"What she said."
We burst into laughter, then picked our plates back up and kept eating. I knew I needed to talk to Duke before I left. I wasn't willing to let everything we had built fall apart over a misunderstanding.
We were still eating and talking when a knock at the door got our attention. Jessa smiled big as she turned toward it.
"Why are you smiling like that?" I asked.
Jessa waved me toward the door.
"You know why. Who else makes nighttime pop-ins over here?"
I rolled my eyes as she and Aubree laughed together. I ran my hands through my hair, released a breath, then pulled the door open. Duke stood on the other side in his signature leather jacket and gloves. He leaned forward slightly to see who was inside with me, and Jessa and Aubree both waved. I could tell the moment he noticed the plates of food on the table. His jaw tightened.
"I would have gotten you those ribs. And why are you just snatching open the door without asking who it is?" he asked with a raised brow.
I gripped my hip and shifted my weight to one side.
"Because who else has a key to the outside door, sir? And I didn't have a taste for ribs anymore," I responded with crossed arms.
"Girl, please. Stop acting like you're not about to fold like a lawn chair," Jessa added.
I rolled my eyes and held back my smile because I wanted to hear what he had to say.
"Jessa, please," I called out.
Duke smirked and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Can I borrow her for a minute?"
He stepped a little further into the room. Jessa and Aubree stood and started collecting their things.
"You sure can. We were just leaving, right Jessa?" Aubree said.
Jessa looked briefly confused, then stood with a smile.
"Mm-hmm. Let me know when y'all leave tomorrow," she added.
They walked around us and Duke held the door open for them. Once they were gone, he turned back to face me and closed the door.
"I didn't mean for them to have to leave. I didn't want to ruin your night any more than I already had."
I shrugged and turned toward the living room to start clearing the plates.
"Don't worry about it. They used you as an excuse to leave. I'm sure they were ready to get back to their nights. And you aren't ruining anything."
I turned to look back at him and he nodded.
"I don't know where to start. My head has been all over the place. I even went to finally have a talk with my mom tonight."
I stopped clearing the plates and turned to face him. Duke never spoke about his mother, and when he did, it wasn't much.
"First, I could have handled how I was feeling earlier a lot better. I'm not trying to control you. I just want you safe, and you going back to a place that made you drop everything for a new life didn't sound safe to me."
"I didn't mean what I said earlier. I wanted you to give me a reason to be mad at you. I don't think you're controlling. You do think you know everything, but what man doesn't," I said, causing him to smirk.
"Ha, very funny. But I apologize. I should have done more listening and less pushing my fears onto you. That situation with your manager earlier triggered every protective instinct I have when it comes to someone I love."
My mouth dropped. I slowly closed it and replayed what he said in my head. He had never told me he loved me, but his actions had been saying it for a while now.
I clasped my hands in front of me and smiled.
