His jaw ticks. "Too much?"
"No. It just feels... significant."
Understanding flashes in his eyes. His head dips. "Mhm."
He slides his hand around my shoulders and leaves it there, like planting a possessive flag that dares other men to even look my way. It sends a shiver down my spine. Silas glances at me, assuming that I'm cold, and tucks me closer against his warm body. He smells sweaty and masculine.
Am I crazy for wanting to roll around in his scent?
Later, after we've eaten too many fries and Jett has finally been cut off from milkshakes, we walk back to Silas's truck. The Seattle evening is growing chilly. The stars are barely visible through the city’s light pollution.
Silas catches my hand and laces our fingers together like it's the most natural thing in the world. This is boyfriend shit. I stare at our hands, swallowing.
One part of me wants Silas to sweep me off of my feet and carry me into the sunset. The other part, the scared little girl inside my head, worries that this is exactly how I fell intoa relationship with Enzo. He never asked me to be his girlfriend. He never really even asked me to be his wife.
I woke up to Enzo sliding a ring on my finger and was so breathless that somebody chose me, I didn't bother asking the right questions. Namely,do you hate me?So much grief could've been avoided if Enzo answered that one.
Si touches my arm and I practically jump out of my skin. "Huh?"
"You okay?" His voice is rough.
My cheeks heat. "Yeah. Just thinking."
"About?"
I stop walking and turn to face him fully under the glow of the streetlight. "You brought me to street hockey. Your family thing with your brothers and Juliet. That means something big."
His jaw ticks. "Yeah. It does."
Not really what I was looking for. "Silas..."
"I want you in my life, Scout." He cups my face with his free hand. "We slept together, but I’ve wanted more for a long time. Since we were in college, before you asked me out. I fucked it up because I’m a giant chicken.” He pauses and blows out a breath. “Now I’m getting a second chance and I don’t want to blow it. I need you to be a part of my life." He hesitates again, his eyes boring into mine. "Is that okay with you?"
Tears sting my eyes without warning. "Yeah. It's more than okay."
God. I had no idea that Silas had feelings for me for so long. Because he turned me down, I just automatically assumed that I’d made up the chemistry that I felt between us. Turns out I was right all along.
A pang of sadness hits me. If Silas had said yes when I asked him out, I might not have met Enzo. Certainly Iwouldn’t have been swept off my feet by him. What kind of idiot would I be to let a guy like Silas go for a pushy creep like Enzo?
Then again, there was a lot I didn’t know before I said yes to Enzo’s proposal.
"Good deal." He kisses my forehead gently. "Because you're stuck with me now. I live by the law of no take-backs."
I laugh. The sound comes out wet and shaky. "Lucky me."
"Lucky me," he corrects firmly. Then he kisses me properly, slow and sweet and claiming in the middle of the sidewalk where anyone could see.
My breath catches. “Can I ask you something?”
Silas tilts his head. “Shoot.”
“Are we like…” I feel so dumb having to ask this. “Dating?”
His eyebrows rise and he slowly repeats my question. “Are wedating?”
“Yeah, you know. Are we exclusive? Am I… your, um…”
His lips twitch. “My girlfriend?”
