Page 83 of The Truths We Find

“Girl, you aren’t going anywhere. I came here to see you.” Emmett turns towards me. “And I guess your ugly ass too.”

I blow him a kiss.

Emmett turns back to Dani and pulls her into a big hug. “I can see why my brother has been obsessed with you for so long. Damn. If you weren’t like my sister, I would be all over you.” He lets her go, grabs his bag, and starts making his way up the stairs.

“Wait,” I call out. “I thought you were sleeping down here?”

“Dude, I ain’t sleeping on a couch where you two have gotten it on. Please tell me the guest bed is safe.”

I nod. “You’re good.”

“I’m gonna get settled,” he calls from upstairs. “You two chat. See you in a few.”

Dani whips her head towards me and holds up her hand. “Don’t.”

“Dani.”

“Nope. We aren’t talking about this. Ever.”

“I really liked my surprise.” I can’t wipe the smirk off my face.

“Good, because it’s never happening again.”

My face drops into an over-dramatic frown. “But, but, but.”

“Stick that lip back in. It’s not gonna work.”

“What if I use my lips for other things?” I lean in to kiss her neck, but she pushes me away.

“Gavin! Flirting is not going to make this situation any better!”

“Fine. I can tell you’re really bothered by this, so I’ll drop it. But I have to know. Where the hell did that come from? Not that I mind in any way, shape, or form, but you’re not usually one to put yourself out there like that.”

Her eyes pull away from mine, and I catch her fidgeting with the hem of the sweatshirt. I take my knuckle, urging her chin up to look at me. “There you are. Dani, you know you can tell me anything.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her I love her, but I know she’s not there yet. And that’s okay. I’ll wait until she is. But I’ve never stopped loving this girl. I won’t lie and say I’ve been sitting alone the past ten years pining. There have been other women. Dani and I have talked about them. Open communication. It’s what she asked for. But none of them gave me that spark—the raw connection I have with the gorgeous woman standing in front of me. She’s it for me, and I’ll never let her go again.

“I feel safe with you,” she whispers. “I just wanted to show you how much you mean to me.”

I can’t keep the smile off my face. Considering at the start of all this, she said we had trust issues we needed to work through, those are the best words a guy could hear. I move my hand to her hair, dropping her forehead to mine.

“Sweetheart, you show me every day. Just by being here. By giving us another chance. After everything. Sex could be completely off the table and I would still know.” I place a gentle kiss on her nose.

“The sex doesn’t hurt though.”

“It definitely doesn’t.” I laugh. “But it’s not everything. Not with you. And not to sound cheesy, but it’s so much more than sex.”

She lets out a large sigh. “Glad to know it’s not just me.”

My stomach drops at her words. I wrap her in my arms, feeling like some kind of breakthrough just happened. I’m not sure what exactly, but we have plenty of time to figure it out. “So, even though the last thing I want to do right now is share you, I did plan this big surprise of flying Emmett out here. You ready to spend the next few weeks with the cockblocker?”

I’m not sure how to describe the sound that comes out of her. “Really? A few weeks?”

“Yep! And now that he knows about us, there’s only one more mission I have to accomplish while he’s here. How do you feel about helping me convince him to move here?”

“Oh my God. The day Emmett moves here would be the best day ever!”

I jerk my head back. “Should I start being concerned about you two?”