Page 136 of At First Catch

I smooth my thumb across his jaw.

“I think that’s normal.”

He raises his eyes to meet my gaze.

“I think loving someone enough to be afraid of losing them is part of loving them.”

The hard lines on his face relax.

“But you keep acting like I’m the brave one because I’m willing to stay.” I shake my head. “Nolan, you’re the one who stayed. You stayed when the marina got difficult. You stayed when this town started making room for you. You stayed when my family invaded every corner of your life.”

His mouth twitches.

“And you still haven’t figured out that staying is something you’re really damn good at.”

A tear gathers in the corner of his eye before he blinks it away. My own vision blurs.

“I love you.”

The words are barely louder than the rain. For one suspended heartbeat, I can’t move. Not because I’m surprised, but because hearing them out loud makes everything real.

“Oh, Nolan...”

He starts to shake his head.

“I know. That was probably⁠—”

I don’t let him finish. Instead, I kiss him. Hard enough to stop every doubt before it can leave his mouth.

His arms wrap around me with a quiet desperation that breaks my heart and puts it back together all at once.

When we finally pull apart, I rest my forehead against his and smile through tears.

“I love you too.”

The words feel less like a confession than a promise. His eyes close, and his shoulders sag.

And in that single breath, I watch years of loneliness begin to loosen their grip.

Outside, rain continues to fall across the marina. Neither of us lets go.

Chapter Eighteen

NOLAN

Iwake sometime just before sunrise with Hadley tangled around me and understand two things with shocking clarity.

First, telling someone you love them fundamentally alters the atmosphere around a relationship.

And second?

I am absolutely, catastrophically ruined for this woman. The observation arrives as pale dawn spills through the marina apartment windows and rain taps against the docks below.

Everything feels different this morning. Like some invisible wall between us dissolved the second the words finally existed out loud.

I love you.

The memory wraps around my ribs while Hadley lies half-curled against my chest, her cheek resting over my heartbeat and one leg tangled with mine.