Page 148 of Off Camera
“I know we said we weren’t going to let our emotions get involved, and I tried really damn hard to not fall for you. I did my best, but I can’t help it anymore. I’m sorry for misleading you. If you don’t want to see me anymore, I understand.”
Reid smiles. “Are you finished?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” He sits all the way up and draws me close to his chest. He kisses my shoulder and rests his chin on my head. “You’re my most favorite person in the world, Avery.”
“I am?”
“Is it not obvious?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “I don’t like to get my hopes up, because you’re my favorite person too.”
“That means I need to do a better job of showing it. I wanted to tell you the other night when you came over, but you were on top of me and talking about comic books. It’s hard to form anyintelligent thoughts when you’re wearing one of my shirts and grinding against me.”
“Sorry for being distracting,” I say, touching his arm. I know he’s right next to me, but he’s not close enough. I want to feel him everywhere. “Do you forgive me?”
“Yeah.” His smile lights up his eyes. “How the hell did we get here?”
“Well, you asked if I wanted to hang out, I said yes and?—”
“I don’t mean literally here, smartass.” Reid eases me onto my back. He hovers over me, stroking my hair, and even though I feel like the lowest of lows, I’ve never felt more beautiful. “I mean here. Having feelings for each other. Wanting to spend all our time together.” He swallows down something else with a small shake of his head. “Five months ago, I hated you. I would’ve done anything to bring you down. Now I’m wondering how I lived so long without you.”
“You’ve always had me,” I say. I reach up and cup his cheek, my thumb running over the rough scratch of his beard. “In a way, I’ve always been yours.”
I might love you.
I think I’ve been waiting for you for a very long time.
The thoughts ping-pong around in my brain. They cement themselves with certainty, a lightning strike in an open field. One second ago, it wasn’t there. Now, it’s all I hear.
I love you.
I love you, I love you, I love you.
When he kisses me soft and sweet, murmuring kind words until I drift back to sleep, I know there’s a chance he might love me too.
FORTY-TWO
AVERY
“You look perfect,”Maven says, unplugging the curling iron from the wall. “Like a total babe.”
“Is it too much?” I run my hands over the front of the dark green dress and spin in a small circle. “It’s just dinner.”
Emmy tuts from where she’s lounging on my bed. “It’s never too much, no matter what the assholes who try to tell us to tone it down say.” She looks up from her phone and grins. “Shit, Avery. You’re going to make him lose his mind. That color is fucking gorgeous on you.”
“Are you sure? He told me we’re going somewhere nice, and I figured a dress from my pageant days might be borderline excessive,” I say. “But I love this outfit so much.”
“It’s not excessive. Look at yourass,” Maven says, and I burst out laughing. “How the hell are you so toned?”
“Running. Taking the stairs at work. Getting in twenty thousand steps on game days.” I adjust the chain of my necklace and put on my earrings. “I want to start barre classes, but I don’t want to go alone.”
“I’ll go with you,” Emmy says. “I love cross training. I have a friend who teaches Pilates if you want to try that sometime.”
“Yeah.” I smile at my reflection and flip my hair over my shoulder. “I’d love that.”
“Is he picking you up?” Maven asks, sitting next to Emmy on the bed. “Oh my god, I’ve missed this kind of girl talk. Being married is a real drag. This is so fun.”
