His voice rang out, strong and clear, and it made me stop, though I didn’t turn back to look at him.
“I thought I was in love once before. In fact, I was sure of it. The thought of Valerie saying no wasn’t even an option. And then she did. She didn’t just say no; she ripped apart everything I had imagined for my life. And I never really recovered from that. And the way I feel about you blows Val out of the water. That terrifies me. It makes me want to pretend I don’t feel that way at all so you can’t say no. It makes me make a stupid, rash decision to ask out another girl I don’t care about to try and push you away before you can do it to me.”
His voice had turned softer, gentle, with an ache in the tone that had me turning around to face him. We stood facing each other on the trail, fifteen feet apart.
“I’m sorry I asked out Jen. If I could go back to that second of self-doubt, I would punch myself in the face.” Regret and remorse etched into his face as he continued, “I don’t want any other girl, Tess. Just you. And if I scare you, just know you have the power to absolutely wreck me.”
I blinked, and a tiny tear rolled down my face. I wiped it away. Logan stared at me with his intense eyes, as if watching for any sign to make a move. I wasn’t sure what sign to give him. My mind wanted to sing out to the moon, but my heart was feeling too fragile to form a note. I decided to settle in on the one fact that changed everything for me.
“Did you say you loved me?”
He nodded.
I nodded, pursing my lips as I let the words wash over me again. And then again. And again. Until the feeling in my heart and the heat from my belly pooled together in my eyes.
Logan took a few cautious steps toward me. When I didn’t move away, he took a few more. When he was standing before me, I shrugged, my emotions too attached to my sleeve to speak. He reached out and tugged at the arms of my sweatshirt tied across my waist, pulling me that last foot closer. I landed softly against his chest, and his arms wrapped around me, squeezing me into him. We stayed that way for several minutes, cocooned in the coziest of hugs.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered in my hair, sending tingles throughout my body.
I smiled against his chest. “I know. Me too.”
He started to speak but stopped until he seemed to gather his thoughts and began again, softly. “For a really long time, it was just easier to push people away so I wouldn’t get hurt. I had myself convinced that I didn’t need anybody. And thenyouhappened. I thought this bet would be easy. I had so many excuses for why we would never work.”
“Like what?” I asked, feeling snug in his arms.
“You were jailbait.” He smiled when I glared at him. His words rolled off of his tongue in a tender rush. “Kelsey’s best friend. Untouchable. Too pretty. Too perfect. You name the excuse, and I thought it. I didn’t want to hurt you, and I thought that, by keeping everything light and by pushing you away, I could save you from me. But come to find out, you were the one saving me.”
As if he couldn’t hold himself back any longer, he leaned down and kissed me. His lips brushed against mine, light as a feather. Sweet. Almost as if he were afraid he would break me.
I pulled back.. “I’m sorry I overreacted about Jen. And I’m sorry I didn’t talk this out with you last night, but I just…couldn’t.”
He interrupted before I could say more. “You didn’t overreact. I almost blew this whole thing with you over someone that meant nothing to me. But I’m done being scared of you. I promise I’m going to face you like a man from now on.”
I laughed softly.
“Besides,” he added with a heated gleam growing in his eyes. “After our kiss in the hot springs, it was probably for the best that we went to bed mad. Your dad showed me his gun collection the other day. I wasn’t sure if it was a warning or just guy stuff, but it painted a pretty good visual of what’s expected of me.”
My cheeks warmed while I smiled up at him. Then we were lost to kisses once more.
A pair of hikers walked past us with curious looks, effectively ruining the moment. After they passed, Logan pressed his forehead against mine.
“I’ve got a proposition for you, Jailbait.”
“What is it?”
“Want to go double or nothing?”
I furrowed my brow. “What do you mean? With Jake’s bet?”
“No. Jake is officially out of our relationship.” He laughed. “With us. I’ve been thinking. We’ve both been hurt before and…hiding out.” He smiled down at me. “But I’m ready to go all in again. With you.”
I bit my lip, but it did nothing to stop the smile from spreading across my face. He moved to kiss me, but I pulled back. “Wait, what are my odds?”
He grinned. “Best I’ve ever seen. Should we seal it with a kiss?” He moved toward me, but just before his lips touched mine, he stopped himself. “Hold up, Jailbait.”
I tried to reach his lips in outrage, but he kept himself just out of reach. “What?”
“I’m gonna need some insurance first.” His eyes narrowed playfully on mine. “I bared my soul to you, and I wanna make sure you feel the same as you did ten years ago.”
