“Yeah…he takes it pretty hard.”
“The funeral is on Tuesday. We’ll both attend.”
“That’s sweet.”
“The least we can do…since we failed.”
“You didn’t fail. Her body failed. And at some point, everyone’s body fails.”
Atlas turned quiet, walking beside me and taking in the scenery. “It smells great up here.”
“Not like urine and pigeon shit?”
He chuckled. “Exactly.”
“I could never leave Manhattan, but I understand the appeal.”
“So…looks like no one heard us last night.” He gave me a look, a bit of amusement and accusation.
“What did I tell you? I’m a pro.”
“I’ll say…”
We moved farther into the trees then approached the line, seeing a meadow of green grasses and orange flowers. A summer breeze moved past, the sky absolutely clear of clouds. It was nothing but trees and sky, no looming skyscrapers or airplanes. I stopped to take a look.
He did too.
We stood there together and admired the view, the mountains in the distance.
“It really is beautiful up here.” He moved his hands to his pockets as he admired the sight, his muscular arms so tight that the veins were rivers in his skin. He tanned easily, and the weekend at the cabin gave his skin a golden tint.
“We should come up here sometime—just the two of us.”
He pulled his gaze from the view and looked at me instead, his eyes slightly squinting because of the sunshine that still pierced us under the shade. He looked at me like that often, seriousness entering his expression, several heartbeats passing without a word being said. “That sounds nice.”
I’d never gone on a trip with a guy before. The most Mason and I ever did was meet up at poker tournaments. But we never took off for the weekend, going on a vacation where we could enjoy each other in the silence. There were TV and Wi-Fi here, but no one ever used it while they came up for a visit. I was sure we wouldn’t use it either.
I’d found a guy who was enough for me, a guy I never thought would exist. When it was just the two of us, it was so easy, like this was meant to happen. But he was also a perfect fit for my family, becoming one of us the second he walked in the door. He was like Emerson and Sicily. He was like Lizzie. He was family—instantly.
The last thing I wanted to do was play games.
So, I put my cards on the table and just went for it. “I’m in love with you.” I’d never said it to a guy before, not even Mason. Those feelings had been there, but I’d never expressed them because I’d assumed it would end in rejection, that the confession would scare him off. But this man didn’t scare easily.
There was a subtle reaction in his eyes, a slight tightness to his features. His hands remained in his pockets and he didn’t move, and then he flicked his gaze away, the silence continuing.
Ouch.
“Shit…this isn’t awkward at all.” I never ran from my problems, but now I wanted to sprint back down the path we’d just taken and make it back to the cabin as quickly as possible, into the arms of my mother. “I’ll see you back at the cabin.” I turned to depart, to retain as much dignity as possible until I made my exit.
What the hell was I thinking?
I’d been seeing him for, like, six weeks.
And then I blurted that shit out?
Was I an idiot for thinking he felt the same way?
His hand grabbed me by the arm and steadied me. “Baby.”
“It’s okay.” I pushed his arm off. “Let’s not make this weirder than it already is—”
“You know I feel the same way.” His hand grabbed me again, and this time, he tugged me close.
I stopped and stared, my heart pounding in my chest. “Really? Because all you had to do was say it back instead of…getting all broody.”
His hand remained on the inside of my arm, and he stared at the place where he kept his hold, where his fingers pressed into my skin. Several seconds passed before he dropped his hold and met my look. “I should have told you this a long time ago. But everything happened so fast. One moment, we were just colleagues with animosity toward each other, and then a moment later…you were the woman in my bed, in my mind, in my heart. It hasn’t even been been two months, and it feels like years. I’ve never felt anything like this before.”
I pulled away slightly because his words didn’t distract me from the main point. “I knew you were too good to be true…” I backed up, releasing a bitter laugh. “Ugh, I fucking knew it. I knew there was something I was missing, and I’ve just been waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, feeling like shit.