Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Laurel snuggled next to Jake until their foreheads touched. He’d said something earlier—at least, she’d thought he’d said something, but now she wasn’t sure. Maybe she’d imagined it because she wanted so badly for it to be true. She was terrified to ask, but she wanted to know. She needed to know if he felt the same way about her as she did about him.
“Did you mean what you said?” she whispered, so softly that if they hadn’t been nose to nose, he never would’ve heard it. Then she held her breath, waiting for his reply.
What if it’d been in the heat of the moment? What if he doesn’t even realize he said anything to me?
Jake’s eyes softened. He pushed an errant strand of fading blue behind her ear. “That I love you?”
She pressed her lips together and nodded. Once.
“Yeah, Princess. I do.”
She exhaled a whoosh of air. “You do?”
Cupping her cheek, he leaned forward and kissed her so reverently, she was trembling when their lips parted.
“Yeah.” He searched her eyes before carefully asking, “How do you feel about that?”
He loves me.
She couldn’t find her voice, so she kissed him, hoping to convey everything inside her.
He loves me.
When their lips parted, her eyes were rimmed with tears. “Good.” She sniffed loudly. Ugh, so not romantic. “I feel…” Choked up with emotion, she couldn’t continue. Instead, the tears started falling.
“Hey, hey,” Jake hushed. He smeared away the wetness from her cheeks with his thumb. “Don’t cry, Princess. I’m not lying. I really, really fudging love you.”
That made her laugh. Jake Lockwood, the man she loved so much it hurt, was in love with her. “Good,” she said. “Because I fucking love you too.”
His face lit up and broke into a huge smile. Weaving his fingers into her hair, he kissed her with such fervor, she doubted she’d be able to spell her own name if someone asked her right now.
L…
He loves me.
A…
Am I dreaming?
U…
Um.
U…
U…
Fudge.
Just call me Princess.