Page 127 of Attached At Heart
Love for Blake.
Adesirefor him that oddly had nothing to do with lust.
And had nothing to do with friendship, either.
It was bigger than both of those things.
Scarier, too.
But pieces were clicking together, and it was definitely…there.
Bryan went back inside to tell my parents we’d arrived, and I turned to my husband. My best friend. I took a shaky breathas I looked at him, feeling like I’d just had a veil yanked from over my eyes. Things were clearer than they’d ever been, and it gave me a different sort of hope for the future, my heart traveling down roads despite my brain knowing I was moving too fast.
“Hey, did you mean it when you said that Bryan could move in with us?”
The question was out before I could stop it.
I shouldn’t put that kind of pressure on Blake. He’d already done so many favors for me recently; I didn’t need to pile on another.
But he just nodded solemnly.
“Of course I did.”
“We’d have to share a room,” I pointed out.
“Why do you think I suggested it?” His lips curved, and he remained unfazed as I walked forward and elbowed him in response. “I’m just kidding,” he added. “But truly, you could move all your belongings into my room tonight if you wanted, Lane. And if living with us was what Bryan wanted—and you—then he could absolutely move in.”
“Thank you for that.” The aching pressure in my chest grew tenfold. “For considering his wants first and, well, for everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Bryan is a part of you.” The salty, early summer air whipped my hair around, and Blake reached out, tucking loose strands behind my ear. “He’s a big reason why you are the person you are today, Lane. And I?—”
He blew out of breath, cutting himself off. He looked to be finding words—new words than what he’d originally been about to say—but I never found out what they were because I caught sight of my mom lurking in the front door and decided to take advantage of the opportunity. I pushed up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to Blake’s. And even though I’d done that countless times by now, a zap of electricity still shocked me.I leaned into him, and he kissed me back without hesitation, deepening it with a soft moan until I forced myself to break away.
“What was that for?” He released a breathless laugh against my lips. “I need to know so I can do it again.”
“Sorry.” Heat flooded my cheeks. “I just knew my mom was looking at us.”
“Oh.” Blake cleared his throat, his eyes sweeping away from my face. After he swallowed hard, he looked back at me with a crooked grin. “Are you going to kiss me like that every time your mom looks at us tonight? Because I might not make it if that’s the case.”
He was teasing, but his usual accompanying twinkle was absent from his eyes.
I flashed a reassuring smile. “I think you’ll survive.”
He shook his head. “There’s so much you underestimate, Lane.”
And with that, he walked away, directly toward my mom. He didn’t wait for me to introduce them, didn’t hesitate to take charge of a situation he knew I was dreading. He just strode to the front door of the house that had held me captive for so many of my younger years, stuck out his hand, and told my mom how delighted he was to meet her. How much he’d heard about her. How happy he was to be here, to see where I grew up, to have dinner with my family. He thanked her for the opportunity, and all I could do was stare, impressed.
I wasn’t sure how Blake knew that my mom was the kind of woman who appreciated that kind of direct hostess flattery, but the little show he’d just put on had been exactly the kind of thing that might win her over.
She was even smiling.
But that faded ever so slightly when she looked over Blake’s shoulder and her eyes landed on me.
“Well, are you just going to stand there?” she called.
My stomach plummeted, and I took a deep breath as I forced myself to join Blake in the front entrance. “Hello to you, too, Mom,” I muttered.
She raised a barely defined brow. Her hair, like mine, was so fine and blonde that she needed to dye her eyebrows just for them to be visible. “You’re the one who’s lurking back there like you don’t want to see me.”
