Something loosened in my chest.
“I am glad you told me,” I said quietly.
She gave a small, sad smile. “I was afraid you would think less of me.”
“I think more of you,” I said without hesitation. While James had never physically hurt her, he certainly had emotionally abused her. “For surviving it. For building something better.”
Her eyes glistened, but she didn’t look away.
I took a breath, feeling the weight of my own truth pressing forward.
“I should tell you something too,” I said.
She nodded. “Okay.”
“In the past, I have been told I am too much. Too attentive. Too eager. Too obvious about how I feel. It has happened more than once.” I struggled with the right words to convey how I felt. “I used to push relationships far too quickly. Dex has had to extricate me more than once after I realized that things weren’t as I thought.”
Jane’s expression softened.
“I have also had relationships where I found out that our ambitions weren’t the same. I found out later that more than one woman I dated wasn’t really interested in me, they were willing to put up with my awkwardness for the reward of my family’s influence and affluence,” I mentioned with a self-deprecating smile.
“So when I start to care about someone,” I went on, “I try to slow myself down. I watch for signs I’m misreading things. And when I think I might be wrong, I retreat.”
“That explains a lot,” she said gently.
“I didn’t want to crowd you,” I said. “Or assume something you weren’t offering.”
She leaned forward slightly. “The only relationship I have ever had was with James, and it turns out I foolishly imaginedthat. I was guarding my heart against you because I didn’t want to be hurt again..”
I let out a breath that felt like relief and disbelief combined. “I have no intention to hurt you.”
“I know that now,” Jane murmured.
“So,” I said slowly, “we were both standing very still, waiting for the other to move.”
She laughed softly. “Yes.”
We sat with that for a moment, the tension easing into something warmer.
“I like you,” I said, because it felt important to say it plainly.
Jane’s smile was small but bright, her eyes shining. “I like you too.”
The simplicity of it felt grounding. No grand gestures. No declarations. Just the truth.
“I want to be with you,” I said.
Her breath caught again, but this time she didn't look pained. She looked hopeful.
“I want that too,” she replied.
The words settled between us, solid and real.
For a second, I thought I might kiss her. The urge was strong, instinctive. But something about the moment felt like it deserved care rather than urgency.
Instead, I stood and held out my hand. “Can we start with something small?”
She looked at my hand, then up at me. “Like what?”
