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"Yep."
"You hate apologizing, don't you?"
"Yep."
I laughed.
The sound earned a faint smile fromhim.
A real one.
Rare.
Dangerous.
The kind that made my heart do stupid things.
"I was wrong about Gerald."
His gaze settled on the pasture.
"I thought he'd quit."
The admission sounded difficult.
Honest.
"I should've taken it seriously sooner."
I stared at him.
At the man who had slept on porches.
Chased stalkers through the woods.
Taken a pipe to the head.
And spent weeks protecting me.
"You saved me."
His jaw tightened.
"That's my job."
"No."
The word came out softer than I intended.
His eyes found mine.
"That's not what I mean."
The porch suddenly felt very small.
Very quiet.
Very private.
