The words clawed their way up, past every wall she’d built to survive.
“I think I’m falling for you too.”
She didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t have to.
But it hit like thunder.
His body went rigid. His hold tightened slightly. His eyes searched hers, not for permission, for doubt.
There was none.
Because it was true.
And it terrified her.
Gideon exhaled, slow and steady.
Then he smiled.
Not a smirk. Not a tease.
Something real.
Something that cracked her wide open.
“Can you do that?” he asked, voice rasping with vulnerability.
Her brows pulled together. “Do what?”
His fingers brushed her jaw, reverent.
Like she was sacred.
“Fall.”
The word hit harder the second time, an invocation and a dare.
Her instinct screamed to retreat. To armor up.
But instead, she stayed.
She allowed herself be seen.
And when she finally spoke, it came quiet. Honest.
“I think I can… with you.”
He released a breath like it cost him peace.
Relief. Awe. Maybe both.
His grip around her tightened, sealing a vow neither of them could name.
“There’s no going back for me,” he said, raw and unguarded. “I’ve tried to fight it. Tried to stay in control. But it’s you, Arden. It’s always been you.”
The words hit hard—undeniable, and too much to hold.
Something shifted in her chest, sharp and sudden, like a lock clicking open.
