AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I laughed. “Except Ireland?”
“He loves her. I’m not sure how she convinced him, except they were snowed in together for a few days. It forced him to decide. Otherwise, he’d probably still be pushing her away.”
“He’s stubborn.”
“I think all of us are. We are set in our ways and believe in one way of doing things. It took Ireland, and now Sarah, to help Emmett and Knox see things differently. Knox wasn’t ready to settle down, much less be a father figure to Addy. And now I can’t imagine him in any other role. He’s really matured and stepped up. It even forced Addy’s dad to be more responsible. He changed jobs, moved back to Maryland, and now sees Addy on a regular schedule.”
“I had no idea.”
“I’m just in awe of the changes in my brothers over the last few months. We were all happy being single, but then they met someone, and everything changed. They’re more relaxed and open-minded. It’s been good for them.”
I sat on the edge of the ottoman while he threw a log in the fireplace.
“I know it’s only fall, but whenever I am home, I like to have a fire going. It’s my favorite part of the house. The fire makes the house warm and cozy, and I want you to feel like you could stay for a while.”
He winked at me again, and I couldn’t help but wonder why he was saying these things. “Are you dating anyone?”
Heath laughed and shook his head. “Why would you think that?”
“You were talking about Knox and Emmett falling in love. I just thought that was what you wanted. That maybe you’d even found it.”
“Honestly?” Heath glanced over at her. “I haven’t been looking.”
Maybe what I felt for him was something akin to love, but he hadn’t been aware of his feelings. Or maybe he hadn’t felt anything for me at all.
“How about you?”
I laughed softly as Heath stoked the slowly building embers. “I’m not dating anyone. I’m fairly closed off. But I’m sure you know that about me.”
“You weren’t that way around me. At least not by the end. You shared your fears with me. You were worried that you weren’t good enough and never would be. You were vulnerable with me.” His gaze met mine, and I shifted on the cushion.
I shook my head, refusing to let him take me on a trip down memory lane. “What we had was different. We were just kids.”
Heath frowned as he sat on the couch. “What do you mean?”
“We were young and free. We didn’t know to guard our feelings or be careful about how much we shared.”
He nodded. “Ah. So you’re saying it was bad how open we were with each other?”
My face pinched. “Not bad. Just different. You wouldn’t be that way with someone as an adult.”
“I mean, you could be if you felt comfortable enough with them to share everything.”
“I don’t know that I could be that vulnerable with anyone else.”
Heath reached over and took my hand. “I’m honored that you felt like you could be like that with me. But I think you were your true self with me, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I get that you felt like you had to put on a persona when you first moved to California. But if you let people in, you’ll have more meaningful relationships.”
Everything inside me tightened. “No one wants to know about my childhood. It’s not worth telling, yet I feel like it’s shaped who I am.”
“If you mean strong and determined and fiercely loyal.”
I looked away from him, regret filling me. “I’m not loyal. I haven’t been close enough to anyone to be that way in a long time.”
“You have a hard time letting people in, but when you do, you’re all in,” Heath said firmly.
“Yeah, I guess.” I chanced a glance at him, and his expression was knowing, like he saw through me, even though we hadn’t been together for a long time.
“You haven’t changed since we were together. You just don’t share it with people.”
