He grinned. “I’m not trying to crowd you. I would have kept my distance if you hadn’t wanted me to come over.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
“I have Bill to protect me,” I challenged.
He chuckled. “Not sure he’d save you if a stranger approached. He didn’t save you from me, though he should have.”
A small laugh bubbled up. It was funny, but true. I sat deeper in my seat, feeling at ease and content here in this place, just the three of us.
“Sybil, I—” he began, but paused, rubbing his hands together before continuing with resolve, “I love you. And I know that seems fast, or crazy, but I’m sure of it. I never meant forthis to happen like this. I was going to tell you tonight aboutBlueand come clean so we could be free of the secrets and justbetogether.”
Blinking a few times, I was still stuck on the ‘I love you’ part of his confession. He’d mentioned love earlier, but not like this. I opened my mouth to say something, but he stopped me.
“Don’t reply to that—not right now. Just think about it.”
My heart was screaming, and it took a moment for my brain to catch up. My gut fluttered.
“I need you to know that I love you, Sybil. I want you to understand how serious I am. I couldn’t let you leave us without saying it.” He shifted in his chair, looking uneasy. “But I don’twantyou to leave. Just the thought—”
“—I’m not leaving,” I assured him firmly, making my position clear. “Only if you want me to,” I added. I also didn’t want to sound like a crazed squatter.
He shook his head, leaning toward me. “No, I don’t—not ever. I’m serious, Sybil. Our home is your home for as long as you want it to be. I invited you in, and now it’ll never be the same without you. Bee agrees.” He grumbled, his eyes widening as a memory surfaced. “She took my head off after you left, told me that if I didn’t find you, she’d move out and never talk to me again. Nevermind her fault in all this with her stupid boy toy, as though she’s not to blame.
A single laugh burst out of me. “I didn’t know she was like that. So—” I couldn’t find the right word for it.
He let his gaze meet mine. “What, a man-eater? I warned you at some point.”
I nodded, letting out a breathy laugh.
“She likely kept it hidden to avoid scaring you away. That girl has broken more hearts than anyone I know. Do you know how many men show up at our house with flowers, trying their best to get a second date out of her, and failing? Every time.” He adjusted the hat on his head. “It’s a full-time job for me. At least thisRat Man—or whatever—is making things interesting. He’s got her attention now.”
“Is this technically stalking, though?”
He looked hopeless with his head shaking. “Not to her, I guess.”
I laughed. “Cat thinks we should team up and steal the paintings back.”
One of his eyebrows rose. “Does she now?” He was rubbing his hands together again, nodding and puffing out his lower lip. “I mean, if you’re up for joining us and helping out.”
“Joining?” I questioned.
The server arrived, handing us both the same drink I had before. Nash ordered me a second, of course he did. That’s the sort of man he was. I appreciated it.
He took a sip of his, humming with admiration. “It’s good.”
I nodded in agreement. “Yeah. I’ve never had a prepared cocktail like this before, from a bar, or whatever. It’s fantastic,” I admitted.
He leaned back, a proud looking glint in his eye. “But yeah,joiningus. Bee and I were going after the art regardless, but having you along—that could be fun.” He winked. “This is what we do, and it feels good to finally tell you about it.”
“So, you’re not just a boring antiquities dealer?” I teased.
“Art historian by day, thief by night,” he said with a proudlift to his chin.“And you’re PERL,”he whispered back.
I grinned.
“It’s amazing, you know that? Everything you’ve accomplished. I honestly thought it was an entire team of people, not a single girl and her therapist. Bee likened you to Taylor Swift, even.”
I barked a laugh at that. “No one beats Taylor.”
He looked unsure.
