“I realized something.”
She tilted her chin up.
“I’m tired of being a ghost. Tired of hiding out in the woods like I don’t belong anywhere. You made me want to be seen again, Joely. And that scares the hell out of me—but I’m standing here anyway.”
Her throat bobbed. “Why here?”
I nodded toward the waterfall. “Because I wanted to share this with you. Wanted to be the one to show you the way.”
She looked up at the cascade of water, lips pressed together, eyes glassy.
“I didn’t know you were on the list,” she said.
“That’s not why I brought you here.” I took a step forward. “I brought you here because I’ve been a coward. You made me feel something I didn’t think I was allowed to want anymore.”
Her brows edged up with interest, and I pressed on.
“I spent years making damn sure nobody got close. Figured if I didn’t let anyone in, I couldn’t lose anything. I didn’t plan on someone like you showing up. Someone who just laughed while I growled, who chased skunks through hardware stores?—”
A ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
“Someone who made me question everything.”
Her arms loosened, but she didn’t move.
“You said something when we first met. About how I wasn’t as scary as I thought I was,” I continued. “You were wrong. I am scary. But not for the reasons you think. I’m scary because I care too damn much and don’t know what to do with it. I’m scary because the thought of losing you makes my chest feel like it’s being ripped open.”
She stepped closer, but still not near enough to touch.
I took a breath and went for it. “I told myself I couldn’t have you. That people like you don’t stay. But maybe that’s just a story I’ve been telling myself to avoid the truth.”
“What’s the truth?” Her voice was soft, but it didn’t waver.
“That I want you to stay. Not for a night. Not for the summer. For good.”
Her eyes searched mine, looking for the truth. “What if I leave anyway?”
My heart cracked clean in half, but I nodded. “Then I’ll be proud of myself for telling you what you mean to me. And I’ll still think of you every single second of every fucking day.”
We stood in the silence, the falls behind us, the space between us charged with everything unsaid.
Finally, Joely exhaled. “You asshole.”
My brows shot up.
“You can’t just bring me to the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen and say all that.” Her voice broke on the last word.
I took another step forward. “Why not?”
“Because I’m trying really hard not to fall for you.”
My fingers twitched. “Then let me help you fall.”
She laughed through a sob. “You’re infuriating.”
“And yours if you’ll have me,” I said.
She didn’t respond. Instead, she crossed the last of the space between us, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me like I was the only man in the world.
