Page 47 of Only Be Mine

I shook my head. “Men don’t do that.”

“Bad men don’t,” Amy corrected gently.

I swallowed. “Every time someone’s said those words to me before, it was right before they wanted something. Or… right before they left.”

She was quiet for a moment.

“Oh, Cate. John’s not like your dad, and he’s not some creep just trying to get something from you.”

“I know,” I whispered. “That’s what scares me.”

I finally looked at her, my voice cracking. “What if I don’t know how to be the kind of person someone loves like that?”

Amy reached for my hand. “Cate… you already are.”

I laughed weakly. “You’re biased.”

“Maybe. But I’m also not blind.” She squeezed my fingers. “You live with him half the time. You cook together. You fight about nothing. You laugh about everything. You look at him like the world makes more sense when he’s in it.”

My throat tightened. “I didn’t say it back,” I admitted.

Amy’s eyes softened. “I know.”

That surprised me. “What? How…”

“You’re wearing it on your face.”

I stared down at my hands. “I wanted to. I just… froze.”

“That doesn’t mean you don’t love him.”

I shook my head. “I don’t even know what love is supposed to feel like.”

She leaned back, thinking. “It’s not fireworks all the time. It’s… safety. It’s wanting to go home, even when you already are home.”

That landed harder than anything else she’d said. Because when I pictured home, it wasn’t my apartment.

It was him.

“I think I love him,” I whispered.

Amy smiled, slow and knowing. “Yeah. You do.”

Fear crept in immediately after. “What if I ruin it?” I asked.

“You might,” she said honestly. “But you’ll ruin it faster by running.”

I stood abruptly, my heart racing. What if I already ruined it? “I need to tell him.”

She smiled. “I know.”

“I need to tell him now.”

“Then go.”

I didn’t hesitate.

I ran.