We each pause for the other.
“You go first,” I say.
He cocks his chin. “Coco, you don’t have to tell me. I figured it out. I mean, the kiss we shared the other night should have been a huge hint. Right, Hercules?”
What?
Beside him, Hercules bleats up at me with narrowed eyes, like I did something to piss him off.
Stone, on the other hand, squints like he’s remembering the kiss, and my God, we haven’t even discussed it. We should. It was mind-blowing.
“It was really great,” I admit.
“Are youblushing?”
He leans in and I wave him off. “I’m not blushing.”
“Yes, you are. You are absolutely red.” He touches my cheek. “It’s adorable. Keep doing it.”
I shake my head and he runs a finger down my arm, sending shivers spiraling to the ends of my hands and feet.
The mood instantly shifts, becoming surprisingly intimate, given that there’s loud construction equipment surrounding us. A vehicle reverses, its horn blaring as it backs up.
He shifts his weight back and forth as if contemplating what to say next. Finally, he decides on, “I don’t remember the man I was, but I want to be the man youneed.”
My throat shrivels to the size of a pin. I’m not ready for that sentence. It feels like he reached straight through my ribs, wrapped his hand around my heart, and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“That kiss we shared ...” He brushes a finger over my cheek. “There’s a lot that’s wrong in my life right now, a lot I’m trying to sort through. But you don’t feel like one of those things, and I know why.”
He takes my hands and studies them, like he’s learning me, knuckle by knuckle.
Oh, God. I want to die. All of this is because of me, and he needs to know it. I’ve got to tell him. Now. Before he falls for me. Before I fall even harder for him.
Stop—even?
Is my inner monologue suggesting I’vealreadyfallen? Of course it is. Has it seen the way Stone holds Hercules? Even the lambicorn is in love with him. And I’m pretty sure I’m next.
He rubs his thumbs gently over the tops of my hands. “What is it you wanted to tell me?”
“Wait. You said that you know why I don’t feel like one of the wrong things. Why is that?”
“Nah. Go ahead. We’ll get to me.”
I take a deep breath. I can do this. I can tell him. Just like ripping off a bandage—right?
But it’s not like ripping off a bandage, because this one is covered in feelings. I can’t have Stone kissing me, thinking I’m wonderful when I’m the cause of his grief. It’s time for him to know the truth.
No matter how much he’ll hate me because of it.
I try to open my mouth, and it feels like my lips are superglued shut. He’ll hate me. He’ll walk away. He’ll never speak to me again.
It’s a risk that’s worth taking.
I clear my throat. “The other day, when you hit your head—”
A shiny black SUV rumbles onto the construction site, kicking up a storm of dirt behind it. The windows are tinted so dark it’s impossible to see inside. Who could this be?
I pull away from Stone. He clocks the movement, his eyes dipping to my hand before he pushes on his hard hat and prepares to greet his guest.
