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She stared at him.Wait...
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh no. It looks like he didn’t call you. Aw...”
“What? Are you?—”
“I’m your copresenter. For the new Esperanza trauma center?”
She closed her eyes, looked away. “Of course you are.”
“Listen.” He took a step toward her.
Up close, his presence simply washed over her. She looked at him.
“We got this,” he said, his blue eyes shining. Stupidly mesmerizing. “I’ll tell a couple stories; you wow them with whatever slick PowerPoint you’ve come up with.” He held up a fist.
Her heart had woken up, and suddenly everything spilled over, heat and hope and the sense that...
No, no... She shook her head. “I... I can’t do this again. I can’t fall into your world, let you sweep me away, Doyle. I can’t be?—”
“The One?” His grin had vanished, leaving only his gaze on hers.
She couldn’t move. Except, softly, “What?”
“You’re the One, Tia.”
She drew in a breath, shook her head. “Doyle?—”
“Hear me out.” He reached out to touch her, then pulled back, his gaze earnest. “See—what I forgot is that God had a future for me already written out. He knew Juliet was going to die, and He knew I’d need someone who was... who is completely different from her, who could meet me where I’m at, who could push me and challenge me and make feel like I just might be enough for her too.”
She opened her mouth. Closed it. Took a breath.
He lowered his voice, but she felt it rumble through her entire body. “I’m in love with you, Tia. So in love with you, and... please, just... take my hand. Let’s go do this thing. And then do the next thing and... live happily ever after?”
His gaze reached out for hers, so much in it that she could nothing but?—
Nod.
Oh no. Oh yes.She nodded.
The truth in her heart had just... taken over. It was impulsive. And yet perfect and right, and she had the sense then of... not being forgotten. Not being second place.
Being the One.
“Yes?” he said. He held out his hand.
“Yes,” she said, and smiled. “Because I’m in love with you too, Doyle. And it scares me?—”
“Because it wasn’t planned.”
“It’s completely crazy.”
He stepped up to her. “And yet entirely right.”
She nodded again, and he was so close she could just lean... in...
“Attagirl,” he whispered. Then he grabbed her hand, and she held on as he pulled her out of the Ironclad.
“What are you doing?” she said as he parked her under the awning next to the shop, in the shadows of the summer afternoon.