Page 80 of Forbidden Dreams
"I guess you have to decide if you can deal with that."
"I finally found something I like, but I still feel restless. Is that normal, or is that my impulsivity coming out?"
"You say impulsivity like it's a bad thing. I think it's what makes you good at your job."
She snorted, her breath tickling the hair on my chest. "You can't be serious."
"What others perceive as differences are actually what make us unique."
She lifted up so that she could look at me. "So you're saying that my parents have been wrong all these years? That I'm not broken somehow?"
"Of course you're not broken." I hated seeing the pain in her eyes. "Everything you're involved in is so much more interesting because you are there."
She looked away. "I don't know."
"It's hard to see things differently when you've been looking at it one way your whole life. So maybe vow to be more open about your options."
"What you're saying is that I'm not going to figure out my life in one night."
I chuckled. "It's a life-long process, no matter what your parents tell you. Not everyone has their life figured out in high school, and even if they thought they did, they're allowed to change their minds."
She rolled to her back next to me, staring at the ceiling. "I'm not different. I'm not broken. I'm perfect exactly the way I am."
I smiled. "Now you're getting it."
She gave me a look like she didn't quite believe it yet. Then she sighed. "I don't know why women have told you that you're unfeeling."
I shifted so that I was staring at the slow-moving ceiling fan and not her. "They weren't wrong. I am closed off. I assume because of my dad and everything I experienced as a kid."
"You don't seem that way when you're with me."
"I'm still the same guy. I haven't changed." Was that true though? I felt different with her.
She shifted to her elbow. "I'm wondering if you see yourself clearly."
I raised a brow. "You're saying all my exes were wrong?"
Her lips quirked. "Maybe."
"And I'm an emotional heart-on-his-sleeve kind of guy?" I asked.
She laughed, falling onto the bed, and I moved over her. "Absolutely."
I growled, nipping her shoulder. "I'm not that guy."
Her eyes danced with amusement. "Then what kind of guy are you?"
"The kind that fell in love with you," I said before I could take the words back. Now my life hung in the balance. Would she laugh at me or push me away?
She sobered. "You love me?"
Should I have kept my mouth shut? "It's probably too soon, and what do I know about being in love?"
Her hand touched my cheek, forcing me to focus on her. "I love you too."
I swear my heart stuttered at her words, and I wasn't sure how to react. She loved me back.
What did this mean for us? We didn't have a future together. Her brothers would never accept us.
