She felt shaky. She spoke around the lump in her throat, the words wobbling a bit. “The first.”
“What?” The word came out gravelly.
“The first version is better. There’s no reason to argue about it.”
She saw the sheen in his gaze, or maybe it was a reflection of her own eyes. He took her hand again. “Okay. We’ll take that off the list. I agree to defer to your judgment on romantic comedies.”
She looked around, realized the song he’d chosen was on a loop. “Speaking of.”
He smiled like she’d given him a prize. “Every romance we watched had several things in common. Grand gestures in those movies need a soundtrack, a sufficiently changed hero, and proof that he’s seen the light. The funny thing is, I spent more time watching you than those movies. I might not have the romantic hero down but I know what makes you smile, I know who you are and who I am when I’m with you.”
A half laugh, half sob escaped. “What if you get scared again?”
Wes stood, pulled her against him, swaying softly to the music. “Have you ever noticed there’s always a dance scene, too?”
“Wes.” She wanted this but she had to be sure.
He pressed his forehead to hers. “Nothing seems as scary when you’re with me. I want you to feel the same about me. I want you to rely on me. Trust me. The truth is, I’m still scared. I like being able to predict the outcome, plan for it. But I couldn’t plan for you or the way you obliterated the walls around my heart. Go figure, the one thing I don’t plan turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. I couldn’t have planned it but I’m willing to tell you and show you that I love you. If you want that. If you still want me. If you still love me.”
His gaze flashed with an uncertainty that squeezed her heart. She cupped his cheeks, surprised to feel a couple days’ growth against her palms. “I know you’re new to this but it doesn’t go away just like that. When you love someone, they’re part of you. It’s not something you can just turn off like a switch. That’s why it’s so hard when things are over.”
“I don’t want to be over.”
“Me neither,” she whispered.
“Does that mean you still…”
One tear slipped through. “Love you? Yes. I do. Of course I do.”
He laughed. “Thank God.”
Their kiss was soft but full of unspoken promises that Hailey held close to her heart. When she pulled back, she ran her hand over his cheek again.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without smoothly shaved skin.”
He pressed his hand against hers, holding it to his face. “I’ve been a bit preoccupied. I have something for you.”
Her body tensed, making him laugh. He kissed the tip of her nose. “Don’t worry, it’s not from Tiffany’s.”
“It’s not that I’ll never want anything from there,” she said, dropping the wide-open hint to see his response.
He pulled her against him, kissed her hard enough to make her forget where she was. “The only thing I’m scared of anymore is being without you. I’m not running. One day, I’ll give you exactly what you want from there or anywhere else you choose.”
Tears burned her eyes. Needing to lighten the mood, she gestured toward the dome-covered dishes. “Well then? What’s the surprise?”
He held her chair for her, lifted the dome. A small heart-shaped chocolate cake sat in the center. In cursive, H.S. + W.J. was written on its top. She laughed then noticed the laminated page beneath the cake. Lifting it by the base, she set it aside and picked up what looked like a glossy magazine insert.
“What is this?” she mused, looking at it, her smile growing with every second. It was a quiz. Like one of the ones Fiona’s magazines published.
Wes sat beside her. “I already took it.”
He had—he’d circled his answers for each question. The title was, “Are You in Love?”
There were ten questions, each asking about varying situations that were personal to Wes and Hailey.
She laughed at number three: Would you give her your last piece of chocolate? He’d circled Without a doubt. Number five asked: Are you willing to be vulnerable if it means proving how much you care? Again, he’d answered Without a doubt.
When she got to the end, there were three options for answers:
□?You might as well walk around with a shirt that says, “Yes, I’m in love”
□?You are so in love you’re walking around with cartoon hearts in your eyes