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“Yes, Jerica, it means I want you there as my girlfriend. It means I want to hold your hand, and kiss you, and dance with you—even though I can’t do that well right now—and show you off on my arm.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“Good, because I don’t plan on hiding you or our relationship. The rest of the world can fuck off if they have problems with it.”

Jerica smiled, her heart warming even more. Perhaps Bridget was ready for more, for the confession Jerica wanted to make before they had sex the night before. Still, she held back, wanting that conversation to happen in person, wanting to see the look in Bridget’s eyes as she said it, hear her voice as she responded—whichever way she did, but Jerica suspected the feeling was mutual. They had clicked, and quickly. Her friends had said that could happen, that one minute love wasn’t there and the next it was, but she hadn’t quite believed them. Not until she’d experienced it herself.

Shifting lower on the couch, Jerica lay down and pulled the blanket up to her shoulder. “I wish you were here with me tonight.”

“Oh yeah? What would we do?”

Laughing, Jerica said, “Not that. I’m too fucking tired. But maybe in the morning.”

“Pity.”

“I just want to see you again. I don’t know how to explain it other than that.”

“I think you said it well enough the other day.”

Furrowing her brow, Jerica tried to remember everything they had talked about. It had been so much. Between texts, phone calls, and being together in person, they had talked about so much together. “What did I say?”

“You said your intentions were to never find someone else because you’d already found me.”

Jerica hummed. “I didn’t lie.”

“I suspected as much, and I want you to know, I feel the same way.”

Jerica’s heart burst with joy. If she had more energy, she’d be sitting up and grinning from ear to ear instead of curled into a ball. Instead, she struggled to find words to respond, words to skirt around what they weren’t actually saying but what they were actually saying. “I’m so glad you feel the same way.”

“I want to see you again,” Bridget whispered, her voice dropping.

“When?”

“As soon as possible.”

“Spend the weekend with me. Have Eli bring you here, and stay with me. I’ll have to work, but we’ll get all the other time together.”

“Yes.”

Jerica smiled. “It’s settled then.”

“It is.”

“Bridge?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m about to fall asleep.”

Laughing lightly, Bridget whispered in that same beautifully deep tone. “Then go to sleep, love. Don’t let me keep you up this time. Sleep well and dream better.”

As soon as they hung up, Jerica dragged her weary ass to her bed and collapsed onto it, falling into a deep slumber.

CHAPTER16

She’d done it.She’d asked Jerica to go to the wedding with her, and yet, she couldn’t stop the panic that welled up in her heart. On the one hand, she was ready to stop living in the shadows, but on the other hand, she couldn’t imagine what life would look like going forward.

Would she lose her job?