Page 109 of Just a Plot Twist
She closes her eyes and moans so softly I’m not even sure it happens. “You do? I like calling you that.” She takes in a breath and opens her eyes.
“I got some bad news about my grandma.”
My hand drops. “Oh no. What’s wrong?”
“Well, first of all, I told them all the things that have been building inside of me. Like how I was disappointed that they’re in league with the Schillers. I told them I wasn’t going to run for office.”
“You did? You said those words?”
Her smile is bright. “Those actual words, yes. And they said they needed time to work through that.” She swallows hard. “But then…I told them that you and I are dating and that you’re a part of the Tate family.”
“Ah.” My jaw clenches “How did they take that?”
“Could have been worse.” She lifts a shoulder. “But I was clear on how I felt.” Her green eyes sear into me, heavy with meaning. I feel her gaze allthrough me. Before I can respond and get into exactly how I feel about her, she continues.
“There’s more.” Her brows draw together. “Benson, my grandma has been diagnosed with dementia.”
I blow out a slow breath. “That’s really sad. I’m so sorry.”
“Me too. So many things make sense now, though. And now that I’m aware of it, I can show up better for her, you know? With appropriate boundaries but with a lot more compassion.”
“Come here.” I gather her into a hug and rub my hand up and down her back. It’s amazing to have her in my arms again. She tells me more about the treatment plan and about the evening she spent with Sophie trying to process things.
Then, “So about what you were saying earlier?” she asks. “About Cinnamon? That’s—”
I pull back so I can see her. “I’ve come to some conclusions. There are unknowns. There are hard things about blending families, and we are different in a lot of ways. But I realize now, I’m willing to put in the work for this dog. And I’m more than willing and excited and honored to put in the work to build my relationship with you.”
“I’ve outlived my mother, Bens.” It comes out in a rush, like she’s breaking away a dam.
I wasn’t expecting that, but I nod and take in her gaze.
“I can’t even begin to explain how odd that is,” Claire continues. “By the time my mom passed away, she’d already been married and had two kids. She really lived, you know? I’ve been so scared that I’ve held back. I’ve pretended I didn’t want what she had. It was easier to go along with my grandparents’ plan for me than take the risk of falling in love and gettingmarried. What if the man I marry leaves me like my father left her? And motherhood has scared me. I thought if my mom could be taken from us, what’s stopping that from happening to me? What if I have kids and then I’m taken like that?”
Her eyes brim with tears. Cinnamon waddles back to us and wants to return to the sofa. I nudge her away with my foot and she complies with an irritated groan, finding the dog bed I still have in the living room.
I gather Claire in my arms. “There’s nothing better than this. I’ve needed you in my arms so badly.” I breathe in her scent. “Claire,lifeis a risk. That’s what makes us human. We take a step forward and another one, and then we try and fail and try again. It’s messy but it’s living.”
“I want my life to matter, Bens.” She pulls away, her green eyes searching mine.
“It does. You do.”
She tugs me close again. “It does. But I want more. I want Dax and Indie. I want…us.” She shudders against me and lifts her fingers to brush a tear from her eye. Then she leans back, taking me in. “I want you. I love you, Bens.”
I take in a short breath. “You’ve never said it before.”
She gives a watery laugh. “Nope. Not to Chad or Tad or any other man.”
I take her face in my hands. “Claire. I love you.” I kiss both cheeks, slowly, tenderly, her warmth filling me up. “I love you completely.” I find her lips and slowly move mine against hers. “I love you.”
“I love you,” she says again, this time against my mouth. A few more kisses and then another whisper. “I love you.”
We pull apart to breathe.
“It’s fun to say.” Her gaze is teasing and thrilling.
“Rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?”
“Only for you.”
