Page 12 of Falling Madly
He chuckled, knocking my foot with his under the water. I pushed back and our feet locked together in a battle of wills under the surface.
“They’d have to be some disgusting keto cookies. I’m trying to get back into shape.” He slapped his stomach.
As far as I could tell, Trevor didn’t carry a lot of extra weight. I’d never seen him shirtless, though. Maybe he had a bit of padding around the middle. Not that it bothered me. I found ultra-fit guys a bit obnoxious. Nice to look at, but dreadful to listen to. Maybe because maintaining that look in your thirties took so much effort that it easily became your whole personality. Or I kept running into the worst kind—fitness nuts who thrived on the dating apps.
“They’d be disgusting, keto or not. I’m not much of a baker,” I admitted.
“All good. For the record, I’m not looking for a woman in an apron to fatten me up to an early grave. My dad went down that path. The reason he’s still alive is that Mom died, and the baking stopped. He existed on beans on toast for a couple of years, then learned to cook. Now he’s on a healthy diet, so I guess it saved his life. His cholesterol used to be through the roof.”
“Oh, wow. That’s… terrible.”
He huffed. “A bit morbid, I guess. Life’s funny. I’m lucky my cholesterol is fine. Must be my mom’s genes.”
I tilted my head, amused. “Now I’m starting to think you’re not twelve, but fifty-five.”
He ran a hand down his face, grimacing. “Fuck. I need to start moisturizing.”
“It’s not going to help if you keep talking like that.”
Hi grinned back. “Would you like to hear about my colonoscopy?”
I laughed, kicking his leg again, splashing water. “I feel like the whole cabin in the woods dream is something you develop in your sixties. You know, after the kids move out and you don’t have to worry about living near the schools.”
“Well, I’ve always had that dream. Maybe I need to find a sixty-year-old woman to join me if you… youngsters are not interested.”
I tried to laugh, but his words made my stomach clench. Was he asking me to move into the mountains with him? I wanted to breeze past the odd comment, keeping things light and funny, because if he was for real, what did that mean? Were we really having a serious talk about our future? We hadn’t even kissed.
“Trevor?” I said, my voice a little strained. “What are we really talking about?”
He smiled, looking a little uncertain. “I’m scaring you off, aren’t I?”
I shook my head. “I’m not scared. I’m confused.”
“About what?”
I turned so I could look him square in the eye. “About your intentions.”
He looked at me for a moment, as if debating with himself. His beard shifted as the corner of his mouth tugged. “Well, that’s no’ good. A man should always be clear about his intentions.”
“I agree.”
“Okay,” he said slowly. “I intend to win yer heart. And love you so well, no one else comes close.”
My heart, hearing its name, pounded frantically in my chest. Under the surface, my feet paddled the water as I looked awayfrom him, trying to compose my thoughts. I loved flirting with him. I loved the way he looked at me. But no one had ever dropped these sorts of words, not even after months of dating. We weren’t flirting anymore, and I didn’t know the lines to this play. My mouth opened and closed and opened again, trying to form words that felt completely foreign.
“Trevor, I?—”
“It’s okay,” he cut me off. “I know you’re not ready. I shouldn’t have said anything. I should have waited.”
“You should have kissed me first,” I choked out.
“I should’ve.” He tilted my chin up, his fingers warm against my skin. “Let’s fix that, eh?”
Chapter Four
Teresa
18 months ago
