Page 161 of One Night Only
“I think so. I know so,” I correct quickly. “I know I am. And you don’t have to say it back. I know I told you what happened with Josh, but I don’t want you to feel any pressure. Being in love with someone is a big deal, so if you just want to—”
“Yes.”
“What?” I gulp in a breath.
“Yes, I’m in love with you.”
Oh. I blink, swaying slightly on my feet. I didn’t actually expect him to admit it.
He’s in love with me.
He’s…
“Since when?”
“I’m not sure,” he says, as casually as if we were ordering takeout. “A while.”
A while.
I stare at him as my heart tumbles over inside. “How long a while?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes!” My hands go to my hips. “Yes, it matters.”
He rocks back on his heels. “You’re freaking out, aren’t you?”
“Kind of,” I exclaim. “It’s a lot. No one’s ever told me they’re in love with me before.”
“Is this not the best-case scenario of what you wanted to happen tonight?”
“The best-case scenario didn’t involve me chugging a year’s worth of sugar down my gut,” I snap, pushing the hair back from my face.
“Let me get this straight,” he says, and I can tell his patience is wearing thin. “You came here to apologize and tell me you love me. I accept your begging—”
“I didn’t beg.”
“I accept your begging,” he repeats. “And I tell you I love you and now you’re mad at me.”
“I’m not mad.”
“You sound mad.”
“I’m not mad. I’m happy.”
Oh.
My eyes snap to him and his beyond-irritated expression as I finally get it.
“You’re happy,” Declan continues, his voice flat.
Yes. Yes, I think I am.
I’m happy.
The realization is so sudden, so simple that I laugh. I can’t help it. A giggle escapes and then another.
I love him.
