Page 66 of Their Reluctant Catch

Todd claps a hand on my shoulder, squeezing just enough to feel it. “Come on, man. You can survive for an hour.”

I shoot him a look.

He grins. “An hour, then we can sneak out the back.”

I huff, shaking my head, but before I can argue, Savannah’s already moving. Taking a fortifying breath, I loop her arm through mine. Todd does the same on her other side. Over her head, our gazes meet, and he nods.Yeah, okay.

That’s the moment we’re spotted.

And then?

The cheering starts.

One hour! We’re staying one hour and not a goddamn minute longer.

* * *

Savannah

I can’t stop smiling.

The town’s warmth, the way people have welcomed me in—it’s overwhelming in the best way.

Diana nudges me with her shoulder. “You okay, babe?”

I glance at her, then back at the crowd. “I think I am.”

She tilts her head, studying me like she does when she’s trying to pull something deeper out of me. “Youthink?”

I sigh, shifting my drink between my hands. “It’s just… a lot. This time last month, I didn’t even know where I’d end up. Now I’m here, surrounded by people who care, with two men who love me.”

Diana smiles. “That scares you.”

It’s not a question.

I huff out a laugh. “Terrifies me.”

She nods, takes a sip of her drink. “That’s how you know it’s real.”

I turn toward her fully. “How did you do it? With Jack, Mason, and Elliot?”

She raises an eyebrow. “Do what?”

“Let yourself believe it was real. Let yourself stay.”

Her expression softens. “I fought it at first. And the men fought each other as a matter of fact. Before they decided to work together, that is. After that, they never let me push them away. And the truth was, I didn’t want to. When you stop running, when you let yourself believe you deserve love, everything else falls into place.”

I swallow hard, something thick settling in my throat.

She leans in, lowering her voice. “You stopped running, too, you know.”

I blink.

She smiles knowingly. “You could’ve left after the first week. After Colton found you. After you realized your car was fixed. But you didn’t.”

I look down at my drink. “Yeah.”

“You chose to stay. That’s the difference.”

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