Love and Secrets - Kit Morgan Page 0,44
laughed. “Wow, I think she did miss me.”
Zane smiled. Man, but it was good to see her. “Follow me.” He picked up her small suitcase and headed down the hall. He was still in shock. He’d thought of calling her, texting, but wasn’t sure how he’d be received. He was having a hard enough time dealing with the Parkers, let alone the possibility of Holly telling him she wasn’t interested. Call him a coward, but there it was.
He ushered her inside his apartment and set her things down. “Wow, I can’t believe you’re here.”
She smiled. “To tell you the truth, neither can I.” She carried Sophie into his living room. “Nice place.”
“Thanks.” He nodded at the playpen. “You can put her down if you like.”
“No, I’d like to hold her a while if you don’t mind.” She glanced around the room, then made a beeline for the couch. “So, I’m here.”
“Yes, you are,” he said with a laugh. “Um, as … backup?”
She licked her lower lip. It almost did him in. “Zane, I came to apologize.”
His smile faded. “For what?”
“For ignoring you for one. I … I was confused.”
He joined her on the couch. “I guess that makes two of us.”
Her brows shot up.
“I understand if I scared you off.”
“What? Scared me off?”
He gently poked Sophie in the belly, making her laugh. “It should be obvious how I feel about you, Holls.”
“What?”
“Okay, that came out wrong.” Don’t blow this! She came all this way … “What I mean to say is, I’m glad we were able to reconnect.”
“Oh, yes. Me too.” She straightened a little.
He smiled at her. It was now or never. “I mean, I’m really glad we reconnected.”
She swallowed hard and looked him in the eyes. “How glad?”
His shoulders shook with silent laughter. So that’s what she was doing here. He leaned toward her. “Very glad.” He gazed into her eyes and it was all he could do not to kiss her. “I wanted to tell you before I left Clear Creek, but I obviously screwed something up.”
She shook her head. “You weren’t sure what the future held, Zane.”
He smiled. “True. But Holls, I’d only been in town a little over a week. I wanted to take care of Sophie first then see about settling somewhere. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about having you in the equation.”
Her eyes went wide. “What?”
He nodded. “I want to date, Holly. I want to see where things go.”
She swallowed again. “Oh,” came out as a squeak. Sophie squeaked too.
They laughed.
Once the laughter settled, Zane said, “I don’t want to scare you.”
“Scare me?” she said, her voice soft.
“I didn’t want to come on too strong. And don’t you dare think the only reason I want to get together again is because I’m looking for someone to raise Sophie for me.”
She gaped at him.
“You did think it, didn’t you?”
She snapped her mouth shut. “Well, maybe just a little.” She looked at the floor.
“It’s only natural,” he said gently.
She looked at him, her eyes round as saucers.
“Now,” he said and scooted a little closer. “You want to tell me why you’re really here?”
Holly’s mouth went dry. Had Zane been about to kiss her? On the one hand, she hoped so. But was she so insecure she needed him to? Had she come all this way for a kiss? No, she was here to tell him how she felt and help him with Sophie. All he could do was say he didn’t feel the same and that would be that. At least she’d know and could still lend her support. And even though she’d spent the entire time on the flight steeling herself for this moment. She didn’t expect …
“Holls, what are you thinking?”
She sucked in a breath. “Oh, uh, nothing.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Really? You came all this way to think about nothing?”
“I … owe you an apology for giving you the cold shoulder. I thought you needed moral support …”
“And?”
She swallowed again. “And … to say … I love you.”
His jaw tightened. He looked like he was trying not to smile. “And Sophie?”
She looked at the baby. “I love her too. Well, what I can after spending so little time with her.”
Now he did smile. “What’s not to love?”
“True.” She took a deep breath to calm herself. “I suppose you think I’m silly coming all this way.”
“On the contrary,” he said and scooted a little closer. “Seeing you is sending me over the moon.”
Her jaw went slack. She definitely didn’t expect