"Okay." Fear cinched his chest tight, but he continued. "My family's been wanting you to give me advice all weekend, so I guess it's my turn to ask."
She stilled, hands on the cardboard. Her head turned slowly to look at him.
His entire body felt heavy, and he moved away from the gazebo to the first row of chairs, then sank into the nearest one.
"What would you tell one of your callers who...?" He swallowed hard to clear the knot of emotion from his throat. "Who fell in love once, a long time ago, then lost her to a rare form of leukemia and completely fell apart?"
He propped his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands, needing a minute before he could go on.
Sensing Quinn's soothing presence, he knew she was listening, waiting to hear more.
He hated remembering that time in his life. He'd been halfway through his junior year of high school when Josie was diagnosed, and she'd passed away six months later. His friends kept on living, making plans, deciding on colleges, and soaking up the summer before senior year. All Wilder could think about was how Josie would never sit with him at another homecoming football game, or go to her senior prom. Would never walk the stage to get her high school diploma. Never walk down the aisle toward him.
He'd only been eighteen, but he'd known she was the one for him.
He'd never expected to be struck by lightning twice, but here he was.
Finding some thread of composure, he shared the whole story with Quinn, sparing no detail. "So I made a promise to myself that I'd never fall in love again. And it worked for a long time. I like women, so I date. I date a lot. It’s always been easy for me to keep women at arm's length. Until..." He drew a deep breath. "Until you, Quinn."
He dared to look up at her. She’d perched on a chair beside him, and a hint of moisture sparkled in her eyes.
Sweet, compassionate Quinn.
"I freaked out this morning," he said. "I still don't... I'm afraid of losing my heart again." Saying the words solidified it for him. He could take a chance on this relationship, and something could happen to Quinn. Maybe he'd lose her like he lost Josie.
But if he didn't take the chance, he would lose his heart anyway. He wasn't just falling in love with Quinn. He already loved her.
"Can you tell me how to not be so afraid?"
Quinn's heart was in her throat as she listened to Wilder's story. He wasn't a heartbreaker. He was a man who was still grieving his first love.
And he was asking Quinn to help him find a way to move forward.
Fear of inadequacy that had plagued her for years threatened to take hold, but she willed it away. She reached out to him and rested her hand on his knee. "What was she like?"
He curled his fingers around hers and stared at the ground between his feet. "She was... shy with some people, but not with me. The first time we ever spoke, she'd caught me in a lie. She didn't rat me out, though. She wanted to be a scientist. Work in a lab and everything."
With his free hand, he rubbed at the back of his neck. "I know we were young. If she'd lived, maybe we would've gone off to college and met other people. Maybe we wouldn't have made it, but we never got our chance to try."
"I'm so sorry," Quinn said, her heart aching for him. He'd hidden himself away in memory of the woman he'd loved.
And he wanted Quinn's help, because he had feelings for her. The realization sent warmth and relief coursing through her.
Wilder angled his head toward her. "So. Lay it on me. What's your advice, oh wise one?"
No pressure or anything. "Did you mean what you said?"
"All of it."
Her heart leapt. He wanted to let her in. To take a chance on them. "Then I'd say maybe you don't have to overcome your fear alone. Maybe we could face our fears together."
His smile dawned slowly. "Yeah?"
She nodded shyly.
He reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear. "So, you'll have breakfast with me Monday morning?"
She peeked at him from beneath her lashes and gave him a flirty smile. "So soon?"
"I don't want to waste another minute being away from you. I know a great mom-n-pop diner with waffles that are to-die-for."
"It's a date."
He kept gazing at her, his lips quirked in a charming grin.
"So... are you going to kiss me now?" A blush heated her cheeks as she said the words. She'd never been so forward in her life, but it was high time she started speaking up for what she wanted. And she very much wanted Wilder Caine.
He brushed his index finger along her jaw. "I thought you had a no-kissing rule."
"That was part of the fake dating bargain, babe," she said, thoroughly enjoying the intimate banter.
He chuckled, then raised one expressive eyebrow. "So. What's the new rule?"
She leaned forward and pecked a kiss on his lips. "No rules. I'm going to trust you to protect my heart because you've already proven you can do it."
His eyes warmed with affection. His fingers spread and cupped her face as he leaned forward to claim her lips. He kissed her tenderly at first, but it soon grew in intensity, maybe desperation.
When they finally broke apart, they were both short of breath.
"I'm pretty sure I don't deserve you," he whispered against her temple. "But I'm not going to let you go. I'm falling in love with you, Quinn."
Joy spiraled through her in wild abandon until she was trembling with it. It had all happened so fast, but she couldn't deny her true feelings. "I'm falling in love with you, too."
