A part of me doesn’t want to say it. What if this ruins everything? What if this is the thing that makes him push me away? What if he thinks I only want the parts of him that feel safe, that I don’t want all of him, that I don’t want him just as much as I want Tate?

But I do, I want him just as much. Carter isn’t just safe. He isn’t just soft, just sweet, just the golden boy who loves too much and falls too hard. He’s so much more than that. I need him to know that before he starts convincing himself otherwise. So I breathe in deep, force myself to keep going, even as my throat tightens, even as my pulse pounds against my ribs.

“But you both—” I hesitate, my voice catching, my grip on him tightening. “You both give me something I don’t think I’ve ever had before, things I don’t think I’d ever find again.”

His eyes find mine, and fuck, there’s so much raw emotion, so much fear, so much hope, all tangled together in a way that makes my chest ache.

“And what’s that?” His voice is quiet, careful, like he’s afraid of my answer.

I swallow hard, my heart slamming against my ribs. “You make me feel like I can be both.”

His brows furrow, the tension softening just slightly, the way his fingers ease against my skin like he’s trying to understand, trying to make sense of what I’m saying.

So I keep going. “Tate makes me feel reckless,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “Like I can lose control, like I can give in to the parts of myself I’ve always kept locked away. The less softer side I show to everyone. And you—” I exhale, moving closer to him and pressing my forehead against his. “You make me feel like I don’t have to be afraid of that, of anything. That no matter what, I have a soft place to fall.”

Carter’s breath stutters, his arms tightening around me, his forehead pressing harder against mine like he’s trying to memorize this moment, like he’s trying to hold onto it before it disappears.

When he finally speaks, his voice is low in a way I don’t think I’ve ever heard before. “You can.”

The words hit me deep, sinking into my chest, filling every empty space inside me, every doubt, every fear, until all that’s left is him, his voice, his warmth, his promise.