Page 45 of Commit

He slowly makes his way to me. There’s a different feel about him from this morning when we were paddle boarding. He no longer seems cold. He seems very warm. He leans his hip against the side of the railing, crossing his legs out in front of him.

“Are you having a good time?”

“Yeah,” I say, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Reece and Jana sure know how to throw a party.”

His eyes sweep down the length of my white wide-leg jumper. “You look really beautiful tonight.” He shrugs. “But I always think you look beautiful.”

And suddenly, I feel like a million bucks.

I’ve missed that.

“You look nice too. I was just thinking during the toast how much I liked your outfit.”

His brows climb in a playful way. “You were thinking about me during the toast?”

“Maybe,” I say, biting back my smile.

“I was thinking about you too.”

I’m trying hard to control my heart. If I don’t, I swear he’ll be able to see it pulsing through my clothes.

Matt’s eyes cast out to the ocean in the distance. Sunlight shines on the tranquil water, creating romantic tension. I want to yell at the universe to ease up a little bit. I can barely breathe right now. Do we really need a smattering of oranges and pinks dancing off the water in the most beautiful way? Geez.

“I could look at this view for the rest of my life,” he says.

I glance his way. He’s looking directly at me.

I’ve seen the movies. I’ve read the books. I know exactly how this scene plays out. He’s talking about me. He could look at me for the rest of his life. And although it’s been done before, it’s pretty romantic.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” He looks back at the sky. “The colors, the clouds, the lapping water. It’s amazing.” He eyes me. “You couldn’t look at it for the rest of your life?”

Oh.

Maybe he was talking about the view.

I feel foolish.

But then I glance back at him, and his smile shows just enough amusement that I know he’s teasing me.

“The rest of your life is a long time, Matt.” I lift my chin up to him. “At first, something like the sunset is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, but then, after a few years, what if you realize that you don’t really love it? How do you know you won’t change your mind?”

“Because I’ve seen how magical it can be when you stick with it, when you fight every day to keep loving the same person.”

We’re officially not talking about the sunset anymore.

“That’s what my parents did,” he says. “And because of it, they had an amazing life.”

“I don’t have that example to draw upon, and because I haven’t seen it…”—I fight to keep my voice steady—“I’m not sure I know how to replicate it.”

“Rem, I know your heart. You’re more capable of loving than you give yourself credit for. And whatever we don’t know, we can figure out together.” His hand closes around mine. “You don’t have to be scared. I would never hurt you or leave you.”

“Did you tell Brittney the same thing?” I swallow, hating that I’ve brought that up, but if we’re going to make this work, we have to address my fears.

His brows lower. “Is that what you’re worried about?”

I fidget with my fingers. “Not entirely. I just… What’s to stop you from changing your mind about me like you did with her?”