Page 140 of Ever With Me

“So is that a yes?” She scooted closer to him. “Will you consider dating long-termandlong distance?”

He held her gaze, then nodded. “Right now, I’m willing to consider anything to keep you in my life. I’m serious. But your safety is the most important thing to me, too. And I have to admit that, after yesterday, this town doesn’t feel like the haven I hoped it would be.”

She ignored the latter part of his statement, focusing instead on the fact that Brooks had just said he wanted a long-term relationship with her.

Long-term.

Her heart fluttered, emotion overtaking her.

God, I really, really care about him.

Love him.

She slid her arms around his neck, dipping her forehead against his. “Maybe that’s the part we figure out a day at a time, Brooks. Because I’m not willing to compromise on theuspart of this, okay?”

He kissed her gently. Cautiously. “Okay.”

She sank against him, resting her head against his shoulder. “There’s one more thing we have to do today, though,” Brooks said, tracing his palm over her thigh softly.

“What’s that?”

“I need to go apologize to your grandfather. Make sure he’s all right. Because he’s not out of the woods yet, and if something happens to him, I’m not sure your family will be as forgiving as you are.”

She kissed his neck. “They will be, Brooks. I promise. My family is the least of our worries, but I want to go see Pops too.”

She tried to relax into him, taking comfort in his arms. His presence.

A voice in the back of her head told her she was being naive, though. Her familymighthave more to say about what had happened with Brooks than they had. Naomi’s reaction to Brooks in the first place should have taught her that.

But if we’re together, we’ll figure it out. We can make it work.

She had faith in that.In them.

And he was willing to take the leap with her.

That’s all that matters.

37

MADDIE

“Where’sthat handsome fellow of yours?” Pops asked as Maddie walked into his hospital room.

She glanced over her shoulder at the empty space behind her, then back at Pops and raised a brow. “What am I, chopped liver? Brooks has to come with me now?”

Pops chuckled, waving her comment off with one hand still connected to plastic tubing. “No, but you’ve brought him for the past four days. I just assumed he was coming.”

She sat in the chair beside his hospital bed and set a food storage container beside him. “He’s on his way to Baltimore for his arraignment.”

“Arraignment, huh?”

“Audrey’s deadbeat dad is suing for custody and showed up at Brooks’s concert at the beginning of the month to taunt him. He threw the first punch, but Brooks punched back and the as—jerkis pressing charges.”

Pops smiled. “You don’t have to pretend you don’t swear in front of me, kiddo. Believe me, whatever you say, I’ve heard worse.”

“Yeah, but you’re my angelic grandfather. Although, what was up with that sausage talk with Brooks?” She shook her head. “You didn’t know he was talking about me, did you?”

“That was all Brian, first of all. And of course I knew Brooks was talking about you. He got here and holed himself up in Jason Cavanaugh’s rental place, and the only person he could have met was you. I knew who he was the second I met him. He’s a good-looking kid. Old soul. Needs to figure some things out, but so do you. I like him for you.”

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