Page 131 of Empty Net

It’s my words. It’s what I said to her in the supply closet.

She loves me. Lilah Maddison fucking loves me, and if that’s not the sweetest damn thing I’ve ever heard, I don’t know what is.

“Well?” she prompts. “Are you going to say anything?”

I say the first thing that comes to mind.

“Oh.”

“Oh?Oh?Are you serious? I just told you I love you, and you—dammit, Fox!” She pinches me. “Seriously?”

I laugh, pressing a quick kiss to her pinched lips. “Fair is fair.”

“That was mean.”

“No, what was mean was making me wait days to hear you say that.”

“I know.” She sighs, dropping her forehead to my chin. “I know, and I’m sorry. I knew it then. When you told me, I knewhow I felt about you. I just couldn’t… I don’t know. I couldn’t get the words out. I locked up. Got scared.”

“Scared? You? Nah, I don’t believe it.”

She pulls back, her blue eyes brighter than I’ve ever seen them before, and I don’t know if it’s because she’s finally released herself of all her parents’ bullshit or our conversation right now, but whatever it is, I love it. I love seeing her like this.

I just fucking love her.

“I know I act brave. I know I act like I know what I want, like I have…control. But I don’t. I get scared just like everyone else. And yeah, loving you scares me, Fox. Scares the hell right out of me because I’ve never been in love before. Because I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know if I’m going to drive you crazy or if you’ll drive me there first. I don’t know if we’ll wake up tomorrow and regret it all or if we’ll stay together until we’re old and wrinkled. I don’t know any of it aside from the fact that I love you, Arthur. I love you so damn much. I didn’t plan to. I didn’t plan for this to become real, but it did. It did and I can’t be sorry for it. I don’t want to be. I just want you. I want us. I wantreal.”

I’m nodding before she’s even done talking because I want all that too.

“Yes,” I say, slipping my hands over her cheeks, kissing the side of her lips. “Yes. I want it too.”

“You do?”

“So badly, sugar. I want it all with you. All the messy.” I kiss her cheek. “The good, the bad.” Then the other one. “Everything in between.” I trail my lips right to her ear and whisper, “Especiallythe old-and-wrinkled part.”

Her eyes flutter closed as I kiss her mouth, showing her I mean it, every fucking word of it. When we finally come up for air, she’s blushing, and it’s a look I know I won’t tire of anytime soon.

“You know your parents are standing like fifty feet away, right?”

“I know they’re around here somewhere.”

“So, we should probably, I don’t know, stop making out, right?”

“We should.”

But we don’t. I kiss her again and again and again, just for good measure. When I finally pull away, it’s long past appropriate, but judging by my mother’s smile when I find them hiding out around the side of the building, they don’t seem to mind one bit.

“Thought you two might want a minute alone.”

“Probably a good call.” I tug Lilah to my side, silently vowing to never let her go.

“I take it you worked things out?”

I look down at Lilah, who nods.

“Yeah,” she says. “I’d say we worked it out, Bonnie.”

“Oh!” Mama claps excitedly. “I’m so glad. So happy for you two. See, Artie? I told you it’d all work out if you played until the final buzzer.”

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