Page 67 of The Star in Room 7

“No. You could be a poor, starving artist your whole life, and I’d still want you.”

He sucks in a breath. “You— What⁠—?”

I’m stunned, too. I straighten, blinking slowly. “I’d still want you,” I repeat, slower. “I’m not sure I can imagine my life without you in it anymore.”

He runs his hands through his hair, puffing his cheeks out as he stares at me.

“Have I scared you?” I wince internally, realizing I might have. He’s still reeling from his encounter with a possessive stalker, and here I am, talking about feelings that are probably too deep for the length of time we’ve been seeing each other. It’s been weeks. Not months. Certainly not years. Why did I say any of that?

“No… But I wasn’t expecting it, either.”

I decide now is the right time to serve out the pasta bake. Anything to relieve the tension and attempt to make this right. The huge spoon slurps into the steaming pasta, vegetable, and sauce combo. I put a helping on his plate first and then mine.

“I’m afraid it’s impossible to serve pasta bake elegantly,” I say, attempting humor.

“It tastes the same going down, no matter how fancy it looks on the plate.”

“True.”

Zach picks up his fork and pushes the pasta around his plate. “Why would you want to be with me long term?”

I widen my eyes. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I?”

“I’m hiding who I really am.”

“I’m not asking you to change that.”

His expression becomes fierce, almost desperate. “Maybe you should. How can we have a future together if we can’t go out on dates? If I’m too scared to hold your hand in public? You’d have to hide, too, and I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking me, sweet boy.”

Tears fill his eyes. “Why would you want that life, Daddy?”

“Because I want to be with you.”

“You make it sound like that’s all that matters.”

“It’s not. You have to want to be with me, too.”

Tears spill down his cheeks. “You’re amazing, Daddy. You’ve made me feel things I never thought I could. Made me feel safer than I ever dreamed I could. You make me so, so happy. I do want to be with you, but I can’t ask you to make sacrifices to make that wish come true.”

I stand, walk around the table, and kneel beside him, cupping his hand in mine. “Look at me, sweet boy.”

He twists in his chair, so he’s facing me. He stares into my eyes, desperation dancing in his.

I brush his hair away from his face. “I’m falling in love with you.”

He sobs, looks away for half a second, before meeting my gaze again.

“I’m walking into this, eyes wide open. I’ve seen you at your lowest. I know things might not be easy, but I don’t care.” I squeeze his hand, bring it to my lips and kiss it. “A while ago, you asked me if I was looking for something serious.”

He nods. “I remember.”

“Do you remember what I said?”

“That you’d know if you ever found the right person.”

I smile at him. “I think you’re the right person, Zach. You make me happy.”