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Guilt washed over me. “Sorry, I should have stayed and helped?—”
“No.” He stood, revealing his washboard abs. Seriously…so sexy he should be locked up. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I asked, forcing my eyes back to his face.
He took a deep breath. “For not being honest with you.”
My stomach dropped out from under me. I’d been so sure that Kane was not like the other guys I’d dated. He wasn’t promising me the world. Hell, he wasn’t promising me anything. I’d trusted him. A fear that I’d held in the deepest, darkest corners of my psyche but hadn’t even voiced to myself now screamed in my head. It was the only thing I could possibly imagine that Kane would have lied to me about.
He was still in love with his ex. With Taylor.
Why wouldn’t he be? She was smart, beautiful, funny, and a doctor. Not to mention, they shared a child together. A perfect, smart, creative, and incredible child.
“It’s Taylor, isn’t it?” My voice cracked.
“Is what Taylor?”
“What you weren’t honest about?”
He stared at me, confusion swimming in his milk-chocolate stare. A wrinkle appeared above his nose. “Taylor…what are you talking about?”
“You’re in love with Taylor. It’s fine; it actually makes a lot of sense. I mean, she?—”
“I’m not in love with Taylor. I’m in love with you.”
Now, it was my turn to stare at him in confusion. I kept replaying what I’d just heard, but I was sure I must be hallucinating or something.
He must have sensed my bewilderment because he rounded the corner of the table and stopped in front of me. “I love you, Ruby. I know I probably shouldn’t. I tried to fight it…but I do, I love you, and I want to be with you. I’m not asking you to stay. Long distance is hard, but if you give me a chance, I?—”
“I didn’t take the job.”
“What?” The wrinkle above his nose was back.
“I turned it down. I don’t want to move back to New York or out to California. I’m happy here. For the first time in my life, I’m really happy.”
“So you’re staying in Wishing Well?”
“Yes. I almost decided to leave because I didn’t think I could handle living here and seeing you settle down with someone else, but I talked to my mom and?—”
“You talked to your mom?”
“Yeah, no one is more surprised than me.” I smiled as moisture filled my bottom lids. “And she said I shouldn’t base my decision on a man or what I thought would make me a failure.”
“So you’re staying?” he clarified again.
“Yes.” I nodded.
“And you love me?”
“Yes. I love you. I’ve been in love with you…my entire life. I have never loved anyone but you. I think even if I lived a thousand lives, I would never love anyone else. But I promise you that I will love you for the rest of this life. Which would have made living in town with you and seeing you with someone else?—”
“Don’t move,” he instructed roughly before turning and walking up the stairs.
“Okay,” I agreed to his retreating back.
My feet felt like they’d been dipped in cement, my heart was pounding so hard in my chest I was pretty sure it was going to jump out through my ribs, and my head was so light I felt like I was about to float away, so even if he hadn’t requested that I not move, there was no danger in my doing so.
When he returned, I saw that he was holding something in his hand. As he got closer, I thought I saw it sparkle. Once again, he stopped directly in front of me.
