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“All right,” I laugh, and he gets to work.
I glance over at Paige and notice she’s on her phone, texting. There’s a serious look on her face. “Everything okay?”
She looks bothered. “Sheila just sent another email. She sends me reminders about Harry’s bill. Does she do that with everyone?”
I shake my head. “No, not that I’m aware. But we can talk about it later. I don’t want her to spoil our evening.”
“Show me your tattoo,” she says, coming to look.
I reach behind my neck and pull off my shirt. It’s a book opened with an outline of a lady sitting on top, watching the sunset. It’s small, so you’d have to see it to know where and what it was.
She puts her hand to her mouth. “Is that me?”
I nod.
“You’re crazy!”
I shrug. “All of my tattoos tell a story, and you’re part of my story now, Paige. However long that is, you’re still a part of it.”
* * *
“Thanks for trusting me with your first tattoo,” Axel says as we head out. He winks at her, and Paige pulls him into a bear hug.
We walk back to the Jeep, stopping to kiss a few more times along the way. Then we stop on a bench overlooking the lake. I put my arm around her.
“I don’t want this night to end,” she murmurs.
“I was thinking that, too. It doesn’t have to.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re only just beginning, Paige.” I now see something in her eyes disarmed. Like I broke down a wall or something. “What are you thinking?” I kiss her cheek.
She hesitates before saying, “I’m afraid to love someone and lose them like my mom... or Harry. They’re all I’ve ever had, and that’s my biggest fear. Being alone.”
“Love is worth risking your heart breaking for, Paige.”
“How do you know?” she asks.
Ouch.I look out over the lake and say quietly, “You’re right. How would I know?”
“I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry. We just had that discussion about love and books.”
“We’d better be going.” I stand and slide my hand in hers, and we head back to the Jeep.
We walk back quietly. I know she probably didn’t mean that. I did love Olivia, and when she left me for my brother, it hurt me. I felt like I wasn’t good enough. That’s my biggest fear. That I’m not good enough. Especially for someone as special as Paige. The irony here is that she’s worried about being alone, and I’m worried about being rejected. We’re a mess.
We get back to the inn, and I walk her up to her door and lean in to kiss her goodbye. “I had fun, Sunshine.”
“Me, too,” she says, searching my eyes. “What are you thinking about, Preston?” she asks.
I want to tell her I’m scared to death that I’m not good enough for her. I want to tell her I’m scared she’ll break my heart. But instead, I say something I know I’ll regret later.
“Maybe you’ll meet someone who makes your heart beat fast like in your books. Love at first sight?”
She shakes her head gently. “Books are just safe places. Real love isn’t like that. Real love is messy and unexpected,” she says quietly.
And that’s when I realize I will do whatever it takes to show her that I can be her safe place.
