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I raised a curious brow. “But, but we weren’t dating.”

“I know. That’s why I told them they were crazy.”

Forrest quickly interjected, “And it appears we weren’t. I knew from the moment I saw him watching you walk to your car where this was headed. And Avalon knew, too, because she noted how Ty refused to have her set up an account to charge you.”

My head snapped in Ty’s direction, my heart hammering at the information Forrest had just revealed. I had no idea that Ty had watched me walk to my car that day.

He merely smiled at me and shrugged in response.

“I’m still angry about not being charged.”

“Oh, it was the same for me, so don’t feel bad about it. Look where we are now. Married and happier than ever,” Daisy added.

Married, and happier than ever.

Could that be Ty and me one day?

As badly as I might have wanted it, I thought I was getting ahead of myself. We’d only known each other just shy of two months. Sure, we’d been through a lot in that time, and I had certainly fallen for him—though I’d been too chicken to tell him—but I knew it was far too early for me to be thinking about marriage. If Ty knew, he’d probably go running in the opposite direction.

So, I quickly shook off the thoughts, returned my attention to the conversation, and enjoyed being right where I was for the time being. I might have liked being the one in charge of the direction my life went, but there were some things that would always be out of my control, and when it came to Ty, I was merely grateful I could trust him to take the reins.

The four of us had a wonderful time together, staying long after dinner and dessert, simply enjoying each other’s company. But eventually, we got up and said goodnight to one another, Forrest and Daisy having Christmas festivities starting with his family tomorrow.

“This was a lot of fun tonight,” I said once we were back in Ty’s truck.

As it warmed up, he reached over and took my hand in his. “I’m glad you had a good time and got to meet some of my friends.”

“I hope I’ll be able to meet more of them in the coming months.”

He nodded, not a trace of doubt in his expression. “You’re the woman I love, so you will.”

My body locked. “What?”

“I love you, Alana.”

“Ty,” I breathed.

He lifted my hand to his mouth and pressed kisses to each of my knuckles. “I think I’ve been feeling this way for a while now, but hearing Forrest talk about how I watched you leave the office that first day solidified it for me. These last several weeks with you have been the best of my life, Alana. And I feel things for you I haven’t ever felt before. There’s no other way I can describe it other than love. I love you, baby.”

How I didn’t burst into a fit of tears was a mystery. “I love you, too. I was just sitting there thinking how I wished I wasn’t so much of a chicken and could tell you the truth. Oh, Ty, I love you, too.”

Ty released my hand, threaded his fingers through my hair, and urged my head in his direction. His lips met mine and took them in a possessive kiss. We got lost in it quickly, desperate to take as much as we could from one another.

I blamed the heat blasting on us for causing our eventual separation. We were both panting and fighting to regain control of our breathing.

“So, now what?” I whispered.

“We go home to my place, and you let me unwrap my first gift of the Christmas season.”

“What?”

“You. On a mound of blankets in front of the tree we decorated together. That’s what I want.”

A shiver ran along my spine. “Well, I guess this is where it starts.”

“What?”

“Doing things for the person you love, because you know how happy it’s going to make them,” I answered.

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