Page 38 of California Dreaming

Upset because the idea that he could have been killed turned her world upside down.

The two emotions battled for precedence, and to her dismay, she found tears pricking her eyes. She cared about him so much already, despite the lies that she’d been telling herself.

The awful truth was, he wasn’t just another client.

“Tessa,” Arch said softly.

He had noticed her tears, and she lowered her eyes, embarrassed. “Why? Why would you do a stunt that’s so dangerous?”

She wasn’t judging him. She just couldn’t understand why he would put himself in so much danger. Too many people loved him for him to be so reckless.

If she had that many people who loved her—or even one man who truly adored her, heart and soul—she would never have taken such a risk.

* * *

Arch gazed deeply into Tessa’s eyes. He couldn’t believe how much worry he saw there, and he felt terrible about showing her the clip. He’d upset her, and that was the last thing he’d intended. He swallowed and decided to tell her the truth.

“I love my family so much,” he began, “so don’t get me wrong when I say this. Nick is three years older than me. Finn is two years older. They were bigger, tougher, and could do the things I couldn’t. I wasn’t the tallest or the toughest, but whenever I heard ‘it’s too hard for you’ from one of them, or my parents, it was like something inside me went crazy. I’d have to prove to everybody that I was big enough, tough enough. It got so ingrained in me that I still react that way.”

Tessa looked to be deep in thought. “Mila says everyone in your family is stubborn and determined.”

“She’s right,” he conceded. “Although Mila’s even worse than my brothers. She’s only a year younger than me, and when we were kids, she was tougher than any of the boys. She still is. So, if I wasn’t trying to keep up with my big brothers, I was trying to keep up with one of my little sisters. And even Erin, in her quiet way… sometimes I wonder if she’s the toughest of all of us.”

Tessa turned her gaze away from him and back to the screen. For a moment, they both stared at the frozen shot of the flattened hat on the ground.

In a gentle tone, she said, “You don’t have to prove anything anymore.”

Arch let out a small laugh. “You sound like my mom. And Mila. And, frankly, everyone else who’s talked with me about the accident.”

But Tessa didn’t crack a smile. She still looked deeply worried, and it hurt him to see the pain etched across her forehead.

“I know I have no right to tell you this,” she said, “but I can’t keep it in. Please don’t do another stunt like this one.” There was a painful pause. In a husky tone, she said, “Your mom’s not the only one who cares about you. I do too.”

He searched her face, her eyes. She was sincere, as always. Tessa was the most down-to-earth person he’d ever met.

Instinctively, he leaned toward her. She was so close that he could catch the scent of her. His stomach somersaulted.

She wanted him to kiss her. He could feel it. And, man alive, he had thought about this moment enough. He turned his head and was about to press his lips to hers when she pulled away.

He stared at her, shocked. Had he read the signs all wrong again? But no. There was desire in her eyes. She couldn’t hide it.

She wanted him as much as he wanted her.

But clearly, she wasn’t ready, and he respected that. Instead, he would store away the information she’d let slip.

She cared about him. I do too. Never had three words meant so much.

He cared about her too. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to admit to her that he’d seen her painting—and that she no longer had to hide any part of herself from him. Earlier, he’d decided to wait until she felt comfortable enough with him and trusted him enough to tell him that she was an artist. But though that did make sense, when he did finally tell her he knew, would she be stunned and hurt by the fact that he hadn’t come clean right away?

So instead of mentioning her painting, he wanted to give her what she’d just said she wanted from him. “I won’t do another stunt like that.” And he meant it.

It was a promise he hadn’t even been able to make for his mom. But he couldn’t stop himself from making it for Tessa.

At this, she gave him the most beautifully radiant smile he’d ever seen. “Good.”

And for a moment, every single thing in the world felt just right.

“I’d better start dinner,” she said, and he felt a jolt of happiness when she walked into the kitchen and exclaimed, “Oh, how beautiful,” when she saw the flowers.

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