Did he have that with Kristi? “So you guys have that thing?”
Cody raised a brow. “What thing?”
“The thing you can’t explain that connects you and makes you want to be with that person all the time. Like not being with them isn’t an option.”Because that’s how I feel about you. And if that’s how you feel about her…
Please don’t feel that way about her.
Cody ran a hand over his neck, letting her know he was uncomfortable. “Why are we talking about this?”
“Everyone wants something. If you don’t have it with her, then what is the thing you want?” If she knew that, then maybe she could give it to him and be what and who he wanted.
Cody hesitated for a moment. They’d never been shy about opening up with each other. It was something he only did with her. So it didn’t surprise her that he answered her very personal question with a truth that floored her.
“I want something and someone real. Someone who stays even when things are hard.”
With both of them sharing a parent having walked out on them, she understood what he meant. “You deserve that, Cody, and so much more.”
“That’s what you and I have.” The quiet sincerity in his voice made the words sound even more emotional.
The words hit her right in the heart.
If they had that, then what did he have with Kristi that made him stay with her and not even look at Brooke as someone he couldn’t live without? In that special way. Not the friendship way he always boxed them into.
They’d forged their connection over the years based on unbridled truth and open honesty in all things. She felt like they could take that foundation and turn it into something even more intimate and amazing.
But just like all the times she flirted and tried to show him how she felt in the past, he turned away and didn’t say anything about seeing the hope and yearning he couldn’t miss in her eyes as she stared at him, wondering if he would ever see her as something more than his friend.
Cody pushed around folders on his desk, not meeting her gaze now.
She tried to put him at ease again. “I’m really excited for you and this new opportunity. You’re going to be great.”
A slow grin grew on his too-handsome face as his blue eyes lit up. “Maybe you were right about throwing the party and inviting all these people.”
She eyed him and smirked. “Maybe? Come on, you can say it again,” she teasingly taunted.
He stepped closer and stared down, directly into her eyes.
Her breath hitched whenever they were this close. Which was never often enough, in her estimation. He had to hear her heart thundering in her chest and feel the anticipation she couldn’t hide, even if it was for something he probably had no intention of doing. Though her lips and heart begged for it.
“Is that really what you want? For me to pour out my gratitude and tell you, you always know what’s best for me?”
It wouldn’t hurt. But… “I want you…” She paused for the barest of seconds. Long enough to see his eyes flare, then narrow on her mouth. “To smile, like you used to before we lost him.”
His expression softened. “What’s there to smile about? I’ve been working my ass off since he died climbing the ladder at work and keeping this ranch running.” His gaze shifted to the window behind her as he whispered, “And you’re not here most of the time to give me something to smile about.”
Oh how her heart lit up with joy, but she hid her grin. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable about reluctantly admitting that he missed her while she was away at school. In little more than a month, she’d be back on campus in the dorms with Mindy Sue.
But this moment… She’d never forget it.
While he shared most things with her, his feelings about her were never spoken. Though she knew how he felt. He loved her. He liked her. He trusted her.
All the things you needed as a foundation for a relationship. One Cody made sure she knew was as a friend. But maybe after three years of her being away at school, he felt something more than just her absence. Maybe more than missing her, he wanted her.
She took a chance, stepped in closer to him, put her hands on his wide shoulders, and rose on her tiptoes, bringing their faces close.
His breath hitched.
She slowly leaned in, her heart jackhammering in her chest.
