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“That’s the part that matters.”

“Yeah,” I whispered. That was the part that mattered, and if I put my worries aside, he was right. I needed an open door and the reassurance that there was more to us than just sex. That’s what he was giving me. It wasn’t perfect, and there weren’t a lot of answers out there, but it was a start. And a start was all that mattered. “I’m going to go.”

“I think that’s a damn good plan.” Jude’s smile widened. “Don’t worry about everyone else. I’ll cover for you.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“Don’t thank me. Just tell me how it goes tomorrow,” he replied, and I nodded. I hurried across the lawn, sticking to the edge of the cornfield with hopes of avoiding everyone.

“Oh, shit!” I exclaimed, whirling back to face him as a complication dawned on me. “My car’s blocked in. There’s no way I’m getting everyone to shuffle around their cars.”

“You’re a running back, Theo!” Jude’s voice rose a notch as he went off on one of his ridiculous tangents. “God help us, Wyatt will be so goddamn thrilled when he finds out I said this: romance demands cardio, Theodore Daniel. So fucking run! Run to him like the future NFL stallion you are!”

“Right.” My ears burned with embarrassment. I could’ve figured that one out myself. “Later, Jude.”

“Run faster, Theo!” he shouted after me as I took off. I didn’t need to be told twice. Hitting the street, I ran as fast as I could, heading straight to Rhodes.

CHAPTER 41

Rhodes

Ileft the back unlocked. It was a stupid thing to do, and I knew that. Somewhere between hanging up after the voicemail and pacing my kitchen, I’d decided that if Theo did come—if he did listen to the message—I wanted him to be able to walk right in. To come home to me like I’d said.

The problem was that I wasn’t convinced he would. I’d given him too many reasons not to. For the better part of a year, I’d been asking him to meet me halfway while refusing to take a single step forward myself. I was always the one to slam the brakes. I set the boundaries. And now, I was asking him to trust that something had changed—that I could be different. I wouldn’t trust me either.

I checked the clock.

Then my phone.

I glanced at the back door.

Then the clock again.

It was pathetic—I was pathetic. I told myself I’d wait another five minutes.

Five minutes became fifteen.

Fifteen became thirty.

With every passing minute, hope became harder to justify. I grabbed another beer from the fridge and took a drink to ease the edge of anxiety surging through me. I set it down and went right back to pacing. This was stupid. There was no way he was coming—

The back porch creaked, and my gaze snapped to the back door. A moment later, Theo let himself inside. My heart damn near fell out of my chest. He looked breathless, like he’d sprinted the whole way here. His hair was windswept, and his chest heaved with every inhale as he tried to steady himself. A pink flush burned his cheeks as he stared at me.

“You left the door open,” Theo whispered.

“I left the door open,” I said, my voice barely audible.

He nodded slowly as he shut the door. His hands fell to his hips, and he stayed on the far side of the kitchen. I gave him the space he needed, waiting for whatever blow came next. His breathing filled the quiet, each one mirroring the rapid pounding of my heart.

“You know,” he began, taking a few careful steps closer. “I’m an all-in kind of guy. Friendships, family, football… you name it. If I care about someone, I don’t know how to do it halfway.”

“Yeah,” I replied. “I know.”

“And I get now that you’re not,” he continued. “Not like me. Not when it comes to something like this.”

“But I want to be,” I told him. And I meant it.

“I know, and I know you’re trying,” Theo said. “And that’s more than enough, but I need you to know that I’m going to love you, even if you’re not ready for it. I’m all in, Rhodes. There’s no going back.”