Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“Why don’t you look surprised to find me here?” I ask when I finally find my words.
“Because I’m not. You seem to be comfortable here.” He picks up a corner of the blanket to feel its softness before releasing it.
“That’s because I am.”
“I don’t ever remember seeing that there before now.” He nods toward the blanket. “Knox isn’t really a throw blanket kind of guy.”
“He bought it for me,” I confess. The gig is up, and there’s no point in lying. I can see it written all over his face. He knows. I don’t know how he knows, but he does. I should text Knox and warn him, but his words stop me from reaching for my phone.
“He told me you would be here.” My mouth falls open in shock. “Let me explain.” I nod, and he tells me how he found Knox’s phone and about their conversation.
“I love him,” I blurt. “I’m sorry, Landry. At first, we weren’t really sure what this was between us. It was huge and all-consuming, but we didn’t know if it would fizzle out. He wanted to tell you, but I fought him on it. Well, there wasn’t much fighting. I said I wanted to wait, and he agreed. He’s asked to come clean many times now that we’re… more, but I’ve asked him to wait until the season ends.”
He nods and is quiet while he processes what I’ve just dumped on him. “Does he love you?” he asks. His tone is soft, almost as if he’s afraid to hear the answer.
“He does.”
“Has he told you?”
“He told me that I own his heart. Has he said the words I love you? No, but he tells me every day. It’s the way he looks at me, the way he touches me, the way he kisses me. He worries about me, and even though he wanted to come clean, he agreed not to. For me. So, no, he hasn’t said the words, but his actions speak louder than any words of love he could scream at me.”
“He’s the reason you’re smiling all the time.”
I nod. “I’ve never been in a relationship where the guy is all in. There has never been a concern that he’s cheating on me or even looking at other women. When you guys are on the road, he returns to his room and eats while on a video call. He sends me messages the entire time he’s gone about how much he misses me, and yes, I believe him. Knox is real, Landry. He’s open and honest. He took me to see his family.”
“I guess that worked out well for you two, didn’t it?” he asks.
“About that.” I go on to tell him what happened, and all he does is shake his head, his lips tipping up in a smile.
“I thought it was weird. He didn’t seem happy at all that Sloane agreed to go with him, and he wasn’t upset. He tried to look like he was, but it wasn’t crushing disappointment when she called and said she was sick and couldn’t go. I expected more of a fight from him than the half-assed one he gave when the guys suggested you go with him. Does anyone else know?”
“Just Sloane.”
“We played right into your hand,” he scoffs.
“I’m sorry,” I say as I lose my battle with my tears, and one falls unchecked on my cheek. “I know we should have told you, but I didn’t see this happening, Landry. I never could have guessed that I’d be madly in love with him or that he would return that love tenfold. I know what we did was wrong.” I choke back a sob. “I’m sorry for lying to you. You’re my brother, my family, and I love you. You’ve always looked out for me and taken care of me, and I know my deception was wrong, but I couldn’t stop it, Landry. I tried. We both tried to fight it, but it was impossible to ignore. I’m so sorry. I love you so much. Please forgive us. I don’t want this coming between the two of you or the team. I couldn’t help but fall in love with him, and I do love him, Landry. You told me to hold out until I found him, and we found each other.”
“What if I asked you to stop seeing him?”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry,” I say as more tears fall. “I love him. I would do anything for you, Landry. You know that, but please don’t ask me to do that. It’s the only thing I can’t give you.” A sob breaks free of my chest. “Just thinking about losing him tears my heart to shreds,” I say, wiping at my cheeks.
“Come here.” He pulls me close, and I cry into his chest. “I won’t ask you to do that. I just needed to know how deep this went. I needed to know what you were willing to do to keep him, because Knox made some pretty big claims. You’re my sister, and I’ll side with you every time, but he’s also my best friend, and I needed to know you were both on the same page.”