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He just sat there looking down at his hands, not saying anything.
Finally, he asked. “Are you done?”
His face was void of any emotion.
I nodded, suddenly feeling nervous at the lack of his response.
“Have a seat because I have a lot to say.” He gestured to the spot next to him.
I slowly sat back down next to him. Then he stared intently at me under a slash of furrowed brows.
“I don’t dance around discussions, so I’m going to just give it to you straight.”
I swallowed. Dylan had never directed such intensity toward me. This was new.
“Let me make it real clear for you because I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings or you have any doubt about us. About me. I’ve always been honest with you, and I always will be. I give you my word.”
He sighed, his face softening a little.
“I know you’ve been burned in the past. Todd hurt you. Your past boyfriends have hurt you. You’ve been disappointed too many times. I get it. But what I’m not ok with is you thinking I have anything other than good intentions. That actually pisses me off that you’d think that. I’ve been nothing but sincere and honest with you.” He paused, and then continued. “Aside from the ring, but that was a misunderstanding.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but he held up a finger. I snapped my mouth closed.
“I’m not Todd, or any other man you’ve been with. You have my heart. You have me. And I want you. Only you. You’re it for me, baby. You always have been.”
I have his heart.I didn’t need to hear anything else.
“And before you get all freaked out, no, this is not some sort of proposal. Not yet anyway. This is me just telling you I’m all in. I have zero doubts. Zero. And if you ever have any doubts creeping up, you come straight to me and tell me. Because I have absolutely no problem repeating this to you until you get it.”
He brushed his thumb along my jaw. “Are we clear?”
I stared and blinked at him, taken back by how forward and honest he was. No man had ever given it to me so straight.
It felt a little like I was scolded, but I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t like it.
Dylan stared back at me intently, waiting. “We good?”
He raised his eyebrows at me when I didn’t answer.
“Mm hmm,” I replied.
What else could I say? I believed him.
“Good.” He gave me a sharp nod.
We sat next to each other in silence for a moment as I processed everything he’d just said. I believed everything he’d said. Yes, there was still a chance that we might not work out. But at least I knew where he stood, and what he wanted. I didn’t have to guess at his feelings for me and wonder if he was serious about us.
“Actually, I take that back. The honesty part,” Dylan said, breaking the silence.
“What? What is it?” I asked, suddenly a little nervous. Maybe this was the other shoe I was waiting for to drop.
He looked at me tentatively, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.
“I knew you were back in town,” he said. “About three months ago. I went to see your grandpa and he told me you moved back.”
“Grandpa told me Todd had been coming to see him.” I thought back to my conversation with Grandapa. No, he’d said ex-boyfriend, not Todd. Could he have meant Dylan? “He meant you, didn’t he?”
Dylan nodded. “I don’t think Todd has been back to see him since Grandpa passed.”
