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“I don’t need protecting,” Zoe insisted, because of course she’d never step back and let two men argue about her.
In the far reaches of Devin’s brain, he registered the sound of Han laughing, but he couldn’t focus on that right now.
This was Zoe he was talking about. The little girl he’d bickered with as a kid and the feisty, incredible, kind, wonderful woman he’d come to know since. She’d drawn him out of his shell over these past few weeks. She’d helped him let down his guard and see the world beyond the little piece of it he’d carved out for himself.
She made him happy. She made him want things he’d never even considered before.
He wanted them all with her.
“I love her,” he blurted. The pressure behind his ribs popped, and he could breathe again.
Lian squealed, her hands over her mouth. Han looked like he might need heart surgery, too, but they were in a hospital. He’d be fine.
Zoe whipped her head around to gawk at him.
This wasn’t how he’d wanted to tell her. He hadn’t realized he wanted to tell her how he felt in the first place, but now that it was out there, he wouldn’t take it back. Its truth radiated through him.
“I do,” he confessed. “Sorry, but—”
“Oh my God, shut up, I love you, too, you idiot.” Zoe flung herself at him, and if Han murdered them this second, it would be worth it.
Devin caught her in his arms and kissed her hard and deep. All this time, they’d been acting as if they were both okay with being casual, but apparently the only person he’d been fooling had been himself. Nobody made him laugh or turned him on or pulled him out of his head like she did.
For years now, he’d had dreams of building a house in the middle of nowhere, but those dreams had been about running away from the unhappy home he’d grown up in.
He wasn’t running away from anything now.
At the sound of Lian clearing her throat, Devin tore himself away from Zoe. All around them, people cheered. Zoe hid her face in Devin’s shoulder, blushing but happy.
He looked to Han.
The man had been Devin’s best friend since they were in elementary school. They’d been through everything together.
But Devin had never seen Han’s jaw come unhinged like this before.
“Wait—” Han held up a hand in front of himself. “Who said anything about love?”
“This guy.” Zoe jabbed a finger into Devin’s chest. “Ow.” He caught her hand and brought it to his lips.
He couldn’t quite get a real lungful of air, though. Not while Han was looking at them like this.
“How long has this been going on?” he finally asked.
Devin looked to Zoe, who lifted a brow. “About a month?” he answered.
“Or maybe forever,” Zoe said.
“Uh, but not like creepy forever, right?” Lian asked.
Devin scrunched up his face. “No.”
“No.” Zoe rolled her eyes. “Definitely not ‘creepy forever.’”
He’d never laid a hand on her until this fall. But the truth of what she was saying smacked him upside the head all the same. He’d been looking at her differently since her high school graduation. Every time they’d hung out in the years since, he’d enjoyed her company more and more. The way they felt about each other now—yeah, it had been building for a lot longer than a month.
“I’m not even going to touch that one with a ten-foot pole.” Han scrubbed a hand over his face. Then he let out a rough breath. “You’re both happy.”
“Yeah,” Devin answered, automatic and sure. He glanced down at Zoe, and she nodded.
