“I know what you meant.” I put my hand on his arm. “But you can’t protect me all the time, no matter how much you might feel that’s best. I just escaped from New York where I existed under my parents’ rule for most of my life. I didn’t come here to be treated like a Barbie doll again.”
“It’s not—”
“I know your concern is coming from a good place, but you need to work with me,” I said. “I appreciate you staying with me at night. I appreciate you looking out for me. I appreciate you helping me obtain proper training. But I also can make my own decisions about how to live my life.”
Silas licked his lower lip, stepped away and sized me up. “I hear you.”
I looked up at him, at his much taller stature. “I want this—us—to work. But I now understand that being with the wrong person is lonelier than being with no one. I do think you’re the right person, Silas, and I care about you more than you can imagine. But I have non-negotiables, and being called foolish for going about my normal life is a dealbreaker.”
Silas’s gaze was serious as he leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “I hear you, and I respect that. I’ll work on holding up my end of the deal. I just can’t stand to see you hurt, in danger.”
“I understand that too, and I’m happy to compromise. I’d love it if you stayed here with me at Wisteria Cottage for now. At least until maybe things get a little more settled.”
“One problem with that,” Silas said with another kiss to the forehead, and a small grin. “I have a feeling after staying with you for a while, I might not want to leave.”