Epilogue
Six Months Later
After her show wrapped on Friday night, Quinn settled into the passenger seat of Wilder's truck, rubbing at her wrists. She'd taken off work for the rest of the weekend, so they could return to Sawyer Creek for an early Christmas celebration with Wilder's family. Christmas was still over a week away, but this was the only time that fit everyone's schedule, and Quinn was thrilled to be included. She loved being with the Caines, especially Wilder's mom. She'd become like a second mom to Quinn, with the added bonus of being healthier and more functional than her own had ever been.
While Quinn was really looking forward to the celebration, her joints were already paying the price from a long week in the studio. RA still gave her good days and bad, but since Wilder had started taking care of her, the good days had become great and the bad days had become much more bearable.
"I can tell you're hurting," Wilder said as he started the engine. "Go ahead and nap." He reached over and massaged her neck for a moment, then gently pulled her toward him to plant a kiss on her lips, then another at her temple. "I'll wake you when we get there."
That was always their deal during her flare-ups—he drove and she slept. It was such a simple thing, but it made Quinn feel incredibly loved and cared for. She drifted to sleep with her head against the window, her hand tucked protectively under Wilder's.
Too soon, she awoke to his touch, his fingers tracing a lazy line up and down her arm.
"Wake up, sweet Quinn," he whispered. "We're here."
She blinked, focusing in on him. His gray eyes seemed even darker at this late hour, with the moonlight casting shadows through the truck's windshield onto his handsome face.
She looked out the window and realized they weren't at Wilder's mom's house but in the parking area of the Sawyer Creek Bed & Breakfast. "What are we doing here?"
Light shone from the inn's kitchen window, but the rest were dark, the other guests having already retired for the night.
"It'll be more restful for you to stay here instead of at mom's," he said. "You don't need to be sleeping on a trundle bed and sharing a room with Shelby."
He got out of the car and came around to open the door for her. "They left the back door unlocked for us." Wilder scooped her from the car and cradled her in his arms.
"What are you doing?" she asked, giggling. "I can walk."
"Just relax and enjoy the ride." Laughter sparkled in his eyes. He closed t
he car door with his foot and effortlessly carried her toward the back of the property. The chill in the air seeped through her sweater, but with Wilder's arms around her, Quinn was perfectly warm.
As they rounded the corner of the farmhouse, her gaze was drawn to the other end of the lawn. Christmas lights twinkled from the gazebo, creating an idyllic scene. "They decorated for Christmas," she said.
Wilder, ever attentive, adjusted his course and strode toward the gazebo. "Let's check it out."
When they reached the gazebo, Wilder lowered her to the platform, and she turned in a slow circle, basking in the beauty around her. Flowers and greenery were woven in with the lights through the white wooden posts, an improved replica of the floral decor she'd done for Claire's wedding.
Quinn couldn't explain it, but there was something overwhelmingly sweet about being here—in this place, with this man. Maybe it was the memory of their kiss that day in the rain. Or that the whole disastrous weekend had been redeemed and brought them together.
She reached over and ran her finger over a silky deep-pink bloom. Magenta peonies—her favorite. But the only other person on earth who knew that was Wilder. She gasped with the realization. He had done this. For her.
Wilder slid up behind her and circled her waist, pulling her close.
She turned in his arms, pressing her palms against his chest, and met his gaze. "You did this?"
He confirmed with a quirk of his eyebrows and a mischievous grin.
A joyful ache rose at the back of her throat. "It's beautiful."
"You're beautiful," he said, smiling at her. He'd constantly showered her with compliments over the past six months. Encouragements meant specifically for her, not the generic pet names he'd thrown around when he'd dated half the women in Austin. He often said he wanted Quinn to know the truth about herself, and if it meant he had to say it a million times a day, he would. Deep within, she tried to believe him, but on the days she couldn't fully own the nice things he said about her, she knew he believed it enough for both of them.
He took her hand and lifted it to his lips, brushing a kiss over her knuckles. Then in one fluid motion, he dropped to one knee and held a sparkling diamond solitaire out toward her.
Quinn gasped.
"I love you, Quinn," he said. "And I love being known by you. You saw through me from the first moment, and I want to give you my whole heart, for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?"
Happy tears spilled onto her cheeks, and she sank to her knees, tucking into his embrace. She curled her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss that left them both breathless.
"Is that a yes?" He rasped against her lips, his eyes shining with love.
"It's a definite yes."
He slipped the ring on her finger and claimed her lips again. Kissing Wilder would never, ever get old.
"I can't believe this is real," she said between kisses.
"Oh, it's real, babe," he teased, winking at her.
Molded against him, she didn't even pretend to protest. Wilder Caine loved her! She'd agreed to a farce to save her pride and had found more than she'd ever hoped for.
Who would've thought a fake wedding date could lead to her true, once-in-a-lifetime love?
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Copyright © 2018 by Lydia Susan Crawford & Lacy Williams
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No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Someone Borrowed: sweet contemporary romance (Jilted in Sawyer Creek Book 3) Page 7
