Page 68 of A Discovery: Love and Other Things

“Are you going to tell the minister when he calls us back inside?”

James shook his head. “You will. It’syourdiscovery.”

I beamed.My discovery.I couldn’t believe that I was the one who had made such an amazing revelation. Mom would lose her shit when I told her.

My smile faded and silence filled the space between us. I looked down at my fingers, knotted together before me.

There was something else I’d remembered.He loved me.Were his words true? I wouldn’t be able to handle it if they weren’t.I should probably just leave the topic alone until he brings it up again...

Before I could decide my next step, he spoke. “I meant it.”

My heart stopped. I looked up. “What?”

He stepped closer. “I meant all of it.” His eyes bore into mine, our souls connecting. “Kitten, I love you.”

My core melted at his intoxicating words.

“But...you ghosted me,” I breathed out. “I thought we were over.”

His chin tipped lower, his breath warm on my face. “I’m sorry. Can you ever forgive me? I hated myself for risking your career, and I thought it was best to leave you alone before I ruined any more of your life.”

I wanted so badly to grab onto his neck, to run my fingers down his chest and feel his heartbeat under my touch. “It wasn’t your fault. I was responsible, too.”

“I’m your mentor and I’m responsible for your educational well-being and I shouldn’t have jeopardized your career.”

“Were...you were my mentor,” I corrected, reminding him that he could be free of any guilt he carried.

“That’s right.Were.” He drew in closer, his scent of books and whiskey surrounding me. I closed my eyes, savoring the aroma. “When everything happened, I should have checked on you. I should have made sure you were alright, but I felt like your life would be better if I left for good.”

“James, we’re in this together. Both of our careers were at stake, and I just wanted to know that you were okay.”

A meek smile spread across his lips. “I am now.”

“I tried to tell you before Isabella found us, but then all hell broke loose. I love you, too.”

Without hesitating, he pressed his lips to mine, breathing life into me again. Our mouths fit perfectly together as if we were two pieces of a puzzle, completing the part that had been missing since he’d walked away.

As quickly as our reunion had started, it ended. He pulled away from me, and my lips mourned the loss.

The door suddenly opened, and the minister stepped into the hall. He studied us, skepticism etched on his brow, but whatever he had been thinking was swiftly dismissed. “We have reached a decision. Please enter.”

We re-entered the room to face our fate. Whatever it was, we would be okay because we had each other.

Chapter 27

Five months later

My fingers tapped on the keyboard, the rhythm matching the second hand’s ticks on the clock mounted next to me.

Tap tap tap. Tick tick tick.

The tune must have been infectious because even the cursor on the screen blinked on beat.

I waited for thatAha!moment to strike—the one where hundreds of figurative light bulbs would illuminate simultaneously to frame the one idea that wasit.But inspiration was hard to come by these days. I was too distracted.

The house was too quiet. I missed the sound of Mom rummaging through the kitchen for snacks, or Angela dropping by unexpectedly to lure me to anemergencysale at the mall.

I was all alone. It should have been a good thing because I needed to focus. I wasn’t yet used to having much free time on my hands and often found myself wasting whole days just in time for my anxiety to rage when I got into bed and remind me of my deadlines.

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