Page 63 of Take a Hike
She squinted at him, thrown off guard by the ninety-degree turn in conversation. “Convince you about what?”
“That you…love me.” He gave the wordlovean upward inflection, as if questioning its very existence.
“I don’t have to convince you,” she huffed. “It’s not a debate. I love you, which means the love rays radiate from me onto you, and you just stand there and absorb them. It’s like the sun—if you’re around me, there’s no hiding from me or my love beams.”
“Nope.” His chin was set at a very obstinate angle, and Charlie was annoyed that she found it adorable, rather than obnoxious. No wonder her condition was called lovesickness. “Because I don’t believe you.”
Okay, maybe not so adorable.“Your lack of belief doesn’t change an actual fact. I’m not freaking Tinker Bell.” She was starting to get annoyed. This wasn’t how she imagined her proclamation of love going—not that she’d ever really thought about how a proclamation of love would go, but still. “My love for you exists. It’s a real thing. Nothing you can do about it.” She finished off just a bit smugly, enjoying the way his jaw muscle worked.
“No way. It’s impossible.” His fingers squeezed the steering wheel, his knuckles going pale with strain.
This time, she couldn’t help throwing both hands into the air. He wasthatinfuriating. “Why is it impossible?”
“Because no one has ever loved me!” he roared.
Charlie blinked at him, letting his words settle into her brain before she spoke. She started to ask about his mom—surely his mom loved him, even if his dad was a sentient trash fire—but then she stopped. She of all people knew how disappointing parents could be. “So?”
He stared at her until she waved toward the windshield at the curvy mountain road he was currently supposed to be navigating.
“You might want to pull over before you drive us off the cliff and we both die a fiery death, which would be a tragic waste of a nice truck.” She patted the dash.
Muttering something that sounded like a long and creative series of swears, he jerked the wheel to the right. Instead of just pulling over onto the narrow shoulder, he turned off the road completely.
“Is this an actual surface you’re supposed to be driving on?” Charlie asked doubtfully as the truck lurched over rough ground.
“Yeah, there was a road sign.”
“Hmm.” Charlie didn’t doubt him, but she did question Field County’s Road and Bridges Department’s judgment. The “road” they were on was barely a two-track trail, scattered with rocks and scruffy vegetation. They followed the twisting path through the trees until even the faint tracks ended, and Kieran put the truck into park and turned off the engine. “So…apparently a dead-end road then?”
“The road doesn’t matter,” he grumped, turning to face her. “We need to finish discussing this love thing.”
“Arguing,” Charlie corrected, “and there’s nothing to discuss. The bargaining stage is over, and you need to just accept that I love you and move on. There. Argument over. Are you going to be able to turn around, or will you have to back all the way to the highway?” She eyed the evergreens clustered around them.
“Youdon’t,” he insisted, making Charlie sigh loudly as she refocused on him. “I’m not someone that people love.”
“Youare,” she said with forced patience. Things were easierwhen people just accepted she was right immediately. “You, Kieran Sullivan Byrne, are a lovable person.”
“No, I’m not.” Despite the stubborn reply, there was an almost frantic intensity to the way he stared at her, as if he was desperate for her to convince him that he was wrong. Luckily for him, she was happy to do just that.
“What are you even talking about?” She didn’t realize that she could roll her eyes so hard without them getting stuck looking at her brain. “You’re ridiculously lovable. You’re loyal and smart and brave, not to mentionthis.” She swept a hand down, gesturing from the top of his head to his feet.
“What?” He glanced down at himself and then back at her, confused as if he didn’t own a mirror.
Apparently, she was going to have to spell it out. “You, Firefighter Byrne, are very nice to look at. That’s not a condition of love or anything, but it’s definitely a bonus.”
He scoffed. “Please, it’s not like I look like Ian or anything.”
She waved a hand. “Ian’s objectively attractive, sure.” His glower deepened, so she hurried to finish her thought. “You’resubjectivelyattractive.” He looked as if he wasn’t sure how to take that. “I like how you look. Ireallylike how you look.”
“But I’m rude.” His stare didn’t change but continued begging her to convince him that he was wrong. In fact, his gaze grew even more intense. “I’m not nice. I’m angry.”
She felt her mouth curl up in a satisfied smile. “I know. I love all those things about you. They’re bonuses, not flaws. Everything about you works for me.”
He stared at her, apparently out of counterarguments, whichwas just fine with her. There were better things he could be doing with his mouth, especially here in the privacy of the trees on the dead-end road that really didn’t deserve being called a road.
“Convinced I love you yet?” she asked. His answer wouldn’t change how she felt, although she hoped it would erase that frantic panic she’d glimpsed in his eyes. No one should feel unlovable, especially someone like Kieran.
“No.” Despite his answer, she saw the conflict in his expression and grinned. She was already wearing down his resistance. “If you do love me, you have terrible judgment.”
