Page 87 of Love Me Not

“What’s wrong with taking credit for that? You could have told me from the beginning. Not that you needed my help, but keeping me in the dark and letting me think we were over was a really crappy thing to do.”

“I never meant for you to think that.” He took a step closer.

Dropping my head, I whispered, “I thought I blew it.”

“No, Lindsey.” He lifted my chin with a gentle touch. “You were honest with me. Never apologize for that.”

I rolled my eyes. “There’s honest, and then there’s dramatic. I tend to be too much of both.”

“You aren’t too much of anything,” he assured me. “You’re just the right amount.” With a smirk, he added, “You can be a challenge, but I like that. Keeps me on my toes.”

That’s what he said now. “In my experience, guys get tired of being on their toes. Won’t that get old eventually?”

Taking my hand in his, he rubbed his thumb across my knuckles. “Are you asking if I’m going to get tired of you?”

My pride said change the subject or make a joke, but I needed this answer. “Yes.”

Trey tucked a stray lock behind my ear, stepped closer, and offered the gentlest, most heart-stopping smile I’d ever seen. Then he whispered, “Never.”

The weight of the last two weeks fell to my feet and before I knew it, my cheeks were wet with tears. “I want to believe that,” I said, forehead pressed to his chest.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in. “You’re it for me, Lindsey. I knew it the day you fell off that ladder and stormed out of my classroom with more grit and grace than anyone I’d ever met. I won’t let you doubt that again.”

Aware that I was getting his shirt wet, I lifted my head with a sniffle. “No one has ever called me graceful before.”

His laughter shook us both. “Well, I think you’re graceful. And beautiful and kind and fierce and smart… Should I go on?”

The compliments were unnecessary. His actions showed me how much he cared already. But they were still nice to hear.

“We should go,” I said, sniffling again and remembering that the others were likely at his house by now. “They’ll be waiting for us.”

Pulling me into a full hug, he rested his chin on the top of my head. “They can wait. It’s taken three months to get you in my arms. Let me enjoy it a little longer.”

Breathing him in, I relaxed and rested my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for not giving up.”

He kissed my hair and said, “You’re worth fighting for, Lindsey. Giving up was never an option.”

And just like that, I crumbled again, thanking whatever higher power found the perfect man for me, and then sent him my way.

Chapter Twenty-One

Friendsgiving was officially underway.

A timer buzzed on the stove sending Donna on a frantic search for an oven mitt. Down the counter, Becca and Megan debated whether the rolls should go on a plate or into a large bowl. One claimed better aesthetics and the other argued the bowl would keep them warm longer.

I was team bowl, but chose to stay out of the fray.

Off in her own world, Josie was documenting the decorations and side dishes on her phone from every possible angle.

“What are you doing?” I asked, curious why she needed seven pictures of a green bean casserole.

“This is our first Friendsgiving in Donna’s new house. She’s going to want pictures.”

There were more important memories to record than a casserole, but who was I to argue?

“Since you guys have everything under control in here I’m going to join the guys.”

The guys were watching football, which I would normally avoid, but I’d recently changed my mind on that. Slightly. Trey convinced me to watch a game with him on Monday night, and I was so exhausted from the play weekend that I’d been too tired to put up a fight.

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