Page 36 of When Forever Stays

But I have to. We can’t move forward until I tell her everything.

Eventually, it will come out—I can’t hide who I am forever. It will be best if Dana learns it from me.

Standing up straight, I grip the back of my neck with both hands and close my eyes.

“Give me the courage to finally tell her. Please, Lord.”

With that simple prayer, I turn and head back to my hut.

I muster all my courage as I step into The Screaming Peach after the lunchtime rush. Dana stands alone behind the counter, her dark hair pulled into a ponytail that cascades down her back. When she turns to look at me, there’s a confidence that I haven’t seen from her before. As if she’s sure about us. Sure about me.

Her body language tells me she’s feeling good. If she is sure about us, she’ll accept what I have to say no matter what. So I approach her. The only patrons are browsing the books with their coffees already in hand, giving me the perfect opportunityto snag her unhindered attention. I'll take her out after her shift and tell her.

“Hey, Little Siren.”

I love how she looks at me as if I’m the only man she sees. As if I’m the only man who matters.

She bites her lip. “Hey, Rhett. What can I get you?”

You,I want to say but don’t.It’d probably be too bold right now. Instead, I say, “I’ll have a medium dark roast."

When I hand her my cash, she pushes it away. I stuff it into the tip jar, and she rolls her eyes before getting to work on my simple order. She tosses a few shy smiles over her shoulder during the process.

The bell over the door dings, and I scan the café and book area, finding they’re both cleared out. I could tell her after her shift. Or I can tell her now. Last night I failed to hold onto the courage to tell her everything. That courage is back in full force. Either way, I need to tell her now. It’s time to lay my past in front of her. To share the secrets I’ve kept in an effort to preserve our relationship.

When she finishes up my order and hands it over to me, her touch on my fingers lingers. I set my coffee on the counter and fully take her hand in mine. I try to gather all my thoughts, all the secrets I’ve kept from her. Once I tell her, there’s a really good chance she won’t look at me like this again. That she won’t allow me to hold her hand. Once she knows everything, our relationship will change. If it’s for the better or worse, only time will tell. I pray for the better.

I search her eyes, then release her hand and take a sip of my coffee. “Thanks.” It’s hot, but not too hot. The balance of flavors is everything any coffee drinker would love. I focus on the taste, grounding myself in this moment.

“Sure thing,” she answers. When she turns away, I catch another shy smile curving her soft lips.

“Dana,” I say, and she turns back.

The truth is poised and ready on the tip of my tongue. Her eyes sparkle with excitement, the trust I see there has me choking on the words. I can’t do it. I can’t tell her. I can’t ruin this…us.

“Did you need something else?” she asks.

“I wanted to tell you that I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you.” My courage deflates.

“Me too. This all feels…real. Not that what we had before wasn’t, but this time around feels deeper. You know? Almost like we didn’t get to know the real versions of each other, but now, I know the real Rhett Stryker and not just the flirty tennis instructor.”

A lead weight sinks deep down into my gut.

As if he was waiting for the perfect time to ruin this moment, Crew struts in and eyes me warily as I talk to Dana.

“Hey, Crew. How’s it going?” I ask.

“Fine,” he says, “Anything new with you?”

I shake my head. “Not really.”

Crew wastes no time turning to Dana and pulling his phone from his pocket. That lead weight in my gut feels ten times heavier.Ominous. He extends his phone, showing something to her. Her eyes study whatever is on the screen carefully.

Dana raises a brow at Crew. “Why are you showing me a picture of RJ Hemlock?”

Everything inside of me seizes. I need to speak up. Say something, anything, but my mind goes into panic mode, blanking out.

“Doesn’t he look familiar to you?” Crew asks, then glares at me.

---