And I could, couldn’t I? I was allowed to kiss Milo whenever I wanted.
Even here, where everyone would definitely see.
My hand was still on his cheek, so I curled it around his neck and stepped closer, pulling him in and smiling to myself at the surprised little noise he made. Surprised or not, it didn’t take him long to give in, lips parting with a sigh as all the tension drained out of him and he melted against me, one hand falling to my hip while the other still gripped the camera.
It’d only been a few hours since the last time I kissed him, but that was way, way too long for my taste. I never wanted to stop, and I only forced myself to pull back when I needed to breathe.
Milo’s eyelids were heavy when I looked up at him, soft mouth pink and glossy from the kiss, cheeks flushed darker than ever. In the glittering lights in the barn, his eyes sparkled like they were lit up from inside.
I loved him.
I was hopelessly, ridiculously in love with him.
I had to tell him. I wanted to tell him. The thought of it made me grin. I’d never quite felt like this about anyone before, but I knew exactly what it was.
Of course it was Milo. Milo who was shy and sweet and perfect, who’d been making me smile every single day for months and months. I’d been falling in love with him the whole time.
We would always have ended up here. Even without meeting in real life.
“Milo,” I said, taking his hand, gripping it tighter than I meant to. I wasn’t scared anymore. Just excited, so excited I could’ve burst, at the thought of telling him.
“There you two are,” Dawn said, drawing Milo’s attention.
If I’d been a puppy, my wagging tail would’ve slowed down a little. I’d wanted to tell him.
I’d tell him later. That’d be fine. It could wait. It wasn’t as though my feelings were about to change.
Then I saw the look on Dawn’s face. And the way she was gripping Milo’s arm.
“Dawn?” he asked before I could, reaching out to steady her.
“I, uh,” she said, knuckles white where her hand was curled around Milo’s bicep now. “I think I need a hospital?”
26
MILO
“You know,the way the horrible fluorescent lights are hitting your hair right now, you look like an angel,” I said as Xander held out a thin paper cup of hospital coffee to me.
The hard plastic chair next to me squeaked as Xander dropped himself into it, holding his own coffee close to his chest and chewing on his lip. Once he was settled, one hand fell away from his coffee, and the next thing I knew warm fingers were curling around my trembling ones.
This was terrifying, but having Xander here made it easier.
“No news?” he asked, pressing his coffee to his lower lip but not sipping it yet.
“Nothing after they said she was going in for a C-section,” I said. “That was so long ago. I don’t like it.”
“Hey, Dawn’s the toughest person I know and this is a great hospital,” Xander said. “It’s gonna be okay.”
The rational part of my brain agreed with him, but the part that loved my baby sister so much it hurt was scared. The part that had still been getting used to the idea of being an uncle was in full panic mode.
Even if everythingwascompletely fine, this was life-changing. More for Dawn than me, but she’d had a lot longer to adjust.
I was going to be an uncle. That was huge.
Xander sipped his coffee, linked his fingers with mine, and then yawned. He must’ve been exhausted, after all this. The rush to the hospital, the stress of getting Dawn admitted and then all the paperwork, and now the waiting. We’d been here a couple of hours, and he’d had a long few days before that.
“You don't have to stay here,” I said. “I mean, you’re right, it’ll be fine. You should go home and get some sleep.”
