Olivia whipped around, her eyes wide with fear. “Excuse me?”
“You asked what I fear, and it’s commitment.”
“As in to another person?”
“Yes.” It would be better, if he explained himself, so she would understand. “I was dating a woman for a while. In the beginning, everything was great, and then my job took me away lot. She got angry that I couldn’t tell her where I was going, or when I’d be back.”
Her complexion was still pale, but her hand started to loosen. “Did you ever cheat on her?”
“Never,” he quickly denied. “I would never do that. I was committed toNadineand my job, but over time, my job pulled me away from her more and more. Sometimes, I’d be gone a few days, and others, it was weeks. She didn’t like it, and she finally gave me an ultimatum. Her or my job.”
Olivia wasn’t paying attention to their scenery anymore, and instead, turned to look at him. He’d succeeded in distracting her. “That wasn’t fair of her.”
“I didn’t think so either. It didn’t make giving her up any easier, though. Since then, I’ve avoided any long-term commitment.”
“You don’t want another woman giving you an ultimatum. So, you prefer casual, because then nobody gets hurt feelings, when you walk away.”
“It sounds callus.”
Olivia shook her head. “You’re just protecting yourself.”
Heath was shocked that Olivia understood him so easily and quickly. Mike seemed to think now that most of their friends were in relationships, he should think about settling down too, but every time he did, all he could remember wasNadineand her crestfallen look, when he chose his job over her. He didn’t want to do that to another woman again.
“After my ex died in a car accident, when we were teens, I never wanted to find love again in fear I would lose them, too.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
Olivia’s eyes watered. “Thank you. Chad was my high school sweetheart. He was everything to me, and losing him, was like losing a part of myself. The man I dated after him was a man I knew I could never love.” Olivia looked up at him sadly. “Do you think I’m callus?”
Heath shook his head. “No,” he said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “You were just protecting yourself.” The same as him.
They were both very similar people. Both losing someone they cared about, and then distancing themselves from commitment in fear. Heath didn’t think he would ever meet someone like that. Never even thought about it, but it was nice finding a kindred spirit. No wonder he’d been so drawn to her.
The ride came to an end, but neither noticed, as they both continued staring at each other, until the Ferris wheel employee came and unlatched them. The moment was broken, as Olivia giggled and stepped out to the ground. She waited for Heath to join her, another thing he was thankful for. Before today, she was always in a hurry to escape him, and now, she was waiting for him. Today, had been a turning point for them; he could feel it.
“Thank you for taking me on the Ferris wheel.” Olivia blushed.
“It was my pleasure.” It had been a while, since he did something for a woman without it being an ulterior motive to get in her pants. To see Olivia smile was enough for him.
“I wouldn’t say I’m over my fear of heights, but your distraction helped.”
She’d found him out. Not that he’d been trying to be sneaky about it. “Anytime.” He was turning into such a sap.
Kiss her.
The command in his head, since they first got on the Ferris wheel was becoming more and more insistent. The brief kiss at the booth had only been an appetizer. Now, he was ready for the main course. By the look in Olivia’s eyes, he could tell so was she.
Chapter 7
Alarm bells went off in Olivia’s head. Heath was looking at her like he wanted to kiss her. The worst part was, she wanted him, too. After a month of avoiding this kind of situation, she was right where she feared she would be, and yet, she couldn’t make herself back away. It had been too long, since a man looked at her with this kind of longing. As if he couldn’t bear to not be kissing her or near her. It may be fanciful on her part, Heath was no stranger to women and could make her believe whatever he wanted her, too. Yet, she believed he wanted to be with her. Not just for sex, but maybe, because he was just as lonely as she was and was tired of pushing people away.
She could see the pain in his eyes, talking about his ex. He’d loved her, and she broke his heart, making him chose between two things he obviously loved. It was cruel of the woman, and if she ever met the woman, she would give her a stern talking, too. Olivia would never have thought of giving Chad such an ultimatum. It wouldn’t have been fair to him.
He had wanted to be a veterinarian. She knew it would have been hard to pay for schooling with the little money they had, but they would have made it work. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t have done for him.
It would have been a trial with their work schedules and his schooling, but she had been prepared to make it work. Chad had a dream, and hers was for them to be together. Never once had she thought to tell him to pick something that would have kept him home more. That would have been selfish.
Sadly, she had never had a dream. There was no career she aspired for. All she had wanted for herself was to get out of her small town and never go back. She had kept that vow and landed her an amazing job. One unfortunately she could never go back, too. Now, she was a woman with a preteen on the run with no higher education than a high school diploma and a couple hundred dollars and a piece of junk car to her name.
