Page 124 of Whiskey Chase
“You’ve spent fifty minutes of every hour since you got here moping on the deck and staring through the woods in her direction. Do. You. Love. Her?”
“She didn’t trust me. She didn’t ask me to stay. And now she’s throwing a party.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t love her and she doesn’t love you. It means y’all are young and dumb.”
I saw it then. The pain of my heart was plastered across Devlin’s sexy AF face. He hurt for me. He missed me. He loved me.
Likehellwas I going to let him say it first. I wanted that honor… and the ability to throw it in his face for the rest of our lives.
In my haste to shout the words first, I forgot about the screen door that I’d replaced after my brothers wrecked it. I half dove, half tripped through it, yanking it from its tracks and sending it crashing to the living room floor. It rattled against the hardwood, crumpled and mangled just like my heart.
Devlin came out of his chair looking shocked and maybe the slightest bit scared.
“I love you,” I shouted.
Granny Louisa looked a little surprised. Estelle reappeared and gaped at the evidence of my spectacular entrance.
“Speak up, honey. I don’t think he heard you,” Estelle insisted.
I opened my mouth to make my proclamation again, but Devlin held up a hand. “I think we all heard Scarlett,” he said dryly. His gaze scanned my face, and I saw his Adam’s apple work in his throat.
Granny Louisa bent down and ripped open the Velcro on her boot. She kicked it off and hopped to her feet, spry as a forty-year-old. “Our work here is done, Estelle. Why don’t we meander on over to The Lookout for a round of mystic moonshines?”
Estelle tossed her dish towel on the floor. “Sounds good to me. I’ll get my drinkin’ pants on.”
They hustled out of the room, leaving me and Devlin to stare at each other.
“You broke Gran’s door,” he said quietly.
“I also announced that I’m in love with you,” I pointed out just in case he’d missed the announcement.
“See y’all later,” Granny Louisa said as she and Estelle giggled their way out the front door.
Silence reigned. I could hear my heart thumping away in my chest. Devlin stalked toward me and didn’t stop until he had his hands on my hips. He leaned in, and I thought I just might embarrass myself by passing out on the man. My body had missed him like sun… or beer. I’d been kidding myself to think I could just walk away from him and be fine.
I was anything but fine.
“One more time,” he whispered, his thumb brushing my lower lip, and I felt the touch in every nerve ending in my body.
“I, Scarlett Rose Bodine, love you, Devlin Brooks McCallister. And you’re a fucking idiot if you think I’m letting you leave again without me.”
“You dumped me, remember?”
“I didn’t say you were the only idiot,” I argued.
“You were an idiot,” he agreed. “And I left without telling you how I feel,” he said, tugging me close enough that every inch of me was touching him.
“And how exactly do you feel?” I asked him.
“Like without you I’d spend my whole life knowing I was missing out on something special. Like I walked away from the only woman I ever loved because I’m an idiot.”
“Keep talkin’,” I prodded.
“I went home to that sterile condo. I attended half a dozen luncheons and ribbon cuttings and fundraisers. It sucked. You’re the color and music and flavor in my day. And life without you isn’t worth crawling out of bed for. I want you, Scarlett. I love you, and you better get that through your thick Bodine head.”
My breath was shaky on the inhale and got stuck in my throat. “What do we do about it?”
“I have some ideas,” he said, a slow smile curving the corners of his mouth.
