Page 39 of When Morning Comes Around

“I thought you’d figured out – I thought my saying that gave away the fact that I’ve been thinking about you.”

Her heart thudded to a halt. “Thinking? Aboutme?”

He nodded slowly. “If you want to know the truth, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

She stared up at him, not knowing what to say. He couldn’t stop thinking about her? “I…”

He stepped back and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I…”

She followed him. “Hey! Don’t take it back – please. I’m not reacting badly. I’m just… I’m shocked. In a good way. I…”

He folded his arms across his chest and leaned his head to the side. “A good way?”

She smiled. “Yeah, of course. I… I imagine that you already know that I… Oh, screw it, I’m just going to say it. I’m the same, Dominic. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

His eyes widened, and a big smile spread across his face. “Yeah?”

She nodded emphatically. “Yeah. I keep trying to tell myself that it’s a terrible idea.”

His eyebrows drew together. “Why?”

She let out a short laugh. “For starters, I wouldn’t have believed that you felt the same way. And even apart from that, I’m not exactly in a position… Well, there’s no reason that I shouldn’t be, but it seems… I don’t know. Ten days ago, I was still… I can’t sayhappilymarried, but definitely locked into the routine that was my marriage. And that’s just me.”

“Meaning?”

She let her hand fall to her side. “I think you know what I mean. I might be fresh out of the disastrous end of a bad marriage, but you? I think you’re still more married than I am.”

He closed his eyes and cupped his hand around the back of his neck as he looked up at the ceiling.

“You know my deal. Polly died a long time ago.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you’re ready for anything new.”

He met her gaze and held it. “I didn’t think I was. Didn’t think I wanted to be. But… Now, there’s you.”

She swallowed hard. Was this really happening?

As if to answer her question, he nodded. “Will you be my friend?”

Her heart sank. Of course she wanted to be his friend, but his words had made her hope for something more than that. She should know better. In her life, glimmers of hope only flashed for a moment before disappearing back into the darkness – they didn’t become sparks or light fires.

She gave him a sad smile. “I’d like that.”

“I think I want more than that.”

She waited, not wanting to tell him that she wanted more if he was only about to explain why he couldn’t.

Her heart thundered in her chest when he leaned in close. Their noses were almost touching before he spoke again. “I don’t trust myself not to screw up.”

Her hands had reached for the front of his shirt before she even knew what they were doing. She grasped two fistfuls of material as she breathed, “I trust you.”

He rested his hands on her shoulders. She ran her tongue over her suddenly parched lips, and his gaze tracked the movement. “I want to kiss you.” His voice was low and ragged.

She tugged on his shirt, pulling him to her. “I want to kiss you.”

Her eyes closed, and her knees turned to Jell-O as he brushed his lips over hers in a barely-there touch.

They sprang apart guiltily at the sound of her dad laughing loudly at the TV. She let out a short laugh, and he chuckled.

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