Page 49 of I Love You in French

“D’Artagnan, repeat after me: I will win my woman’s heart.”

“Lily,” I begin.

“She has feelings for you. I know she does.”

I lean in carefully, trying not to disrupt Lily’s train of thought. Her openness toward me right now is like a rare creature you stumble across and don’t want to run away. But the words she just spoke shake me. “What do you mean?” My pulse is pounding so hard I feel it in my throat.

“She’s finally coming to terms with her fear.”

I nod my head in, hopefully, what appears to be a thoughtful manner when, really, I’m spinning. “And—what would that happen to be?”

Lily laughs. She actually laughs. I’m a man in pain, and she’s laughing. “She’s afraid of you, D’Artagnan.” This time, when she swings her arm around, chocolate milkshake flies through the air and lands on my coat.

I open my mouth in mock horror. “I’ve been wounded.”

That earns me a grin. She pulls napkins from her coat and finishes her milkshake before throwing it away in a nearby dumpster.

“I don’t want her to be afraid of me.”

She waves her hand about, the chocolate staining one side of her hand. “And I’m guessing you’ve tagged along with me—the best friend—on this date to try to see if anything can be done about the fact that you’re actually in love with her?”

“I never said ...” I freeze at her expression. She dares me to deny it and ... I won’t.

“Yes.”

“Lily, I trust you.” Her eyes narrow as if she’s assessing whether I mean it. I do.

She suddenly exhales, and a warm smile breaks over her face. It catches me so off guard that I look over my shoulder to make sure I’m still the only one receiving her attention. Lily laughs while shaking her head.

“There’s something you should know,” I mumble.

“Spill,” she orders.

My heart starts to beat wildly, and I grimace. My pulse has moved upward to thunder in my ears, and the weight of the truth stuns me momentarily. I’m about to level with the best friend of the woman I love.

“First off, are you leaving?” Lily demands.

I shift as the hoot of an owl calls in the distance. “Might have to go to Nashville for a bit. I sent a demo in last week, and it’s getting some traction. And I will have to get things settled from LA, but I would never take her from here.”

She nods, satisfied. We take a sharp right through an alleyway to cut through toward the front of the shops, the light from one of the streetlamps revealing more of Lily’s expressions.

“And about the other thing? You confirmed, but I need to hear you actually say it,” she urges.

“Uh ...” The scratch in my throat causes me to wince. I clear it loudly. “You’re right ... I’m in love with Sparrow,” I breathe out.

“I KNEW IT!”

“Shh, shh,” I grit out as I channel my inner librarian, like I’m the only one preventing a room full of teenagers from making out in the reference section, even though we’re outside. My jaw clenches, which is the complete opposite of the expression on Lily’s eager face. “But ...”

For as fast as Lily’s excitement appeared, it evaporates just as quickly. Her eyes narrow. “But. What.” It’s not a question. It’s a demand.

“There’s something about me she doesn’t know. And I don’t know how to get around this. I really don’t.” I look into Lily’s eyes, and for the first time, I see that she’s really rooting for me. It’s time to go all-in. “Lily, the truth is, while my family did a number on me, and my ex did the same, I was scared. I hid. I didn’t tell Sparrow who I really am.”

She studies my face, and I hold my breath.

“She knows I’m a musician. And she knows I’ve lived in Paris, which is true. But she doesn’t know the one thing I can’t change about myself.”

“Should I be really concerned right now?” she starts. “Because if you so much as cause her one tear that’s not from happiness, I will come after you. Don’t you think I won’t. She’s my girl. She’s my bestie. And you don’t spend over TWENTY years of your life with someone to have her go down because a beautiful man comes into town, with the voice of a freakin’ angel and lyrics that would soften hearts of stone, all to have her—”

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