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“No, she's not, she's just. . . old.” Her lips folded in the prettiest smile as she dipped her head into her chest. Bending down, Emery picked up a leaf that looked charred. Twisting the tiny stem between her fingers, she peered at the leaf as she spoke. “She lives in a nursing home now, I couldn't keep taking care of her anymore.”

“Oh, wow, that must have been hard.”

“Hard—no, draining—yes. She has dementia, and it got to the point I couldn't leave her alone without worrying that she might hurt herself.” Dropping the leaf, she watched it float back to the ground. “What's hard about it is that she doesn't recognize me anymore.”

I watched her body as she wilted. Her shoulders rolled forward, eyes dulling and hurting at the loss of someone who was still here. Her grandmother was still alive, but in a way, she was already gone.

There were no words for me to say to her that would comfort whatever sadness she was feeling. Her parents were gone and the woman who had cared for her was mentally unaware of the one person who loved her more than anything.

“Emery, what do you want?”

“What?” she asked, her eyes popping wide, the blue shading over like a lake at night.

“From me, what do you want?”

“I. . . I don't know, Porter.” Stepping backwards, she leaned against the tree stump. “I don't know what you want me to say.”

Lumbering forward, I hoovered over her, allowing my presence to rock her nerves. “I want you to tell me the truth, to say the first thing that comes in your head when I ask.” Swooping my hand in, I rested my palm against her cheek and dug my fingers into her hair. “Let me ask you again. What do you want from me, from this, what do you want?”

My eyes were locked on hers, refusing to let her look away. Her lips opened slightly as if she was ready to speak, but she didn't say a word.

I could see it in her eyes that she had an answer, but I didn't understand why she just wouldn't spit it out.

“Don't be afraid to be honest, just tell me.”

“That's the problem, I really don't know. It's all so confusing, and I don't know how to make sense of it.”

Smiling, my lids hooded and I held her face so she couldn't do anything but look up. “Let me tell you what I want then.” Licking my lips, I inched closer, bringing my chest to hers. A shiver scaled her body, the tremor running through my palm and shaking my muscles. “I want you, that's it. I want us, I want to feel this fire in my gut every damn day, and I don't want to ever let it go.”

Emery's eyes glazed over as her stare deepened. She was looking at me, but not just looking at me, she was seeing into me. Her thick, long lashes fanned her lids as she blinked and her lips sat partially open.

I wanted to kiss her, but I wanted to hear her answer first. I had to know what she was thinking, what was running through that pretty little head of hers.

“What do you want, Emery?” Thumbing her jaw, her skin was clammy and warm under my touch. “Just say what you're thinking so I can hear it.”

“I love you.”

Her words crashed against my chest, tearing my heart open and sealing it shut. I didn't expect that, I never thought she would hit me with such a violent force. Stunned, I stood quiet, just letting those three words sink in.

She loves me. . .

Could she really mean that?

“I. . . I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that.” Taking a firm step to the side, she pulled away from me, pushing my hands off her face. “It's crazy, I know. We know almost nothing about each other, we met under circumstances that are definitely not ideal and not the foundation for a strong relationship. You probably think I'm insane or one of those girls that are super clingy, but the truth is I'm not. I avoid relationships like the plague, I hate the idea of being in a relationship at all. I don't know what the hell I was thinking—”

“Stop,” I said firmly, holding up my hand. “Just stop.”

Emery dug her toe into the soft ground beneath her feet, twining her fingers together in front of her waist. She wouldn't look up at me, simply staring at nothing with wide open eyes.

“Do you mean it?” Taking a long step, I grabbed her elbow and drew circles over her skin. “When you said it, did you feel it?”

Nodding, she still wouldn't look up at me. “I can't explain it, Porter, it's just there.”

“I feel it too.” Smiling, I pinched her chin between my fingers and lifted her face up. “You're not crazy, not if I feel the same thing as you.”

“You do?” Her eyes held this softness, this allure that I could fall into, that I could live in if she would let me.

“I love you, Emery.” The words came out easier than I expected. I had felt it since day one, from the first time I laid eyes on her. But I never actually thought I'd speak them out loud. “That's all we need, the rest will come in time.”