brother. “But she loves me.”
Harlow points at me. “And he loves me.” Her eyes are dry, and she's wiping away the last of her tears. Her smile is wide and bright as she looks up at me.
“No shit,” Cole says. “Everyone already knew that. Took you two idiots long enough to figure it out.”
I shoot him a glare. “Go away.”
He just laughs. “I’m happy for you two,” he says.
I pull Harlow closer to my side, unwilling to let her go now that I know she loves me. “Thanks. Now, leave.”
He laughs again. “I’m going. But I was serious about indecent exposure. They’ll arrest you for it in this town. Don’t ask how I know.”
He raises the window and drives away, leaving me standing there with the woman I love. Harlow turns and gives me a questioning look.
“I don’t think we want to know,” I say.
“You’re probably right,” she says. “Let’s take his advice and get a room.”
“Yeah?” I grin down at her.
