“I don’t know,” she whispered honestly, shaking in his arms.
He lifted his head and smirked. “You mean that wasn’t on your schedule for today?”
She playfully pushed against his chest, breaking the connection enough for her to step into her own space. “It was spontaneous.”
Zach brushed the pad of his thumb over his lips. “I’m rubbing off on you, angel.”
Why did that little word—a simple nickname—cause heat to flare in her chest and neck? It didn’t mean anything. In fact, it had started as a way to annoy her. Now, she wanted to hang onto it when that was the last thing she should do.
She slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, suddenly aware of the space between them. “Do you feel better now?”
“Yeah.” He looked down at his feet before answering. “Are you sure we’re okay?”
“I’m sure.” She shifted from one side to the other. “But maybe we shouldn’t do that again.”
His head lifted, and his wide eyes said he was ready for a hit—a real one. “Why not?”
“Because we both have a lot of healing to do. After the way I reacted yesterday, I realized that I quit counseling too soon. I should have stayed, especially with you living next door now. And I don’t mean that to reflect badly against you. It’s something that I have to work on. Zach, I mean it when I say I’ve forgiven you. But that’s completely different from mymind’s quick reactions to situations that trigger old fears.”
Zach slid his hand over his head and gripped the back of his neck. “I did this to you.”
Lauren slid her finger along the edges of the Bible laid out on the table. “Actually, you didn’t. I’ve had those nightmares for as long as I can remember. They started way before you.”
Zach’s nostrils flared slightly as he leveled her with an intense stare. “I don’t like that.”
She shrugged. “It is what it is. I’m just saying it’s not your fault. The second reason I don’t think we should do that again is because my beliefs are important to me.” She picked up the Bible and held it up between them. “I know we haven’t talked about my faith or yours much, but I won’t start a relationship with someone who doesn’t understand why I believe in God.”
Zach rubbed a hand over his scruffy jaw. “I can respect that, but I have a problem with God.”
“What’s the problem?” she asked, treading and listening carefully.
“There is probably a God—some all-powerful being that made the world and stuff—but He doesn’t care about me.”
Lauren’s heart sank, and she cradled the Bible to her chest. “You’re wrong, and I can prove it if you’ll give me a chance.”
He held her stare for a few tense seconds before giving her the smallest nod. “Okay. I’ll listen.”
She put the Bible down and clasped her hands in front of her. “I’ll try not to overwhelm you, but maybe, over time, I can explain why I know the Lord loves you.”
He took a deep breath before conceding. “Fine.”
She took one more step toward him, pulled by the hope that he was open to listening. If they were going to get closer, he had to know she was standing right beside him through everything. “I think that means we should be friends.”
He let his head drop and pinched the bridge of his nose. “This again?”
“Yes, this again. I’m not giving up on you. You might as well let me in and stop fighting.”
He let his hand slide down his face and gave her his full attention. “Fine. We can be friends.” He chuckled. “I can’t believe I’m saying this.”
“Now, do you think we can talk this out now that you know I’m not going to hit you?”
“I mean, I wouldn’t stop you if you wanted to hit me again.” Zach’s mouth lifted on one side in a mischievous smirk, and a blaze of heat warmed her middle just thinking about that kiss.
She gave his shoulder a playful shove, but he didn’t move. The man was as solid as a rock. “Listen, I don’t want to hold the past against you. I don’t want my mistakes to define me either. We can both forgive, forget, and move on so we can both be better. I still have a lot of work to do too, but we can have that.”
She reached for him, then stopped. Kissing wasone thing, but he didn’t like touch, and she wanted to respect that.
Before she could lower her hand, he grabbed it. His calloused hand gently covered hers in his strong grip. It was the kind of hold meant to calm, not strangle, and her body relaxed.
