Page 132 of Road Trip to Forever
“I think I might be hallucinating,” he says.
I wipe the frosting away from my face and see the stars reflected in his eyes, the twinkle of elation and the joy in his smile.Mysmile. “This is real. As real as it’ll ever be.”
“Real,” he repeats. “Really real. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. I never thought—I hoped it would happen but—Lola. You. Love. Me.”
“I do.” I laugh and lean forward, kissing his forehead and the tip of his nose. “I love you.”
“I love you too. I don’t think I’m ever going to stop saying it.”
“Please don’t. Say it again and again and again.”
“When did you know?” Patrick asks. “When did you realize?”
“I realized I wanted to kiss you that night we ate pizza on your couch. I realized I was falling in love with you outside the bookstore. I realized I was totally head-over-heels in love with you when I saw your tattoos. How I feel right now though… I’ve felt like this with you for years. Warm and fuzzy. Like everything has fallen into place. I’m finally a completed version of me. Saying the words might have taken me years, but I think that pull to you, that emotional connection has always been there.” I take a breath. “When did you realize you loved me?”
“The first day I met you I thought you were the prettiest girl I had ever seen. I told you I had a crush on you for years. It was harmless, I thought. You were always right there. Always making me laugh and smile. When I started dating other women, I noticed I enjoyed spending time with them, but it was like my heart was only halfway in it. Jessica and I got in a fight over the friendship bracelet, and that’s when I really knew.”
“A fight?” I ask, tracing the line of his jaw with my finger. “I don’t remember you telling me about a fight.”
“We broke up not too long after, and it didn’t feel worth rehashing. I told her I didn’t want to take off the bracelet, and she told me it was because I was in love with you. I denied it at first, but once she said the words out loud, it was all I could see. That was when I knew Iwasin love with you, but I’ve been yours since the very beginning. I’ve never told another woman that I love her. I haven’t wanted to. There was always something holding me back from saying the three words and sealing the deal, and now I know that something was you.”
“Jesus,” I whisper, my heart growing three sizes. “Talk about a grand gesture and a sweeping declaration.”
“Do you think they’ll write a book about us?” he asks, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Maybe. We deserve it.”
“I’m so glad you moved in next door and became my neighbor.”
“I’m so glad you were outside playing basketball when we pulled into the driveway. Who knows how long it would’ve taken us to meet and become friends if I hadn’t seen you that first day? What if I had found another friend?”
“It was fate,” Patrick says and I nod.
“Fate,” I agree.
“The guys know.”
“What do you mean the guys know?”
“They know I love you. I shouted it at them the day of the wedding after you found the box of books.”
“And they haven’t teased you?”
“Oh, they’ve teased me mercilessly. They had a bet on when I would admit that I had feelings for you, Lola. They’ve apparently been talking about this for years.”
“The girls told me the same thing,” I say. “There was a detailed conversation about how you look at me.”
“How do I look at you?” Patrick asks. I think he already knows and just wants to hear me say it.
“Like I’m you’re lifeline,” I whisper.
“You are my lifeline,” he says. “Without you, I’d be lost at sea. That’s how I feel when you’re away.”
“I love you, Patrick. You’re my lifeline too. My little dingy lifeboat amidst crashing waves.”
“That’s it? We’ve got to upgrade to a yacht. Buy me one with your winnings.”
“Sure. Okay. Anything else on the list?” I ask. “Might as well get out all of your demands.”
