Page 72 of Big Girl Panties

"You're scared of being burned again," she said gently, cutting through my self-deprecating ramble.

I nodded, feeling suddenly vulnerable. "Scared of being hurt. Again."

She bit down on her bottom lip, her gaze shifting around the room like she was searching for the perfect words hidden behind the coffee machine. "If you continue to live your life scared, you're going to miss out on actually living it. It's going to hold you back from experiencing amazing things. And yeah, you might get hurt, but you have a good cry, eat some ice cream, and then you pick yourself up and try again. You put on your big girl panties and do what you gotta do."

I smiled, recognizing our podcast's unofficial motto. It was what we told our listeners every single episode.

"And let's be real," she chuckled, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "the way that man looks at you? Like you personally invented sunshine and puppies? You can't fake that level of devotion. He's obsessed. He's in love."

I laughed, feeling my cheeks warm. "Don't get carried away. It's only been…" I paused, doing the math and realizing we'd been dating for nine months. Nine months of the most ridiculously perfect relationship I'd ever experienced.

"Long enough for him to know he's in love," she finished with a knowing smirk, "and I think you are too."

She wasn't wrong. I'd fallen for him so hard I was pretty sure I'd left a crater.

I blew out a heavy sigh, feeling the last of my resistance crumble. "I guess I'm going to Ireland."

She bounced up and down like an excited toddler. "I cannot wait to hear about it! I want details. All the details. The romantic ones, the embarrassing ones, the…"

The front door chimed, and Matt strolled in like he owned the place, which, given how often he was here, he basically did. "Hey," he flashed Davina his trademark smile that could probably end wars. "What are you two plotting now?"

"I'm heading back to get set up for the podcast while Brooke finishes closing up," Davina said innocently, though her eyes were practically glowing with mischief.

"You're still coming to the match tonight, right?" Matt asked her.

"Wouldn't miss it." Her gaze shifted to me, and I could practically see the devil horns sprouting from her head. "I think Brooke has something to tell you."

His attention turned to me, those ridiculously dark eyes filled with curiosity and something that looked suspiciously like hope.

Shit.

"Yeah," he smiled, and I swore my heart skipped a beat. "What's up?"

Davina disappeared into the back room, leaving me alone with Matt and my suddenly racing pulse.

“I…" I drew out the word like I was buying time to figure out how to speak English. "I made my decision. About Ireland."

"Okay?" His voice was carefully neutral, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.

"I think this is completely insane," I started, then took a deep breath and smiled. "But I can't wait to travel with you."

The smile that spread across his face was brighter than the entire café's lighting system. Before I could say another word, he was around the counter, lifting me and spinning me around.

"You're going to love it." He set me down but kept his arms around me. "I've already planned out half the places I want to show you."

"Just promise me one thing." I looked up at him.

"Anything."

"If this turns out to be a huge mistake, you're buying the plane tickets home."

He laughed, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Deal. But it's not going to be a mistake, Brooke. Trust me."

And I did. I really did trust him.

Chapter 30

Backstage Breakdown