Page 120 of Loving the CEO

He stepped much closer to me and took my hands in his. "Because I didn't handle this very well.”

“Definethis."

"When you told me that your mom found a B&B, you asked for my opinion a few times, and I withheld it."

I sucked in a breath. "That's right. I kept wondering why that was.”

An irrational fear gripped my heart.

Tory, he's here with you. He wouldn't have flown to New Orleans just to tell you that he doesn't give a crap about what you do. Not all men are confusing and conniving or have an agenda like Walter.

“I didn't want to interfere or make you feel like you need to make a decision for my sake. I'd never pressure you into anything."

"I appreciate that," I murmured.

"But I should have also made my stance clear."

"And that is?"

"I fucking love you, Tory."

"Oh my God." I smiled from ear to ear. "You flew here to tell me you love me?"

"Actually, I came for something else, but first things first. I should have told you this as soon as I figured it out."

"And when was that?" I asked. My heart was fluttering.

"When you moved out of the house. I woke up and realized that I didn’t want us to have separate lives. I didn't want this between us to be temporary."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It took me a while to figure it out. Everything is clearer in retrospect, don't you think?"

Instead of answering, I rose on my toes and pressed my lips to his. He responded with a deep and delicious kiss.

After I got my fill of this amazing man, I dropped back onto my heels and looked at him expectantly.

“What was the next point?” I urged, making him laugh.

"Even though all I want is to throw you over my shoulder and take you back to Boston, we can make everything work out. Seriously, even if you open a B&B here, I’m flexible. This isn't the Stone Age. We can travel back and forth."

I tapped his shoulder. "Practice throwing me over this and taking me back with you. I'm not staying in New Orleans."

"Why not?”

"This is a super-romantic moment, and I don't want to ruin it with details.”

"Tory, I always want to know what's going on."

His body language had changed. His shoulders were tense, his neck rigid. He wasn’t going to let this go, so I decided to share everything with him.

"Mom sort of ambushed me. Walter was there."

His nostrils flared. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"What the fuck did he want?"

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