Saved by Love (Willow Valley Book 3)(24)

"Dude, I think you’ve got it bad," he mumbled to himself.

But what was he supposed to do about it? He knew that he was getting close to a point of no return with Abby. Even though they'd only just met and had only just gotten to know each other, he knew Abby was an all-in kind of girl.

At this point he either needed to put a stop to things before they went any further so they could both avoid any unnecessary hurt. Or he needed to decide if there was a way he could fit Abby in with his lifestyle. He didn't think she was the type of woman who would make him give up his passions, but could she really be okay with the way he thrived on adrenaline and the next big adventure? And was he really ready to explore the possibility of a relationship with somebody? A week ago he would've said no. Now he wasn't so sure. There was just something about her that had gotten to him from day one.

Sick of over-analyzing it, Ethan's fingers flew over the keys of his phone with a reply.

Come over when you're done?

He almost typed I have something I want to talk to you about. Then he realized that sounded ominous. He would just wait until she got there and see how things played out.

He headed back to his place and decided maybe a little more than the regular weekend chores were in order if Abby was going to see the inside of his apartment for the first time. Since when had he ever cared about cleaning house for a woman's approval? He rolled his eyes and nearly laughed out loud at himself. Yeah, he was already a goner.





CHAPTER EIGHT





Abby stood outside the door of Ethan's apartment, smoothing her hair down and pulling at her shirt. She felt nervous, not just at the prospect of seeing him again after realizing how much she cared for him, but also about what she wanted to talk to him about.

All through dinner she could barely stay focused on the conversation with her family because she was thinking about what Denise had said and debating with herself about what she should do. She didn't want to look back and regret missing out on something amazing with Ethan.

The door swung open and there he stood with a smile on his face, looking just as happy to see her as she was to see him. He immediately put her at ease, reaching for her hand and pulling her through the door.

"Come on in. It's not much, but it works for me."

Abby looked around at the apartment that was identical to hers yet so very different. Where her living room was practically empty, Ethan had lots of big, comfy-looking furniture, magazines and huge television. It was also surprisingly clean for a bachelor pad.

"Well, I think it's even cleaner in here than my place, and I don't even have anything to clean up."

He laughed, leading her to the couch and gesturing for her to have a seat. "Yeah, well, I may have put a little extra effort into my weekly chores today."

"You didn't have to do that." But Abby was secretly pleased that he had taken the time to impress her. "So, how are you feeling? After the fire, I mean," she added hurriedly. Not that he would take her question to mean what was he feeling about her. That was ridiculous. But it was what was on her mind at the moment.

"Better after a solid twelve hours of sleep. It was pretty crazy, but we got it under control without too much trouble. It's not the first brushfire that's gotten out of control around here, and it definitely wasn't the worst."

Abby shivered involuntarily just thinking about how terrible some of the situations he’d seen might have been. She quickly pushed the thought from her mind, not wanting it to steer her from the purpose for which she’d come to see him.

"So," Abby began, taking a deep breath, "I actually wanted to talk to you about something." She lifted her eyes to his as he sat down by her on the couch, a wary expression on his face.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you too. But you go first." The way he was looking at her with such uncertainty made her stomach clench.

Maybe this was a terrible idea. Maybe she shouldn’t have suggested that she come by at all. Maybe he was gearing up to let her down gently. After all, he had made it clear that he wasn't exactly a commitment kind of guy. Yet here she was ready to spill her guts to him and see what he might want to do about it.

"Maybe you should go first then." If he was going to call it quits before it had even really begun, she certainly didn't want to put all her cards on the table first and end up feeling like an idiot.

He shook his head, giving her a halfhearted smile. "No, it's fine. What I have to say can wait."

Now her stomach really felt like it was in knots. She shouldn't have eaten that second helping of dessert at the Kincade's. But what else was she supposed to tell him now except the truth? She had talked herself up the whole way over. But now that she was faced with the possibility of rejection, she was definitely second-guessing herself.

Maybe it was like a Band-Aid. Get it over with in one quick jerk. Then she could deal with the fallout.

Trying to steady her nerves, she twisted her fingers together on her lap. Ethan reached over and placed his hand on top of hers.

"Hey," he said, "are you okay?" He still looked wary but now he looked concerned as well. "Did something happen?"

"No." Abby shook her head. Then she looked him straight in the eyes and said, "I wanted to talk about us."

Ethan nodded slowly, though he still looked like he dreaded whatever she was about to say next.