Page 52 of Dare Me

“But…?”

“How do you know there’s a but?”

“Arianna, please. There’s always a but.”

“Fine. But…my previous concerns still stand. If things don’t work out, do we really want to be living in the same building?”

“What if they work out perfectly? Have you thought about that? Why are you so sure that it won’t?”

“Will…”

“Don’t you think it’s crazy how we met? We had the most perfect day ever and thought we’d never see each other again, but then ended up on the same flight!”

“I know, but…”

“And what were the odds that I’d know your brother or that I’d be making plans with him to go into business together?”

“Yeah, that was definitely a weird coincidence, but…”

“We meet hundreds of people in our lives, Arianna. You’re the first one who the universe keeps putting in my path. That tells me that we can work.”

She whispered his name. “We’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“The deep dive.”

“Maybe there’s a reason for that.”

Her only response was a yawn.

A loud one.

She made a sleepy sound then, and he took the hint.

“You sound tired, so I’ll let you go,” he said softly.

“Kind of hating this couch after sleeping with you the last two nights.”

“Even on the bouncy mattress?” he teased.

“Didn’t matter. I just enjoyed sleeping curled up with you.”

“Me too, beautiful girl.” He paused and wanted to tell her he’d come and get her and she could stay with him tonight, but he had an early morning with Liam. “Get some sleep and I’ll talk to you tomorrow night, okay?”

“Mmm…okay. Night, Will.”

“Night, Arianna.”

When he hung up, he let out a long breath and wondered at all the changes in his life.

For so many years, everything was regimented and there weren’t many surprises. Deployment always had its fair share of them, but for the most part, there was always a plan—a strategy—in place. And in his personal life, there had been zero surprises because he didn’t have one. Now that he did, he found it to be exhausting.

He wanted the business.

He wanted small-town life.

And he wanted the girl.

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