Page 76 of Dreaming of You

"Why would he do this?" she asked in confusion. "We're not together."

"But I want us to be." Barrett's voice rang out behind her, and she whirled around.

Barrett was standing on the steps, dressed in the same black suit he'd worn the first night she'd met him. In his hand was an arrow.

"Remember when this thing hit me?" he asked.

She shook her head in bemusement.

"You don't remember?" he asked in surprise.

"I remember, but I don't understand how you have it. I cleaned up the broken statue."

"Somehow this arrow ended up in my pocket." He stepped forward as her friends fell back in an arc behind her.

He took her hands as he gazed at her with beautiful green eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. "When Cupid shot his arrow at me, I thought I was invincible, that no one could pierce the wall I'd built around my heart. But that wasn't true. You barreled right through it." He let that sink in, then added, "I'm an idiot, Kate. I never should have called things off with you. You're the most amazing woman I've ever met, and I'm in love with you."

It was almost impossible to believe the words coming out of Barrett's mouth. "You—are you sure?"

"Positive. I knew the first moment I met you that you were going to complicate my life. But I didn't know how much I would care about you. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. The last few weeks I've found myself listening for the sound of your footsteps upstairs, the faint echo of a laugh coming down the stairwell."

"I've done the same," she confessed. "I actually worked from home the other day, because I wasn't getting anything done. But how we feel doesn't change the fact that we don't want the same things."

"I've been hanging on to my rigid viewpoints for far too long. The truth is, I want you, Kate. And I want to see where all this goes."

"Even if it goes toward a church and a reception?"

He smiled with complete candor in his gaze. "Even then. I'm not ruling anything out."

"Seriously? Why the change of heart?"

"You're the reason. You told me before that when I met the right person, I'd want it all, and I do. I want it with you. I want to make you happy."

"I want to make you happy, too. I don't want to force anything on you."

"You're not. This is my choice. Frankly, I don't know why I took so long to get here."

"Well, we don't have to rush into anything. We can take our time. Really get to know each other."

"As long as we're taking our time together, I'm good," he told her. "But I want you to know that I'm willing to go the distance."

"I can't believe you hired a plane to write our names in the sky."

He smiled down at her. "You said something once about wanting a man who's willing to make a magnificent gesture of love. I'm hoping this counts."

"It does. It really does," she said, unbelievable happiness running through her.

"But I didn't just do this for you, Kate—I did it for me. I needed to tell not just you but also the world how I feel. I needed to stop hiding and declare myself. And if one of us gets hurt, well, at least we won't have to wonder what if."

"I agree. I've been scared, too. But whatever happens, I'd rather be with you for as long as it works than be without because I'm afraid. My grandparents have always told me that love is worth the risk."

"Then we're finally on the same page."

"Kiss him already," Maggie called out, echoed by the other bridesmaids.

He grinned. "I think the crowd has spoken."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her mouth to his, feeling a rush of joy and pleasure as their lips met.

---