Page 20 of Hot Response
“I love you.” My voice sounded hoarse in my ears. I didn’t take the words back, but more surprisingly was the way her eyes softened instead of widening with surprise.
“I love you, too,” she replied confidently. “It’s fast,” she noted, and I pulled back just enough to brush a strand of her hair and tuck it behind her ear.
“Who cares?” I muttered. “Fast or slow, as long as we’re together,” I said and kissed her.
The last three days had been some of the best in my life. I’d called off the day after the accident, just needing to make sure she was okay. But then I had to return, and somehow, our schedules seemed to work. I’d show up at her doorstep the moment my shift was over without us having any real plans but to hang out and get to know one another better.
It was crazy.
She wasn’t wrong.
A lot had happened, and that we’d shared had been fast. As we talked and got to know one another the last couple of days, we hadn’t shied away from the heavy topics. I’d told her all aboutSara, and she had told me about the toxic relationship she’d been in that had made her gun shy about dating. We’d talked about our families, our likes and dislikes. Nothing had been off limits. We’d been open books with each other, and I didn’t regret it for a moment. Fuck, it had somehow made it clearer to me that she was mine.
“Take you back to my place?” I asked, and she smiled.
“I finally get to see where you live?” she teased with that sexy sassy tone of hers.
“Baby, we can add your name to the deed of my place, if you want,” I offered, and even though I was smiling, I was dead serious about it. She laughed. The sound wrapped around my heart.
“No.” She shook her head as her hand slipped into mine. “Not yet at least.” Her pretty stare twinkled at me. “How about we date for at least a month before we start talking about shared bank accounts and combining our assets?” she suggested, and I frowned.
“Why wait?” I muttered, but she thought I was kidding. She laughed louder, and when she looked at me, that pretty smile on her face faltered slightly.
“Ron.”
“I’m serious,” I said, my voice steady.
“You’re crazy, is what you are.”
“Maybe, but just about you.” I winked, leaning in to kiss the top of her head. “Fine,” I groaned. “We’ll wait,” I said begrudgingly. Now that I knew what it felt like to not only kiss and claim her body but start and end every day next to her, I wanted it all. But I’d be good. I wouldn’t rush her.
I glanced around the bakery.
It was her dream.
A dream she’d made come true that had momentarily been put on hold. One I was more than happy to help her rebuild. And it wouldn’t be until then that we’d get back to this conversation.
Because no matter what, she was mine, and I was hers. I wanted nothing more than to take care of her and make sure she knew she was loved without a doubt.
“Come on, let’s go to my place.” I lifted her hand and kissed her palm, my eye on that bare ring finger on her hand. One I wanted to put my ring on, and soon. Shit. She was right. I was crazy. Head over ass insanely in love with the woman who in just a few days had taught me love still existed.
The way she’d listened to me tell her about Sara, with understanding and sadness in her eyes when I’d shared our story, had been disarming. I’d never told anyone I had hooked up with my story about love and loss at an early age. I’d never known what to expect other than pity in their eyes. But that wasn’t the case with Evie.
No, Evie had been sweet. Kind. Understanding.
And it only made me want to help her get the bakery open that much quicker, all so I could get down on one knee and ask her to be mine forever.
But I had to be patient.
Thankfully, I was fucking great with a hammer and a paint brush. And hopefully, that would be useful in getting her bakery back and running sooner rather than later.
NINE
EVELYN
FOUR MONTHS LATER
I swallowedhard as I stared at my reflection. My eyes were bright even if a little glassy, filled with so much emotion I couldn’t stand it.
