Page 8 of Falling for You Again

He dug one out of his backpack just as my ears popped with the plane’s descent.

I tapped the pen against my lips. “He’ll understand the importance of ‘me time’ and that it doesn’t mean I don’t want to be with him.”

“She won’t say ‘I love you’ like it’s a salutation.”

I frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

“People get complacent. They say it out of habit without feeling. ‘Love you, bye.’” He mimicked being on a call.

“That’s the worst.” My parents never said “I love you” to each other. Or to me, but that’s a whole other story. Either way, I don’t know which is worse: being complacent or not hearing it at all from your life partner.

“The words lose their meaning. If you’re going to say it—”

“Say it from the heart,” I chimed in. We shared a smile and something shifted inside me, clicking into place. “He won’t be jealous of or resent me for the time I spend at work. I can’t help it that I’m passionate about my craft.”

“He’ll support your passions and interests.”

“Darn right, he will. He’ll also know how I take my coffee,” I added to our list.

“She won’t scrunch her nose at pineapple on pizza.”

“He won’t wear his shoes in the house.”

“That’s a condition,” he pointed out.

“You’re right.” I frowned, crossing it off, and skimmed the list. “Several of these are.” I slashed through more lines. “They should be good qualities or positive traits.”

“All right.” Aaron drained his drink. He seemed as buzzed and loose-lipped as me. With flushed cheeks, he rubbed his hands, getting serious about our game. “She’s adventurous and playful.”

“Because boring and serious makes for a dull partner. He’s fun.”

“She likes to try new things with me.”

“Like visits to the bookstore for date night?”

A slow smile played on his lips. “You like to read books? Fallon, my ex, hated reading.”

“Immensely, which is why he’s cool with me reading while he watches the game.”

“Does she read beside him while he’s watching?” His gaze held mine. I couldn’t look away from his intense gray eyes.

“She can,” I whispered.

“What if he wants to read with her?” he asked, and my brows quirked upward.

“Instead of watching the game?”

He did a one-shoulder shrug. “Game could be boring, the book more interesting. Her company more exciting.”

“Then I’d say he can read with her.”

Turbulence bounced the plane, rattling our glasses, and the spell that had fallen over me broke. I blinked, looking at the napkin on my tray table, unsure of where else to look if I wasn’t looking at him. “What else would you put on our list?”

He was quiet for a beat before he said, “She’s compassionate and respectful. Kind.” I had the impression these were important elements for him.

Just as my next addition to the list was the most important element for me, and not because I planned to be in another long-term relationship. That wouldn’t happen again. I’d made my choice. But because I regularly witnessed how my parents treated each other. “He’ll stand behind me and he’ll stand up for me. He’ll also stand uptome. He isn’t a pushover.”

“She’ll get me.”

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