Page 95 of Before We Fell

“I wanted to tell you something.”

Her head tilted, the pink bloom on her cheeks darkened and she stepped toward me. Placing her hand on my shoulder, she squeezed gently. “What is it? Everything okay?”

“Yeah, but you have to know something.” My tongue slid along my bottom lip, wetting it. I hadn’t been this nervous, not even the first time I faced down a jury. “I wanted to wait until a better time. Maybe a night alone. At dinner at the golf club, somewhere special, but I can’t wait anymore.”

“Okay….” She trailed the word and now was it.

Goddamn, why was this so nerve-wracking? The fact I loved a woman? Or that she might not love me back?

My chest was searing white hot heat, racing through my body. The only way to help was to touch her. So I did, hands at her cheeks, I brushed my thumbs over the corners of her lips and lowered my head. “I’m falling in love with you. I wanted you to know.”

Her pulse thumped wildly at the base of her neck, and her mouth parted. Eyes went wide, and that tongue of hers slid across her lips, mirroring my earlier movement, but as she wet her lips, her tongue brushed against my thumbs.

Fiery hot lust went straight to my waist and below.

“Lauren—” I started, but she cut me off.

“I love you, too. I meant it earlier. You’re my home. You and Riley. I don’t know how it happened so quick, or why.”

“I don’t care why or how. Some fall in love online, one-night stand hook-ups that don’t end, or with their physical trainer. Attraction is a mystery and I don’t care how it started, I’m just really glad it did.”

I’d waited long enough. I bent, pressed my lips to hers and kissed her. Kissed the first woman I ever loved for the very first time.

And there was something about that moment, the purity of it, the sweetness and the privacy of it.

Where it was better, even more perfect, than had I taken the time to make it somewhere special, somewhere public, where we couldn’t have had the quietness of each other.

And that, I was learning, was the beauty of life. Beauty and perfection could be seen in the messes and the dirt, you just had to see it, appreciate each moment as it came.

I not only had Amanda and my own parents to thank for that.

But I also had Lauren, who taught me to see beauty in the unexpected. Beauty in the sweet, gentle love of a teacher too damn young for me, too damn sweet for me. But oh so perfect for me.

“So, about Thanksgiving.”

She grinned at me, laughing. “Of course I’ll go. I’d love to.”

“Aaaaaahhhh!”

I jolted in bed. “What the hell?”

My heart raced, risking jumping right outside my chest.

“What is that?” Lauren asked. Both of us threw our feet to the floor at the same time.

Another scream.Riley.It was Riley screaming from across the house.

Then, stomping.

The slam of a door. More stomping and screaming I couldn’t understand.

Lauren’s hand was at her chest.

I jumped out of bed, tugging on plaid pajama pants. “Holy shit. I’ll go see her.”

The sun was up, telling me we’d somewhat slept in and this wasn’t a nightmare.

“Do you want me to go with you?” Lauren was out of bed too, throwing on my T-shirt we’d tossed to the floor the night before.

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