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That didn’t mean he’d keep replying to me all night like a couple of highschoolers.

Ding!

A new email appeared in my inbox, and just like a sixteen-year-old girl with a crush, I hit open on that email with all the hope in theworld.

Annie,

I like it when it rains because it reminds me of being at the waterfall with you.It doesn’t rain nearlyenough.

Don’t listen to anything my sister tells you.It’s all lies.Ipromise.

x

I grabbed onto these little snippets ofinformation.

He thought of the waterfall.He thoughtofus.

Cowboy,

I missyourhat.

Your sister has told me nothing but how much she loves and adores you.I like David.Jonas insists you are the best uncle who ever lived.All good things in my book, but not stories of how you pulled her hair.I expect she’s waiting for you to tell me onyourown.

Speaking of sisters, mine is named Elizabeth.She’s married to a man named Adam.They live in England and I miss her all the time.She left the country to get away from our parents.Please don’t Google me.I’d like to tell you my story onmyown.

I swallowed hard, my finger hesitating over the mouse.If I hit send I was starting it—beginning the process of making Lily real.I didn’t know if I was ready for that.But then again, if I waited any longer he’d learn all onhisown.

I hit the damn send button, only slightly regretful I didn’t sign off at the end.His reply came almostimmediately.

Annie,

Toolate.

Irushedthrough the dark house and slid across the kitchen floor, slamming right into a shirtless Colt.Luckily he caught me because in my rush I was going down hardandfast.

Panic did that to aperson.

“What did you read?”There was no time for formalities.After he sent that email he immediately sent another.He had just gotten home and was in the kitchen getting ice cream.He told me to join him so we could talk inperson.

He righted me and let me go—something I really hated.I liked his hands on my hips, his body close.“I saw the headlines at the top of the search.I only scanned those since they seemed to be more about your parents than you.”Thank god.“And then I clicked on your website and read yourofficialbio.”

“That’sit?”

He half-shrugged.“That’sit.”

“But...why?”Most people grabbed a pint of ice cream and dug in for the mountains of gossip, stories, and sordid details.It was the kind of gossip that kept people coming back over and overagain.

“Why not?”He paced over to the open ice cream container and finished spooning out the second bowl before putting the carton back in the freezer.“I was clearly one of the few people who knew next to nothing about you.I was curious aboutyou.I don’t give a fuck about the tabloids.”He shook his head, his brow furrowed up in a strangely sexy way.Apparently he could pull off frustrated just as well as he could a smile.“I just wanted to get an idea of who you were.That’s it.That’s whatIgot.”

I wracked my brain.What the heck was on my website?I knew I had read and approved it but it had been a while.“Okaythen.”

He shoved the bowl at me.“Eat.”Then he shot me a grin.“Friend.”

Friend.How was this going to work?I slowly devoured the sinful chocolate treat, watching Colt do the same.Fuck, he was sexy.All shirtless, his pajama pants hanging off his hips so that I had no choice but to stare at that V as it dipped below his waistband, forcing back memories of tracing my fingers over it as I knelt in frontofhim.

“Stop,” he said, his voicehoarse.

My eyes shot up to lock with his.“Stopwhat?”