Page 24 of Daring Lance

Willow and Madison returned a minute later, and Lance was glad when Willow suggested they call it a night. Willow had yet to look him in the eye after he’d announced that he’d asked her to go to Costa Rica with him, and he couldn’t blame her. He shouldn’t have shared any details of their relationship without speaking to her first. Unfortunately, his frustration with their situation had gotten the best of him, and maybe, if he were honest with himself, he was hurt. It hurt that she didn’t want to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her, especially when her career allowed her to live anywhere in the world.

They spent the ten-minute car ride back to their condo building in silence. Lance had tried to make small talk and finally gave up when Willow responded with one-word answers, most of them barely above a whisper.

Lance unlocked the door and held it open for Willow to precede him into his condo. Fred, Daphne, and Shaggy jumped out of their beds and eagerly pounced on Lance and Willow’s feet, begging for their attention.

“It’s such a nice night. We should take these three for a long walk to tire them out.”

Willow took her computer from off the coffee table and unplugged the power cord from an outlet in the wall. “No, thanks.” She looked him in the eyes for the first time since leaving the restaurant. “I’m only here to get my computer. I have some work to do tonight.”

Lance dragged a hand through the hair at the side of his head. “Willow, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything about us to Luke and Madison.”

“No, you shouldn’t have, not without discussing it with me first.”

“I was frustrated, okay? You never told your best friend that we had been seeing each other for two months? Does that make sense? It was obvious that Madison and Luke were suspicious. Madison intimated as much, and they kept shooting curious glances at us, especially when you showed them the photos of the dogs.”

Willow’s chest rose up and down ever so slightly, a habit she’d developed of taking several small breaths before she spoke when she was annoyed, something most people wouldn’t notice, but Lance did. “You’re leaving in a few weeks. We could have denied it until then.”

“Why?”

Willow wrapped a large amount of her long hair around her hand and tossed it behind her shoulder. “Why? Because what’s the point, Lance? You’re leaving.”

“And I asked you to go with me.” The dogs whimpered at his feet, and Lance shook his head, ignoring the trio but knowing he couldn’t for long because they needed to go for a walk. “Why is that so impossible? You can work anywhere in the world, why not Costa Rica?”

Willow’s gaze shot to the puppies before it returned to him. “Costa Rica for how long? Six months? A year? Then what? Brazil? Peru? Mexico? I told you: that’s not the life I want for myself.”

Lance’s heart pounded against his ribcage. All the churning in his gut and the frustration he’d felt over the last few weeks finally made sense. “Willow.” He swallowed, and he swore he could hear his own heartbeat throbbing erratically in his chest. “Willow,” he began again. “I’m in love with you.”

“What? What did you say?” Willow brought her fingertips to cover her mouth.

He took a step toward her and then another. “I love you, Willow. I don’t know if I realized it only now or not, but I know it’s true.”

Willow surprised him by stretching out her hand to stop him from inching any closer to her. “Please, don’t Lance. Please don’t say that to me.”

“Why? Was I wrong to think that you don’t feel the same way about me?” Lance held his breath as he waited for her answer.

Willow shook her head. “I can’t do this Lance. I can’t.” She clasped her computer to her and quickly made her way out of the room and to the front door of the condo.

From behind her, Lance gently wrapped his fingers around her upper arm, halting her progress. “Please, don’t go, Willow. We need to talk, please.”

She shuddered, and Lance swore he heard her swallow back a sob. Damn, this is not the outcome he had intended for them, not that he had planned anything in particular for tonight. Perhaps that was the problem. He should have kept his mouth shut. “Willow? Sweetheart?”

Willow lowered her head. “Lance, please.” This time he was positive that he heard a sob escape from her. “I can’t go with you to Costa Rica. I don’t want to follow you from country to country as you take on new assignments. Why do my dreams mean so little to you? How is giving up everything I want fair to me and my future children?”

Lance experienced a pain like being sucker punched, something he knew well having grown up with three brothers. Willow was right, and he was a selfish ass. How had he not realized it until now? Why did he have to hurt her like that if he truly loved her like he believed he did? “Willow, please. Forget everything I’ve said about coming with me to Costa Rica. You’re right, and I was being selfish. I should have thought things through more. You’ve shared your desire to remain in Florida and I, I can only say that I got caught in my own feelings for you, and that was wrong. I’m sorry.”

He watched her shoulders go up and down, her head lowered and turned away from him. Damn, how had he let his feelings over the last few weeks overwhelm him like they had? While he wasn’t happy with her reaction to his declaration of love, he also knew he wasn’t prepared to lose her. “We’ll stay friends with benefits, like you want. I was wrong to pressure you. I get it. I should have respected what you want, and I didn’t. I am truly sorry.”

She sniffled and it cut like a knife through his heart. “I…thank you.”

“Willow? Please, sweetheart, I didn’t mean to make you cry. Can I at least hold you. I want to try and make it better?”

She remained silent but provided him with the briefest of nods and a swish of relief flowed through him. Before she could change her mind, he spun her around and encircled her in his arms. He kissed the top of her forehead, and he breathed a sigh of relief when she wrapped her hands around his waist, resting her head against his chest.

“You sure can blow a guy’s ego to hell. Do you know that?”

Willow bent her head back to look up at him, and he took the opportunity to drop a swift kiss on the tip of her nose. “Your ego? What do you mean?”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and then traced her cheek with his fingertip. “The first time I tell a woman I love her, and it makes her cry and not with tears of joy.”

---