Page 142 of Lose You Twice

Her eyes shine. She looks away fast, but not before I see it.

I take another step closer. “Believe me.”

For a second, she doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak. The only sound is Lily coughing faintly upstairs.

Then Wren lets out a shaky breath.

“I don’t know if I know how to do this again.”

“Me neither.”

“You’re supposed to be better at answers than this.”

“If you haven’t noticed, my brain doesn’t work too well whenever you’re around.”

A tiny laugh breaks out of her, and it feels like winning something.

She uncrosses her arms and reaches for my hand. Her fingers slide between mine like she’s testing the fit.

Still fits perfectly.

Her thumb brushes across my knuckles. “So what are we saying?”

I look down at our hands, then at her. “I’m saying I want you, Wrenley Mae. I always have. I don’t have all the answers, but I know I want you.”

Her eyes hold mine, looking at me for a long second, and I swear I feel every inch of it. Her weighing the risks. The fear. The want.

Then she nods once.

“Okay.”

My heart stops. “Okay?”

“Okay,” she says, softer now. “We can try.”

I lift my free hand before I can think better of it and brush a loose strand of hair away from her cheek. My fingers linger near her temple, then drift lower.

There are freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks. Fainter the farther out they go, darker near the bridge of her nose. One new one high on her left cheekbone. Another near the corner of her mouth.

I count before I mean to.

Wren watches my face. “What?”

I shake my head.

“I guess some things do change.” My thumb brushes the skin just below her eye. “You have twenty-eight now.”

Her brow furrows. “Twenty-eight what?”

“Freckles.”

She blinks. “You counted my freckles?”

“Yeah.” I keep my voice low. “You used to have twenty-three.”

“Time does seem to have that effect on things.” She swallows. “Change, I mean.”

“I know some things have changed,” I say. “A lot has changed. I know we’re not kids anymore. I know we don’t get to pretend the last three years didn’t happen.”