Britt smiled, as she often did, now that she knew him well, at his blunt manner.
“The point is, I love you, Britt. That’s what it comes down to. You can tell me I’m horrible and out of line, but you better know that before you make up your mind to leave. Because I don’t want you to go. Not now. Not ever.”
Britt felt as if her whole body was vibrating. She was blushing at the surprise of it. She was embarrassed. And stunned. She’d never really allowed herself to think about it. Every smile, every glance, every kind gesture he had made toward her this last year… She’d told herself that it was all about Zoe. And of course it was. At first, that was all that either one of them had cared about. But somewhere along the line, her heart had changed. And now, he was telling her that his heart had changed, too. She looked across the field at Zoe who was loping along, confident that they were still there, urging her on, while she was at one with the game. Britt could feel Alec’s silvery gaze upon her, wondering what she was going to say, asking for a decision, ready or not.
You’ll never be ready, she thought. Because no one can guarantee that you will never suffer. Never be hurt. Just the opposite. Loving someone guaranteed that somehow, some way, you would be hurt. But you could live your life with your heart open or closed. Time to choose.
His hand was clenched around the edge of the bleacher, his knuckles white. She felt young, and awkward and tongue-tied. Britt reached down and folded her hand over his. “Then we’re agreed,” she said. It was all she said, but when she met his gaze, her eyes told him the rest.
Suspicious Origin Page 35
