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Fenn feigned ignorance, his expression carefully blank. “Nothing. What do you mean?”
Paige rolled her eyes, her hands planted firmly on her hips. “Come on. It’s me. Spill. What happened between you two?”
“Nothing.” Even he could hear the lie in his voice.
“Exactly,” Paige said, her tone exasperated. “You two have a thing for each other. Always have. You’ve been alone for days and…nothing?”
“There was something,” he admitted, his voice low. He told Paige about how they’d been getting closer, how he’d started to let himself hope for something more. “And then Steele showed up. Pretty much blew any chance I had out of the water.”
“Because?” Paige prodded, her eyebrows raised.
“Missing fiancé. And then…evil fiancé. And now dead…” He flapped his hands. “You get the picture.”
Paige growled in frustration. “Not relevant.”
“Her whole world just blew up. A couple times. She needs a minute to figure things out.”
“And your plan is what, to disappear? Brilliant, Scarborough.”
“I’m giving her space,” Fenn said, but even to his own ears, the words sounded hollow.
“Yeah, you are,” Paige agreed, flicking a glance at Kate’s stiff back. “And she has no idea why. Did it ever occur to you she might think you don’t want her now?”
Fenn blinked, his mind racing as he considered Paige’s words. He’d never thought about it from that angle before. Maybe playing it cool wasn’t the way to go here…
Just then, Burl entered the hangar, carrying a long package. “Your strut came in,” he announced, his voice echoing off the metal walls.
Kate looked up, her brow furrowed in confusion. “But so early?” she asked, watching as Burl tore into the box.
“Personally, I never look a gift horse in the mouth,” Burl said with a shrug. “But I can say, your part was delivered by a frozenlieutenant from the Arctic base. Guess you’ve got some friends up there.”
Kate’s eyes widened, a glimmer of hope sparking in their depths. She could fix the plane, Fenn realized, but not in time to beat the oncoming storm. Either they all flew out now, or they’d be stuck in town over the holiday.
Fenn glanced at Kate, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew what he had to do, but the thought of putting himself out there, of risking rejection, was terrifying.
Paige poked him in the ribs. “Do it,” she insisted and backed away.
She was right. Go big or go home.
The motto had gotten him through a sad, lonely childhood and catapulted him into a life of adventure, full of loyal friends and searing pride.
He couldn’t let this opportunity pass him by. Not again. Not when there was so much at stake.
Kate squared her shoulders, her jaw set with determination. “I’ll stay,” she insisted, her eyes flashing with a stubborn light that he knew all too well.
He glanced at Tai, a silent conversation passing between them in the span of a heartbeat. With a deep breath, Fenn stepped forward, his voice steady. “Me, too.”
The team erupted in a chorus of teasing remarks, their laughter ringing through the hangar. “Seriously? Again?”
But Fenn barely heard them. His attention was focused solely on Kate, his heart pounding in his chest as he pulled her aside, desperate for a moment of privacy. He could feel the weight of her gaze on him, could see the confusion and uncertainty swirling in her eyes.
He inched closer, wanting to speak for her ears alone. “Someone just reminded me that…” he began, his voice trailing off as he struggled to find the right words. “I thought givingyou space was the right thing to do, and then I realized that if you don’t know why I’m doing it, you might draw the wrong conclusion. And I can’t have that.”
He paused, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides as he fought to keep his emotions in check. “I want to be clear here. I like you, Kate. No. No, that’s not right.” He stopped, his brow furrowed with frustration. “Here’s the thing. I love you. Have for a long time now.”
He held up his hands, his eyes pleading with her to let him finish. “I know this is coming out of left field, and I know you’ve had probably the worst couple of days of your life. Or close to it. My timing stinks. I’m well aware. You don’t have to respond now. Or later, even. I just need you to know that I love you. Just let that sit for now, okay?”
He could see the shock on her face, could practically hear the gears turning in her head as she struggled to process his words. But beneath the surprise, there was something else, a flicker of hope that made his heart soar.
