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“Like I said, I have some paperwork to finish up and—”
“You didn’t even give me a chance…”
“To what?” She let out a strained laugh. “You had plenty of time to tell me you feel the same as me, but you didn’t.”
“You caught me off guard.”
“That’s not an excuse,” she murmured, staring at their interwoven fingers. Megan didn’t need any excuses. She just needed to give him time. She’d be selfish if she thought that she could force him to say something he wasn’t ready for.
His hand squeezed hers and she forced herself to lift her gaze and meet his once more.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Daniel chuckledat the absolute dread and embarrassment that was so clearly written on Megan’s face. When she shot him a sharp look, he sobered. “Okay, it’s not funny. But can you blame me? Everything about our relationship up until this point hasn’t exactly gone the way most do.”
“Well, I think that normal is overrated.” She lifted her chin, but he could see her sense of humor had finally caught up with him. “No one ever got anywhere by being normal.”
“I guess you make a good point.”
“Of course I do. That’s why my bookstore is doing better than your coffee shop.”
He gasped with exaggeration and placed a hand to his chest. “How dare you even suggest that my shop is inferior to yours.” Once upon a time, her statement would have rubbed him the wrong way. It was strange how something that had meant so much to him could change so quickly in the opposite direction.
Daniel’s gaze grew serious as he studied her. “I want you to know that I love you too. I never thought that having a partner could be like this.” After spending even a little bit of time with her in this way, he knew without a doubt that he didn’t want to be alone. It was more than just having someone he could talk business with. It was having someone he could tell his dreams and desires to. It was someone he could support so they could reach their dreams.
Even with his confession of love, she seemed to have kept her walls up. It would be fine, though. As far as he could tell, Megan’s personality was such that she’d always have a drive to be the best. She’d always put her bookstore at the top of her priority list. Eventually, she’d come to accept that he was the one helping her achieve those dreams.
Megan gazed at him with uncertainty. “I didn’t mean to say it so soon.”
There was the proof of what he’d been thinking right there.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s just that there’s so much—”
“Hey,” he murmured, “it’s like you said. We’re partners, right? We’re here to support each other. There’s no timeline… just you and me.”
A small smile twitched at her lips and she relaxed slightly. “I like that.”
“Good, so do I.” He pulled her close, ignoring an itch in the back of his mind that he had just dodged something big. There were always kinks in relationships. Nothing was ever easy. But this one could be as long as she knew where he stood. Daniel rested his chin on the top of her head.
* * *
The house seemedthree times as big now that Bo, Gabby and Megan had moved into their own place. Daniel missed the anticipation of seeing Megan in the mornings before they headed off to work. He missed being able to look at her across the dinner table knowing they had their own little secret.
Tonight, as he sat across from Katrina and his folks, he felt Megan’s absence even more. He pushed the peas on his plate from one side to the other and thought about the night before when she’d told him she loved him for the first time. A fresh smile filled his face. That confession had been instinct. She wouldn’t have said it if she didn’t mean it. They were quickly on the path to something more—perhaps something like what Bo had found with Gabby or what his other brothers had found with the women in their lives. Up until Megan’s arrival, he hadn’t thought much about finding love, but now everything had changed. He could see a future with her—even raising a family with her.
“What’s the matter with you?” Katrina muttered.
He glanced up to find his sister’s words had also drawn the attention of his folks. It had been too quiet around the dinner table. He should have known better than to think that no one would notice the mood he’d found himself in. “Nothing.”
“Oh, something is definitely going on. You’re acting different.”
Daniel scowled and stared harder at his plate. “Nothingis going on.Nothingis different. I’m the same old Daniel who is doing his best at keeping my head above water.”
His mother’s empathetic look was exactly the opposite thing he needed right now. “Is everything going okay? Are you still… struggling?” She whispered the word but there was little point as everyone at the table could hear it.
He groaned. “Mom, it’s fine.”
