Chapter 28

When I heard her say those words, I froze in place. I stopped kissing her and was completely taken aback. I took a step back to give her adequate distance from me. Those are the words I've been waiting to hear. And she just blurted it all out right now. I'm not sure if I'm hearing things or if she actually said that.

She whimpered, "Elliot."

I tried to find justification by staring her in the eyes. I'm sure she doesn't mean what she states. Not at this time, when she had only recently discovered that her fiancé had cheated on her. When she's just broken up with Matt, how can she claim she loves me and mean it?

"I'm sorry, Elliot. I'm sorry if I scared you." Ari stumbled over her words, unable to articulate what she had spoken. But this time, I'm not having it.

"Baby, believe me when I say that I enjoy hearing those words from you. And I'd love to hear that over and over again, but I'm sure you don't mean it that way. You don't intend those words in their truest sense. Not now, when