“You hate your hometown?”

He looked down at me. “You sound equal parts relieved and surprised about that.”

“I just—I am surprised, that’s all.” I shrugged in my attempt to be nonchalant about it. “I love my hometown.”

“I love it here, too.”

“So you’re not going to leave?”

“Whoa.” Noah stopped us on the sidewalk, pulling me to the side beneath some trees so someone walking their dog could go past us. “Where did that come from?”

A lump formed in my throat. “Nowhere.”

“Reagan.” He dropped my hand and trailed his fingers along the side of my face, pushing my hair away. “What do you mean?”

My stomach was in a knot. “My mom said something in the kitchen. About me being afraid that you’d leave. And… she was right.”

“You think I’d leave Creek Falls?”

“I don’t know. You admitted that you don’t really know anyone here. I had this, like, theory inside my head that it was my job to make sure you knew more people. That this felt like home for you.”

“Okay. Stop right there.” He cupped the side of my face. His eyes were warm on me, but there was a spark of amusement buried there, too. “Let me tell you this right now: Creek Falls feels like home to me. And you know why? It’s because of you. You make this town home, Reagan.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

My lips parted, but nothing came out. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Home isn’t always a place,” he said softly. “Sometimes home is a feeling, and that’s how you make me feel every single day. Whether you’re texting me shit about my favorite TV show or you’re sitting on my counter in one of my old t-shirts with a hangover. Even when you’re drunk and trying to dance on a bar. You feel like home to me.”

I fell into him, wrapping my arms around his waist. It was such a stupid thing, validation. But that was how I felt right now—validated. Like I mattered, like I was something to him. Really something.

Because I knew. I understood. I freaking well got it.

I felt the same.

Noah felt like home to me, too. And I didn’t even have one right now, but none of that mattered when I was with him. He was like an alternate universe where everything was okay just because he’d smiled.

And as he hugged me tightly, the thought struck me with the suddenness of a lightning bolt.

I was falling in love with Noah.

Out of nowhere, I was falling headfirst in love with him.

And I didn’t want to stop. I wanted to keep falling and spiraling and descending into the chaos of love until I was dizzy and breathless.

“Noah?” I whispered, turning my face so I wasn’t smooshed into his chest anymore.

“Yeah?”

“I think I’m falling in love with you.”

“Good,” he whispered back, lowering his mouth to my ears. “Because I know I’m falling in love with you.”