Lilah paused, then set the rope aside and turned to face me.There was no surprise in her expression.No guilt either.
"I was going to mention it tonight."
"When did you decide?"
"A couple of days ago."She crossed her arms, not defensive, just waiting."The opportunity came through fast.I said yes."
I nodded slowly, forcing myself not to fill the silence with excuses or deflection.This wasn't a misunderstanding.This was a consequence of my own damn actions.
"You didn't tell me because you didn't think you needed to," I said.
Her gaze didn't waver."I didn't tell you because I wasn’t sure you’d care."
The words landed clean and precise, cutting through every rationalization I'd been building.She wasn't angry.Wasn't making a point.She'd made a decision based on the reality I'd shown her, and the steadiness in her voice hit harder than any accusation could have.
I stepped further into the barn, keeping space between us but closing the distance enough that she'd know I wasn't running.
"I brought Torin in," I said."Officially.Showed him the ledger, the records, everything."
Lilah's brow furrowed slightly."The one you found?"
"Yeah."I exhaled, the weight of it still pressing against my ribs."It shows Kincaids and Hollisters shared ownership.The feud everyone's been talking about for decades—it's incomplete.Maybe wrong."
She absorbed that without flinching."What does that mean for the rodeo?"
"Means the stock might not be as clean as the paperwork says.Means insurance could get complicated.Means if this gets out before I handle it right, the whole event could collapse."
"And you told Torin anyway."
"I told him because keeping it quiet felt like being complicit."I met her eyes."I'm done managing risk by burying truth."
Lilah studied me for a long moment, her expression unreadable.Then she leaned back against the stall door, her arms still crossed but her posture less guarded.
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because you deserve to know what you're walking into if you decide to stay," I said."And because I've been keeping you at a distance while pretending having you in my bed was enough."
Her jaw tightened."You think I didn't notice?"
"No.I think you noticed, and I think you decided not to wait around for me to figure my shit out."I took another step closer."I don't blame you."
She didn't respond immediately, and the silence stretched between us.Like she was giving me room to either commit or retreat.I chose commitment.
"I love you, Lilah."The words came out steady and honest.I wasn’t begging her to stay, but she deserved to know how I felt.
Her eyes went wide and surprise flickered across her face before she regained control.
"You're choosing to say that now," she said."Right before I leave."
"I'm saying it now because it's true.I should've said it sooner.Because you deserve to hear it without conditions attached."
Her arms dropped to her sides, her posture shifting into something less protected but still guarded."What does that love look like in practice, Dawson?"
She’d tossed that question out as a challenge, and I recognized it for what it was.She wasn't going to let me off with a declaration.She wanted proof.
I could give her that.
"It looks like me making calls to promoters I know," I said."Putting your name forward.Backing you professionally, not just in private.It looks like me stopping treating what’s going on between us like something temporary I'm managing until you leave."
