I hold his gaze, shaking my head. “He thought it was dumb.” I refuse to look away as his cheeks redden. “And so do you?”
He cups my face, running his thumb along my bottom lip. “I did until I realized I wanted to hang one with you.”
My lips curve as I kiss his thumb. “Oh.”
“Yeah,” he says gently, stroking my jaw. “A lot has changed since you came into my life.”
“For the good?” I ask hopefully.
“For the great,” he corrects, and then he sighs deeply. “Do you want me to tell you when I fall for you? Like, right away?”
My face breaks into a wide grin. “You’d better tell me first, Doctor.”
His face doesn’t change. He doesn’t smile, and I realize he’s not teasing me. He’s serious. He swallows hard, and I feel his heart kicking up in speed. My own heart picks up the pace, chills run down my spine, and my whole body breaks out in gooseflesh as his eyes search mine. They’re moving so fast between mine, like he’s looking for answers that are already shining just for him. I know what I’m feeling, but Dermot keeps it all hidden away. And while I don’t want to rush him, he’s driving me nuts.
Doesn’t he realize his actions speak louder than any words he could ever utter?
No man who wasn’t in love would pay that kind of money to keep me from kissing others. No man who wasn’t in love would make sure my favorite book is on my nightstand before I go tobed or have a pair of his wool socks waiting for me. He doesn’t know how to skate, but he wanted to skate with me.
It could all be too soon, but what if it’s not? What if this is exactly what it’s supposed to be? I dated a man for years and then married him, but he never made me feel even an ounce of what Dermot does.
I hold his gaze, waiting until I can’t.
“I—” I start, but he presses his thumb to my lips.
“Maggie,” he says sternly. “I love you.”
While I have fallen in love with every guy I dated, not all of them fell for me. Only one man told me he loved me, and he didn’t do it often. But none of them matters now that Dermot has said those three words to me. He says it like they’re the three most precious words on earth. To me, they are, and knowing they are to him has tears burning in my eyes.
I scoot up his chest, gripping his face before pressing my nose to his. “I love you too.”
“Yeah?”
I nod, the tears spilling over. “Yeah.”
He grins, capturing my lips in a passionate and toe-curling kiss. When he pulls back, his eyes are bright, and he looks like the weight of the world has just rolled off his shoulders. He trails his fingers up the back of my neck. “Be my valentine, Maggie Welch.”
I smile against his lips. “I mean, you did purchase the whole time slot with me at the kissing booth. I think I can make that happen for you.”
He grips my ass, and I grin widely at him. “I know you didn’t ask, but I’m yours.”
“Forever?”
His lips turn up in a gorgeous and breathtaking way. “As long as you want me to be.”
“So, forever,” I say with a shrug, and he exhales.
Then I see it on his face. He believes my words; he believes that I want this. Us. His cheeks burn as he nods before he whispers, “I really love the sound of forever.”
“Good.” I smile against his lips. “Because when I look into your eyes, that’s all I see.”
fifteen
. . .
Dermot
“So,you took my advice and kissed him?”
