Page 71 of Fractured Frets

“It is. I won’t ever deny that. But now we can be even better.” I swept her hair over her shoulder and rubbed the back of her head. “Once we go public, there’ll be a shit show in the media for a few days, but then...we can just be us. Hanging out with our friends will be easier. I won’t be obsessing like a madman to get you alone. We’ll be able to kiss and touch and hold hands like a normal couple. I can’t wait to do those things. Be yours outside our doors.”

“Is that what you really want?” She searched my face as if looking for any doubt. She wouldn’t find any.

“Yes. More than anything.” I trailed my fingertips down her jawline, then brushed the tip of her chin. “I’ve wanted to tell everyone for months, but we’ve both had things that caused delays. Now there are no more reasons to do that.”

She placed her trembling hand on my chest and fidgeted with my worn-out, white T-shirt. “What about the tour?”

My heart tripped a beat. Her ever-present worries were somewhat cute yet frustrating. They just made me more determined to prove how much I loved her. “I’ll come home to see you. You’re the only one I want to be with. Please trust me.” I covered her hand with mine and held it over my thudding heart. “I love you. More than I’d thought possible.”

A gorgeous smile inched across her lips. “I love you too. More than I should.”

“No, now we can love each other more.” I kissed her fingertips. Every time she said she loved me, my chest tripled in size. The first time she’d said those three words to me was the same night I’d told her how I felt at Hayley’s Bar...after we’d gotten home to her place and made love bare for the first time. Then she’d said it again in the morning when I made her come twice before I snuck home. She’d said it every time we’d been together since. There was always a slight hesitation in her voice, but I felt the same way. It was scary to fall for someone again. But I knew in the depths of my soul that this was right. “Mads, if you love me as much as I love you, nothing will come between us. Not ever. It’s time to be honest with everyone.”

Her lips quirked at one corner. “We were supposed to only ever have a bit of fun. Now look where we are.”

“Yeah...look where we are.” I could’ve stared at her all day. Every hour for the rest of my life. “We love each other. I feel you in my soul. What could be better than that?”

“Um...” She winced and giggled. “Being in the same country. Working in the same city. Seeing each other every day. Living together.”

“Okay.” I chuckled. “You got me. But who wants to be normal?”

“Me,” she whispered.

“We will. One day.” Yeah, that wouldn’t happen in a hurry...but I’d work on it.

“What will our friends think?” Concern lilted her tone. “About how we’ve lied to them?”

“They’ll be pissed and shocked.” I kept an upbeat tone. Considering Tia and Lewis already knew, I honestly didn’t think Cole, Sutton, and Flint would care. “But they’ll come ’round. They’ll just want us to be happy.”

She nodded as new worry etched her beautiful brow. “I’m afraid to burst our bubble.”

“Me too.” I swiped my thumb across her forehead, hoping to erase her doubts. “But I believe in us. We’ll handle anything that comes our way.”

“You sure?”

“I am.” I clasped her hand in mine. “And maybe, when all this mayhem dies down, we’ll have a long vacation on a gorgeous island somewhere, away from everything and everyone.”

“That sounds nice,” Maddy sighed. “We could drink cocktails and get massages . . .”

“And fuck for hours and hours.” I winked and she giggled, and the sun shone again in my world. “So with all that to look forward to . . . will you please officially be my girlfriend?”

Her eyes glinted with a combination of happiness and fear, like they so often did. I wanted to eliminate her concerns. I was determined to do that.

She softened her voice. “There’s so much you don’t know about me.”

I didn’t question that. We hadn’t spent much time together. But I looked forward to seeing where this went. “And there’s a ton of shit you don’t know about me. But you know enough to make the call, Mads.”

As she nodded a tiny fraction, she fidgeted with my fingers. “I never meant to fall in love with you...but I did. I’m terrified of being hurt and losing you.”

Scary thing was, I was too. I prayed she didn’t break my heart. But I would risk it for her. “So am I. But I’ll do my best to never hurt you. You won’t ever lose me. So is that a yes?”

A nervous smile spread across her lips, but then she leaned over and kissed me. “Yes. Yes...I’ll be your casual, dirty weekend, romantic rendezvous girlfriend.”

“So, my full-time, part-time lover?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck. Finally.” Laughing, I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her.

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