Page 64 of Loving You

Eric and I may have a new dynamic, but that didn’t mean we were new to each other’s worlds. I’d seen his attentiveness. I’d heard about the care he took in making sure each of his family members were good in every way before he worried about himself.

Everything this man did, he did for the people he cared about. True, I’d only seen him as annoyingly nitpicky and controlling like it was some kind of flaw before.

But lately? I saw him for who he really was—a kind, caring, thoughtful man, who only wanted to do right by his family.

Eric opened his mouth to reply, but the server appeared with our food and set down the most exquisite dish of pasta I’d ever seen in my life. I couldn’t remember exactly which dish I’d ordered, but it smelled fucking amazing, and I couldn’t wait to try it.

When we’d thanked our server and she’d left us again, Eric picked up his fork, then held it over his plate. “When you asked for my help—actuallyasked,like you knew you could trust me, and it wasn’t something I took on because I take on everyone’s problems without being asked—it didn’t even occur to me to say no.”

“Really?”

“Really. I didn’t hesitate. I just knew I needed to be there for you. To protect you, yes, but also to show you that you weren’t wrong to ask me.”

“Oh,” I whispered, my throat feeling too tight to say more.

“With you, it feels different than when someone in my family needs my help. It doesn’t feel like it’s my job because no one else will or because I’m the most responsible or the oldest—sort of. He’s only got six minutes on me.” He flashed me a quick grin, lightening the mood just enough.

I giggled. “Twins.”

“Exactly. It’s basically a tie.”

Clearing my throat, I circled back. “So, if it doesn’t feel obligatory to help me, whatdoesit feel like?”

“It feels… inevitable. It feels like we got to this place because we were always meant to, and I’m helping you because I’m the one who’s supposed to help you. And you somehow knew it, which is why you came to me. It’s not some protector complex or a compulsive need to fix things, April. It’s bigger than that, and I think that’s how we got here. And…”

When he didn’t go on, a laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “And what? You can’t just leave me hanging like that.”

His lips twitched. “I think you’re rubbing off on me.”

I wagged my brows. “Ooh, how so?”

“I was about to end all of that by telling you what I’d been thinking about when you kicked me under the table.”

My breath caught in my throat. Now, I got what he meant. It was definitely my MO to lighten things up with an innuendo, and I had to say, if I was going to rub off on this buttoned-up hottie somehow, I wasn’t opposed to this being the way.

Then again…

There was a lot to unpack about what he’d said, and listening to Eric open up felt a lot like curling up in front of his fireplace with a good book and a cup of tea.

“As much as I want to hear more about those dirty thoughts of yours, I’m not gonna ask.”

He blinked. “You’re not?”

“No. Because even though Iwantto ask you what specifically crossed your mind when you looked at me like you wanted to strip me down and take me on this table”—I paused for good measure, enjoying the bob of his throat as he swallowed hard—“instead, I’m going to tell you that everything you said before the dirty thoughts came up… I’m not running from it. Thank you for being honest with me.”

Something I couldn’t decipher flashed across his face then, and he cleared his throat. “Well, in the spirit of honesty, I have to admit I’m a little put out that you didn’t tell me what today is.”

I stilled. “Today?”

He gave me a flat look. “Your birthday.”

“Eric—”

“I know you said you didn’tdobirthdays, but I’ve been meaning to ask you why that is.”

I poked at my pasta with my fork, not meeting his gaze. “I was hoping you’d forgotten about that, and I really don’t want to talk about it. I know that’s an old line and we should be past that, but since you love me, can you let some things go and accept that it’s an issue even if I’m not ready to share the details?”

He didn’t speak, so I hesitantly looked up. And almost like he was waiting for me to do so, he nodded. “We can. But April, he’s already taken too much from you, so I won’t allow him to take away your birthday, too. Your birth deserves to be celebrated, and this is a new beginning. So let me celebrate you.”

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