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I inhale sharply, attempting to shake off the awkwardness I’m feeling, and smile up at the first man to make me think of a real relationship. He’s so intuitive and sensitive and—no, I have to stop thinking about these things.
I wiggle the empty cup between us. “It’s going to be a long day.” Then I turn around.
As soon as I take a step in the direction of the coffee, the door crashes open, and I smack straight into another man’s chest, bouncing backward.
I blink a couple of times at Wyatt, who’s shifting his eyes back and forth between Luca over my shoulder and me. He holds my elbows to steady me, and I wriggle free, reaching up to swipe the hair out of my face. Geez, I’m starting to think it’s this house that makes me so darned klutzy.
“Ah... um ... Jack?” Surprise and then understanding light his eyes, and he scowls at Luca. “How unexpected, meeting you here.”
Luca
“Wyatt,” I say, reading mybest friend’s accusatory expression. I wasn’t ready to share this with him yet. I wanted it to just be between Jack and I for a little while longer. “Have you heard of knocking?”
Wyatt furrows his brows and tilts his head. “Itismy kitchen”
I grumble between clenched teeth, as if my reasons should be obvious.
Jack fidgets and rushes toward the coffee pot.
Wyatt chuckles again. “I need a little help reshoeing Pirate, but that can wait. I’ll leave you two alone.”
He goes to leave but pokes his head back in through the door first. “And guys,” he says, looking at both of us, “Emma and I literally called this on day one. So, you’re welcome.” His laugh reverberates through the kitchen before he closes the door behind him.
I join Jack on the other side of the island and brush her hair away from her face, breathing her in. “This week has been—” I begin to say, but before I have a chance, Jack interrupts me.
“It was fine,” she says, waving me off, avoiding eye contact, as she finishes pouring the coffee.
Fine? The connection we have feels so much more than fine. It is incredible. Perfect. It was the most in tune with another person I’ve ever felt. If Jack’s assessment of our time together was that it was simply fine, then what does that mean for every other woman I’ve dated?
“Are you okay?” I ask, sliding my hand down to her elbow and urging her to look at me.
She strains to meet my gaze, so I pick her up and set her on the counter.
“Yeah, why?” Jack asks, face devoid of anything that would be helpful in reading her.
“It’s just that—” I stop myself, completely stuck in my head. There’s so much I want to say, but I’m scared to put myself out there. But if I don’t, I’ll regret leaving things unspoken between us.
“Your stay with us wasn’t just fine for me,” I say. “Getting to know you has been incredible. I was in a long-term relationship, Jack, and I’m here, telling you honestly that I’ve never felt the way I feel about you for anyone.”
Jack’s body stiffens, and she pulls her lips into a long line on her face. When I take her hand in mine, she goes limp.
“Luca,” she says, “I’m not good at this stuff.” She rolls her lips between her teeth, a gesture I’ve come to understand is her version of the word ‘um.’ It’s absolutely adorable. Her shoulders rise as she takes a deep breath and continues. “It’s not that this wasn’t great. It was. More than I ever would have imagined. But if we treat it like there’s a hope for a lasting relationship with a thousand miles between us, it’ll make today harder. I’m leaving. I have to leave. You’re staying.” She runs her hands down the center of my chest. “That’s our reality.”
My brain sticks on the great part, and hope surges forward. I step away and then pace back and forth before coming back to Jack.
I cradle her face in my hands. “It doesn’t have to be our reality. You could stay and work on the ranch. You’re a natural. You could find a job in town or work remotely for LivFit. Whatever makes you happy.”
Jack runs her hands through her hair. “Stay?” Her voice shoots up an octave. “Here, with you?”
“Yes, with me,” I quickly respond.
“Luca,” she says. “You’re amazing. This place is great. But I’ve only known you for a week, and I have a job back home. A lucrative job with a future and advancement opportunities. A real career path that I’ve worked so hard to develop. There are so many reasons why it’s utterly unrealistic for you to ask me this.”
My stomach feels like I’ve been punched. We stare into each other’s eyes, and I haven’t told her the most important part... the fact that I think I’m in love with her. This feeling is so much stronger than what I had before. Even if a week ago, I would have insisted love grows more slowly than this. But this week has proven me wrong. As unlikely as it seems, I’ve fallen hard for Jack. I can see forever with her, but based on the goodbye in her eyes, I’m certain my sentiments will only scare her away. She doesn’t seem in a position to accept my love.
“Should Emma drive me to the airport?” Jack asks, running a finger around the rim of her mug.
“No, no,” I say. “I promised you a ride today, and I’ll give you one.”
