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“Oh?” I smother another laugh. “I’m dying to know.”
“It’s possible I’m in love with you.”
I’m sorry. What?
I blink at him. This must be a hallucination.
“I reckon if I’d managed to tell you that, it could have helped.” Jack lets out a harried breath. “Helped to convince you I don’t view you as a little kid. Far from it, Abbey. I do view you as a woman. A bloody amazing woman.”
I’m still gaping at him, my mind still tripping over the wordsI’m in love with you.
Then I remember something he said to me ages ago.
I’d have to be head over heels for someone to introduce them to Mum.
God, I think he’s being sincere right now.
He’s got me at a total loss. To say I’ve been sideswiped by this revelation is an understatement.
“You love me?” I finally utter. “When did all this happen?”
“Guess I figured it out when I looked at my phone and it said you were trapped in Ben Tulley’s penthouse.”
“That might have been a bit overdramatic of me.” In hindsight, I’m sure I overreacted to the situation with Ben. At the time, though, it felt quite urgent.
“I was out the door and halfway down the street before the others even checked their phones,” Jack confesses. “I didn’t say a word, just ran out of the pub. Practically sprinting down the street until I realized I had no idea where I was going. Took me a minute to notice you hadn’t texted only me.”
Guilt tugs at me. “Sorry I put you all through that.”
“I’m not.”
The conviction in his voice rocks me back. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’d have ripped the door from its hinges with his bare hands to get to me. That’s the kind of guy Jack is. Fiercely loyal.
“I’m happy you asked for help instead of being all stubborn and trying to get out of the situation on your own. I like how honest you are, Abbs. Genuine. I like that you can laugh at yourself.” He gives an adorable shrug. “I like everything about you.”
“So…Sydney, huh?” Because I’m still stuck on the idea of him taking me home to the family. To his mother. “You said you’ve never brought a girl home.”
“I haven’t.”
“So if I came home with you…that would make us, what?”
“My girlfriend. If that’s not too presumptuous.”
My breath hitches. I haven’t had much experience with relationships, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t how most of them start. It feelslike we’re doing this all backward. Yet that doesn’t mean I don’t feel a surge of hopeful excitement at hearing the words. The possibility he’s serious about this.
Then again, I’ve been burned before. Kissed within an inch of my life only to have him take it all back. I didn’t realize until this moment what a deep scar that left on me.
“This is a lot to absorb,” I say softly.
“I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to spring it on you all at once.”
I want to say yes. To throw myself at him and let it all be true. But I have to protect myself. And that means a healthy dose of skepticism. Never mind that meeting the fam right off the bat is a major test of what would be a brand-new tenuous relationship.
I reach over and take his hand. He immediately entwines our fingers, and the warmth of his touch sends a shiver through me.
“I…” I squeeze his hand. “I can’t go to Sydney with you.”
I try to ignore the deep ache in my chest as I watch the disappointment wash over his face.
