Page 119 of Fierce-Colson

Like partners.

“What are you saying, Marly?”

“I’m saying that I love you. I’m not going to sugarcoat the words. I’m not going to dance around them like I did you for months. Years. I’m not going to worry that the timing isn’t right. Or waiting until I feel safer. Or if you feel the same way.”

“Marly,” he said slowly. “Zip it and let me speak.”

He was smiling as he’d said it. As he pulled her close by her hips, her body hitting his, his mouth inches away from hers. “I love you too. Everything you said, I’ve been feeling the same.”

“I know. One of us had to be brave enough to say it first.”

He kissed her lightly. “You’ve never shied away from anything. You’ve never backed down.”

She smacked her lips to his one more time, then moved out of his arms so she didn’t ruin dinner. “Don’t be so sure. I shied away from you years ago. It’s why I ended things. Because I worried you’d take me off the course I had planned for myself.”

He turned the pasta off, dumped the water into the strainer, then handed it over for her to mix in with the shrimp after she’d deglazed the pan with wine.

“You need to let that go,” he said. “We were kids. It was never going to last and you know it. I think you were the brave one back then to see what I didn’t. To know that it was better to move on when we were young and could still be friends. Where there’d be no hurt feelings or regrets.”

She nodded, then reached for the plates, both of them filling them up and sitting at her island to eat.

“I had some regrets, but I told myself what you just said. We were kids. You had a lot going on in your life I’d never understand.”

“And I tried to shield you from it.”

“I know. I saw it,” she said. “My parents, they talked about it at times. Not in a bad way. Things I didn’t need to hear and they didn’t know I heard. They had nice things to say about your mother.”

“But not my father,” he added.

“No. But they always liked you. They still do. You made something of yourself. You’re giving a better life to Bella.”

“I want to have that life with someone else,” he said. “But then I’ve worried for years that wanting it wasn’t the same as finding the right person.”

“Do you think I might be that person?” she asked, slurping up her dinner. Might as well try to make this light.

“I do. And I don’t want to do anything to ruin it.”

“Me neither. So let’s both agree we’ll try not to.”

He laughed. “Sure. Easy as.”

“Nothing is easy for us, but if it were, it wouldn’t be worth it.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“Which is the same as saying I’m right. I like hearing those words better.” She shoved more food in her mouth.

“Are you in a hurry?”

“The clock is ticking. I said what I needed to say. I’m feeding you. I’ve got one more thing I’ve got to do before you leave.”

“So you had this night all planned out?” he asked, sliding off the stool and pulling her with him.

“I plan everything. Or I try to. Eat,” she said.

“I’ve had enough. If we’ve got time, I’ll finish it cold.”

“We’ll have time,” she said and took off running down the hall and pulling her sweatshirt off. “I’m good at working under pressure.”