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Taking in a deep breath to calm his nerves, he nodded. “Okay. Here it goes. I don’t want you to see anyone. I don’t want you holding hands or kissing anyone else. I don’t want you to get all dolled up for anyone but me.”
From the looks of it, she was trying to hide a smile, which only put him more on edge. “This isn’t funny, Scarlett! I love you, and I don’t want you to be with anyone but me.”
Finally, her smile faded. There, she knew where he stood on this matter now. If only she looked as excited as his heart seemed to be with its racing and galloping antics. All he could read from her was surprise.
Well, shoot.
He’d gone and done something he couldn’t take back, and there was no way of knowing how she was going to react. If he could just crawl into a cave at this moment, he would. It wasn’t like she didn’t have other options at her disposal.
Elijah couldn’t take the suspense anymore, standing here having just handed over his heart to her for her to do… what exactly?
She wasn’t doing a dang thing.
He dragged a hand down his face with a rough motion and turned around. “You know what? Do what you want. I don’t care anymore. If you’re not going to stay with me—”
“Elijah, what are you talking about?”
Stopping where he stood, he didn’t dare turn around to face her.
“I never said I wasn’t staying.”
Still, he couldn’t bring himself to look at her, see the confusion and surprise. Clearly, she hadn’t been prepared for this conversation to head in this direction. Otherwise, her reaction would have been different.
“Will you look at me?”
He shook his head. “I’d rather not.”
“Why?”
Elijah groaned. “Because of the way you’re dressed. The way you just stared at me when I told you I loved you. I don’t think I can look at you knowing that you’re not mine—not really.”
Her hand wrapped around his arm and she stepped in front of him. Her touch was gentle and somewhat reassuring—at least that was how his skin interpreted it. His head, on the other hand, wasn’t ready to accept anything she had to say in this moment. Still, he refused to meet those brown eyes, not wanting to be completely broken by this conversation.
Next, Scarlett lifted her other hand to his face and pressed her palm to his cheek. Elijah lost all his resolve in that moment and his eyes dipped down to hers. For the first time since he’d spoken to her that other day before her double date, he could see something different behind her warm, brown gaze. She cared for him.
And it wasn’t just as a friend. Shereallycared about him. It might not be enough to keep her stateside, but it was enough to give him hope. Scarlett smiled at him. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”
“Ouch,” he said with indignation.
“But you’re my idiot, and I love you, too.”
His brows lifted and his breath froze. He couldn’t move.
Paralyzed was a better way to describe what he was feeling in this moment. Was being paralyzed by love a thing? Well, it was now, because that was how he felt. “You do?”
She laughed. “Of course I do.”
“But the date… the way you’re dressed.”
“What about the way I’m dressed?” She glanced down at her outfit and then brought a confused look to his face. “I’m going to have brunch with Annabel.”
“Brunch?”
Scarlett laughed again. “Yeah. There’s this place in Colorado Springs I looked up. They have mimosas and cucumber sandwiches. It’s a whole thing, and I thought Annabel would love it.”
For a brief moment he thought about telling her that Annabel shouldn’t be taken somewhere they pushed alcohol. But then he had to remind himself that his sister’s secrets weren’t his to tell. Annabel needed to be the one to tell Scarlett about what was going on in her life. He swallowed down his instincts and offered her an apologetic smile. “Brunch.”
She nodded her head. “What did you think I was doing?”
