“How do you know when it’s the right time to tell someone you’re in love with them?”
He’s silent for a moment, his throat bobbing as he swallows hard. “As soon as you know that it’s true in your heart. Don’t say the words if you don’t mean them, but if you mean them, don’t keep them to yourself.”
“But what if it scares the other person?”
A ghost of a smile dances across his lips. “I’d be worried if both people weren’t terrified.” His eyes search mine. “Love is scary and maddening and truly a beautiful thing.”
“What if the other person needs time to process it?”
“Also normal,” he says, this time with a chuckle. “You know how much courage it took to say it? She also needs that same courage to be able to say it back.” His chest expands as he inhales deeply, his hand reaching out for my shoulder. “Time doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel the same way. Time is never a bad thing, Matteo. It’s just not something we have a lot of.”
I swallow hard as the sadness in his voice wraps around us both. He knows from experience, from losing his first wife.
“I can’t speak for her since I only met her at the gala, but I saw the way she looked at you, Matteo.” He smiles at me with his eyes, warm and sure. “She’ll come around to it. You need to trust yourself that you made the right decision.”
“How do I know I did?”
“You were honest with her,” he says as he rises to his feet. “You took a chance a lot of people shy away from.” He pauses, arching a brow. “Hit the showers, you stink.”
A chuckle escapes me as he turns to go, heading down the tunnel toward the coaches offices. I turn back to face the ice, watching the Zamboni as it goes past. A sense of peace settles over me as I hang on to Uncle Caleb’s words.
He’s right. I let myself be vulnerable and took a chance a lot of people don’t take.
And now I have to trust it was worth taking.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
JADE
“My heart was his, long before I realized.” - Clara Foss, Painted Inferno
It’s been almost one whole week since Matteo told me he’s in love with me.
The morning after, I got an email from my editor with the first round of edits for my book. The relief I felt was indescribable. After fighting for my life through writer’s block, producing a story my editor approved of was an amazing feeling. I’m still riding the high, back in my groove.
And it feels so good.
Thankfully, there wasn’t too much I needed to rewrite, however, it was a welcomed distraction. It was a better excuse to keep my distance from him while I try to figure out what the hell I’m doing here.
We said we wouldn’t catch feelings, yet here we are, both of us breaking that one rule.
I stare up at the ceiling, my eyes tracing invisible patterns against the white surface. Everything about the words he spoke have left me terrified. I want to trust him, God knows I do, but taking that leap of faith?
It left me paralyzed.
We’ve texted throughout the week, and he hasn’t brought it up once. There’s no pressure from him, no expectations. Just a steady calm, weathering the storm and waiting for me to turn my ship around to sail back to him.
I can’t keep holding his past against him. People change, as do circumstances. But just as quickly as someone can change, they can always revert to their old ways.
Although, the only way he can prove he won’t break my heart is if I give him a real chance to. I chew on the inside of my cheek, staring up at a small speck on the ceiling. My phone rings from where it’s sitting on my nightstand.
A heavy sigh escapes me, and my head spins as I move to sit up straight. Today has been a weird day with the way I’ve been feeling. Sometimes, I’m acutely aware of my heart beating inside my chest. Every once in a while the dizziness happens, but today it’s been coming in frequent waves.
My pulse races, the beating erratic as I take a second to catch my breath and get my bearings straight. I reach for my phone, my eyes closed against the dizzy sensation as I feel the device under my fingertips. I answer it without even looking at the screen.
“Hello?” I say breathlessly.
“Jade?” My eyes open at the sound of Ellie’s voice. “Are you okay?”
