"That's a good question," he conceded. "I don't know."
"What don't you know?" she challenged, a wary gleam in her beautiful green eyes.
"During the ceremony tonight, I was thinking about you—about us."
"Is there an us?"
"I want there to be. Do you?"
She let out a breath. "More than anything. But how can we possibly make it work?"
"I don't know," he admitted.
"It's complicated. You have your dream business; I have mine. But they're not in the same place. It's not like I can move the inn to San Francisco. And I can't ask you to move here. This is all moving too fast."
"I like fast," he said with a smile.
She smiled back at him. "This fast? For a guy who doesn't do relationships, it seems a little like you've lost your mind."
He laughed. "I think I have lost my mind. Or maybe I've finally found it. My grandparents knew instantly that they were meant to be together and they've lasted fifty-seven years."
"They didn't live in different states," she reminded him. "We both love our careers."
"I do love my job." He stepped forward and took her hands in his. "But I'm also falling in love with you. Honestly, Lizzie, I haven't been the same since I ran into that fence."
"Which was not my fault," she said lightly.
"Maybe not, but it was the beginning of something incredibly special. You have upended my life. You cracked open my heart. You've made me laugh and smile more than I have in a decade. You brought me into your fun, crazy group of friends and made me feel like I belonged. You made me relax, take a breath, and live in the moment. You encouraged me to unload the heavy secret I've been carrying around since I was fourteen. I am not the same man who arrived here five days ago."
"It wasn't one-sided, Justin. You brought me back into the world, too, a world that wasn't just the inn and my guests but was fun and romantic and sexy. You were also honest with me, and you made me look at my life and my business in a completely different way. You've pushed me to do better, and I need someone who encourages me to be my best self. More importantly, I need someone who believes in me."
"I do believe in you. I feel so bad about what I said last night."
"I know you were hurting."
"But I shouldn't have hurt you."
"I probably deserved it a little."
"You're too generous. But I'm thankful you're able to forgive me."
"If you can forgive me."
"I forgave you last night; I was just too stubborn to tell you. You're an amazing woman, Lizzie Cole. And you're building something here that is incredible and unique. I want to see how far you can go."
"That means a lot to me."
"And I want to be here to see it."
"What about your business? Your trips?"
"I'm not giving them up. I'm just going to change the way I do business. I might need to get some office space in town."
Her eyes glowed with happiness. "You'd do that for me? You'd work from here?"
"Yes." He took in a slow breath, thinking it would be difficult to say the words, but surprisingly, it wasn't. "I'm in love with you, Lizzie. I've never told a woman that before."
"Not ever?"