Page 38 of Love In The Air

“He said he loves me.” The confession flew from her lips on a quiet whisper.

Tori sat silently for a full minute before she blinked, a smile curling her lips. “Oh, I see now.”

“What?”

“You panicked.” Her friend patted her hand. “Izadora Grant, you are my best friend and I love you to pieces but you, babe, have a serious problem with connecting.”

She scowled. “I do not!”

“You do.” Tori nodded. “Always have. You don’t like people seeing you as vulnerable.”

Who did? Exposing your weakness to people was a sure way to allow them to use it against you. What was wrong with putting up a strong front all the time?

“It’s okay to let your guard down around people who care about you, Iz. And if Chance said he loves you, then he does.”

“But…” Her hands trembled, doubt making her voice small as she voiced her fear. “But how do I know he really loves me? How do I know it’s real?”

Tori shrugged. “You just have to trust. Trust him, trust your feelings.”

Right, like it was that easy.

“I know you guys had your issues in high school, but watching you two together these past weeks, I’m only talking from my perspective, but it looks like you two really click. He looks at you like he cares, Iz. And I know he’s spent a lot of time over here with you.”

“He cooked for me,” she confessed, a sad smile turning her frown up. “And he watched Little House on the Prairie with me.”

Tori’s eyes went wide. “Holy hell, the man does love you.”

Iz laughed. Her best friend refused to watch that show with her, claiming it was less exciting than watching paint dry.

“Seriously, Iz. Look really deep inside and admit you’re scared.”

She would do no such thing. Izadora Grant wasn’t scared of anything!

But just because she was curious, she glanced over at her bestie, voice trembling as she asked, “Scared of what?”

“Scared that you might love him too.”

The words smacked into her brain, ringing in her ears, loud clanging bells of truth forcing her to wake up and listen. She moved back over the events of the past month. The past years. Her entire relationship with Chance. They’d always competed, but she had to admit there was never any animosity to it. Chance always played fair, and truth be told, he celebrated her wins as much as his own. Yes, he was obnoxiously bossy, but she now understood that simply came from a place of caring. He wanted to look out for those he loved. And it seemed he loved…her.

A small squeak of joy left her lips as it finally sunk in.

He loved her.

And she loved him. There was no denying it anymore. She loved competing with him, rehearsing with him, arguing, and laughing with him. She loved spending all day in bed with him, watching TV or seeing who could give who the most orgasms. She loved just being near him.

“I love Chance.” She glanced over at Tori, her head shaking in disbelief. “I fucking love Chance O’Brien. How did…what…?”

Tori rolled her lips in, suppressing laughter. “Yes, sweetie. You do and since he said he loved you too, I suggest you get off your self-pitying ass and go tell the man you’re sorry and that you love him. But after you take a shower, because you smell like hamburgers and misery.”

A happy sob of laughter escaped her. She couldn’t believe she almost wrecked everything because she’d been too mired in her own fears to see the truth. Now all she had to do was hope there was still time to set things right.

Chance stood at his brother’s gravestone, staring at the name carved into it. The dates below. The saying inscribed on the cold gray slate:

Cameron Austin O’Brien

Beloved brother and son.

Gone too soon,