Cade
"You said something back there."
We'd walked through town to the harbor and were standing at the railing, looking out over the water.
"What?" she said, not looking at me.
"Your man."
"Figure of speech."
She was looking down at the water now. I could see the smile she was trying to hide.
"Is it?"
She didn't answer. Just let the silence sit there between us like she had all the time in the world.
"When we met," I said, "you told me 'no, no man.' Those words stuck."
"And you made an assumption."
"Seems I've made a lot since meeting you."
She turned her head just enough to look at me. "No man. No woman. But maybe…"
"Fuck, you're killing me."
She laughed. Full and real, in a way I’d never heard before. I waited. I wasn't folding this time.
Finally she said, "I might have someone now."
I raised my eyebrows and she put her hand on my chest again. This time it wasn't breaking. It was threatening to burst right through my ribcage.
I leaned down and sealed it with a kiss.