Page 30 of SCRUMptious

That wasn’t entirely true though. The pregnancy had nearly torn my friends apart, but it wasn’t my place to share that information with Lauren. What had happened back then was being Aoife and Eoin. So instead I said, “Yeah, they’re sickening inlove.”

“It just …” her voice trailedoff.

I took a step closer. “It’s justwhat?”

For several long seconds, we stood in the middle of the museum staring at each other. It didn’t matter that we were in a public place, surrounded by people we didn’t know. Everyone—every sound—fell away. It was just Lauren and me. I set my hand on her hip and her breath hitched. “Lauren.”

At the sound of her name passing from my lips, her eyes fell closed on a long, slow blink. “I don’t want to hope,” she finally admitted.

“Hope what?” I asked, my heart caught in my throat.

Her eyes flicked between mine. “For a happy ending of my own. Of ourown.”

With that admission, she dropped my gaze and looked away. Almost as if she was ashamed for having admitted her secret desires, of being embarrassed that she’d thought about us beyond the present.

Well, fuck that. I was ecstatic to hear those words. Every time I’d mentioned Lauren staying and she’d put the discussion off—or changed the subject altogether—I’d grown increasingly worried I was the only one who felt this way. I couldn’t believe I’d fallen in love with the first woman I’d had sex with, but I had and there was nothing I could do about it. Not that I wanted to. Lauren was the best damn thing that had ever happened to me and I didn’t care who knewit.

I tugged Lauren to me and wrapped my arms around her, pressing her head to my chest. “I think I might be in love you,” I said, dropping a kiss on the top of herhead.

Lauren’s arms came around my middle and she squeezed me back. “I think I might be in love with youtoo.”

---